kriechen
[ˈkʁiːçn̩]
The verdict
“kriechen” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #18,960 in German word frequency and used as a verb.
- #18,960
- frequency rank, German
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - sich mit dem Bauch am Boden/in Bodennähe fortbewegen
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | kriechen |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [ˈkʁiːçn̩] |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #18,960 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “kriechen” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for kriechen is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈkʁiːçn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #18,960 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for kriechen, with forms such as "kirechen", "kkriechen", and "kreichen". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Kriegen", "kriecht", "krachen", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is kriechen, spelled K-R-I-E-C-H-E-N.
Definition
- 1sich mit dem Bauch am Boden/in Bodennähe fortbewegen
- 2sich sehr langsam bewegen
- 3sich untertänig verhalten
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: kirechen,kkriechen,kreichen,kricehen,kriecchen,kriecehn,kriechenn,kriechhen,kriechne,kriehcen,krriechen,rkiechen
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of kriechen - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "kriechen"?
What does "kriechen" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "kriechen"?
How do you pronounce "kriechen"?
What language does "kriechen" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “kriechen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is K-R-I-E-C-H-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈkʁiːçn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Kriegen” - see the side-by-side comparison. kriechen vs Kriegen
- 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.