Kolophonium

[koloˈfoːni̯ʊm]

/[koloˈfoːni̯ʊm]/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - amorphes, sprödes, glasiges Produkt aus gelbem, rotem bis schwarzbraunem Baumharz, das zum Bestreichen von Geigenbögen und anderen technischen Zwecken dient

Corpus desk

Index DE-kolophonium · Kolophonium · German

Kolophonium · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "K" 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 Kolophonium
PropertyValue
HeadwordKolophonium
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[koloˈfoːni̯ʊm]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Kolophonium“ im Deutschen

Kolophoniumliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

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

Rare enough to double-check

Kolophonium is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [koloˈfoːni̯ʊm]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "amorphes, sprödes, glasiges Produkt aus gelbem, rotem bis schwarzbraunem Baumharz, das zum Bestreichen von Geigenbögen und anderen technischen Zwecken dient".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Kolophonium, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is Kolophonium, spelled K-O-L-O-P-H-O-N-I-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    amorphes, sprödes, glasiges Produkt aus gelbem, rotem bis schwarzbraunem Baumharz, das zum Bestreichen von Geigenbögen und anderen technischen Zwecken dient

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Rätselhaft anmutende Erscheinungen wie etwa die fischgrätenförmigen Abschabungen an Kiefernstämmen werden in kurzen Artikeln erläutert: Sie dienen der Gewinnung von Harz, das als Grundstoff für die Herstellung von Terpentin und Kolophonium benötigt wird.
  2. Die Akustik sei nicht mehr so hallig gewesen wie noch in der Probe, sondern sehr trocken. Er hatte zuviel Kolophonium auf dem Bogen, sein Cello klang hart und sprach nicht richtig an.

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Kolophonium"?
"Kolophonium" is spelled K-O-L-O-P-H-O-N-I-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is [koloˈfoːni̯ʊm].
What does "Kolophonium" mean?
As a noun, "Kolophonium" means: amorphes, sprödes, glasiges Produkt aus gelbem, rotem bis schwarzbraunem Baumharz, das zum Bestreichen von Geigenbögen und anderen technischen Zwecken dient
How do you pronounce "Kolophonium"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Kolophonium" is [koloˈfoːni̯ʊm]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Kolophonium" come from?
"Kolophonium" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list