Isthmus

[ˈɪstmʊs]

/[ˈɪstmʊs]/ noun

The verdict

“Isthmus” is uncommon German (frequency #84,147 among 17,725 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,147
frequency rank, German
17,725
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - schmaler Landstreifen, der auf zwei Seiten von Wasser umgeben ist und zwei größere Landmassen miteinander verbindet

Key facts for Isthmus
PropertyValue
HeadwordIsthmus
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈɪstmʊs]
Letters7
Frequency rank#84,147
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Isthmus” 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). Isthmus lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

Isthmus is uncommon German at frequency #84,147 among 17,725 “I” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈɪstmʊs]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "schmaler Landstreifen, der auf zwei Seiten von Wasser umgeben ist und zwei größere Landmassen miteinander verbindet".

Isthmus has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Isthmus, spelled I-S-T-H-M-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    schmaler Landstreifen, der auf zwei Seiten von Wasser umgeben ist und zwei größere Landmassen miteinander verbindet

Synonyms

LandengeLandbrücke

This word in other languages

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 "Isthmus"?
"Isthmus" is spelled I-S-T-H-M-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈɪstmʊs].
What does "Isthmus" mean?
As a noun, "Isthmus" means: schmaler Landstreifen, der auf zwei Seiten von Wasser umgeben ist und zwei größere Landmassen miteinander verbindet
How do you pronounce "Isthmus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Isthmus" is [ˈɪstmʊs]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Isthmus" come from?
"Isthmus" 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.

Using “Isthmus”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is I-S-T-H-M-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈɪstmʊs] (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

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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