-in

[ɪn]

/[ɪn]/ suffix

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

The verdict

“-in” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a suffix. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
3
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - nachgestelltes Wortbildungselement zur Bildung femininer Bezeichnungen aus Substantiven, die (grammatikalisch) maskuline Personen oder Tiere bezeichnen

Corpus desk

Index DE-in · -in · German

-in · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "-" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for -in
PropertyValue
Headword-in
LanguageGerman
Part of speechSuffix
IPA[ɪn]
Letters3
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “-in” sits in German frequency

-in falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

-in is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as asuffix, transcribed [ɪn]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for -in, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is -in, spelled --I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    nachgestelltes Wortbildungselement zur Bildung femininer Bezeichnungen aus Substantiven, die (grammatikalisch) maskuline Personen oder Tiere bezeichnen
  2. 2
    Suffix für Feminisierungen bei Familiennamen; historisch als Anrede von Frauen benutzt
  3. 3
    auch nach Berufen und Titeln, um die Frau des Berufsinhabers beziehungsweise des Titelträgers zu bezeichnen
  4. 4
    Bezeichnung einer Funktion, die sich auf ein zuvor genanntes unbelebtes Substantiv im Femininum bezieht

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how -in appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Auftraggeberin, Hündin, Kandidatin, Kätzin, Lehrerin, Sängerin, Wirtin
  2. Müllerin, Neuberin, Schneiderin; oft in Verbindung mit bestimmtem Artikel „die Neubauerin“ und als Anrede

This word in other languages

-ess(English)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "-in"?
"-in" is spelled --I-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ɪn].
What does "-in" mean?
As a suffix, "-in" means: nachgestelltes Wortbildungselement zur Bildung femininer Bezeichnungen aus Substantiven, die (grammatikalisch) maskuline Personen oder Tiere bezeichnen
How do you pronounce "-in"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "-in" is [ɪn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "-in" come from?
"-in" 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.
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