Kōan

[…]

/[…]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Kōan” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
4
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - kurze Schilderung in der Art eines zu lösenden Rätsels

Key facts for Kōan
PropertyValue
HeadwordKōan
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[…]
Letters4
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Kōan” sits in German frequency

Kōan 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Kōan is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as […]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "kurze Schilderung in der Art eines zu lösenden Rätsels".

No misspelling variants are generated for Kōan in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is Kōan, spelled K-Ō-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    kurze Schilderung in der Art eines zu lösenden Rätsels

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Kōan"?
"Kōan" is spelled K-Ō-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is […].
What does "Kōan" mean?
As a noun, "Kōan" means: kurze Schilderung in der Art eines zu lösenden Rätsels
How do you pronounce "Kōan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Kōan" is […]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Kōan" come from?
"Kōan" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “Kōan”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is K-Ō-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as […] (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