horchen

[ˈhɔʁçn̩]

/[ˈhɔʁçn̩]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“horchen” is an uncommon German word, ranked #74,717 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#74,717
frequency rank, German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - heimlich bei etwas zuhören

Key facts for horchen
PropertyValue
Headwordhorchen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈhɔʁçn̩]
Letters7
Frequency rank#74,717
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “horchen” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). horchen lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for horchen is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈhɔʁçn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #74,717 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for horchen, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is horchen, spelled H-O-R-C-H-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    heimlich bei etwas zuhören
  2. 2
    sehr aufmerksam (angestrengt) auf bestimmte Geräusche achten
  3. 3
    auf jemanden/etwas hören

Synonyms

lauschenhinhörengehorchen

This word in other languages

listen(English)escuchar(Español)écouter(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "horchen"?
"horchen" is spelled H-O-R-C-H-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈhɔʁçn̩].
What does "horchen" mean?
As a verb, "horchen" means: heimlich bei etwas zuhören
How do you pronounce "horchen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "horchen" is [ˈhɔʁçn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "horchen" come from?
"horchen" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “horchen”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is H-O-R-C-H-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈhɔʁçn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list