ingenious

[ɪnˈdʒiːnɪəs]

/[ɪnˈdʒiːnɪəs]/ adj

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - genial, erfinderisch, findig, geistreich, klug (einfache Lösungen für komplexe Probleme finden)

Corpus desk

Index DE-ingenious · ingenious · German

ingenious · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "I" 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 ingenious
PropertyValue
Headwordingenious
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ɪnˈdʒiːnɪəs]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ingenious” sits in German frequency

ingeniousranks outside the top 100,000 German headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

ingenious is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ɪnˈdʒiːnɪəs]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

ingenious has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is ingenious, spelled I-N-G-E-N-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    genial, erfinderisch, findig, geistreich, klug (einfache Lösungen für komplexe Probleme finden)
  2. 2
    sinnvoll, kunstvoll (eine Sache die ihrem Anspruch gerecht wird)
  3. 3
    raffiniert (sehr kluge Lösung, Methode, undsoweiter)

Synonyms

inventivegiftedablesagaciouscleverbrightreadyartfulthat shows inventionexhibiting ingenuitycleverfertileadroitshrewdwitty

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 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ingenious"?
"ingenious" is spelled I-N-G-E-N-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is [ɪnˈdʒiːnɪəs].
What does "ingenious" mean?
As an adjective, "ingenious" means: genial, erfinderisch, findig, geistreich, klug (einfache Lösungen für komplexe Probleme finden)
How do you pronounce "ingenious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ingenious" is [ɪnˈdʒiːnɪəs]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ingenious" come from?
"ingenious" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

What to do next

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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