Kriterium

[kʁiˈteːʁiʊm]

/[kʁiˈteːʁiʊm]/ noun

The verdict

“Kriterium” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #9,940 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,940
frequency rank, German
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - wichtiges Entscheidungs- und Unterscheidungsmerkmal

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Kriterium vs Kriterien
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Kriterium
PropertyValue
HeadwordKriterium
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[kʁiˈteːʁiʊm]
Letters9
Frequency rank#9,940
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Kriterium” 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). Kriterium lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Kriterium is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [kʁiˈteːʁiʊm]. Corpus data places it at rank #9,940 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "wichtiges Entscheidungs- und Unterscheidungsmerkmal".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for Kriterium, with forms such as "kirterium", "kkriterium", and "krietrium". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Kriterien", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented 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 Kriterium, spelled K-R-I-T-E-R-I-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    wichtiges Entscheidungs- und Unterscheidungsmerkmal

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: kirterium,kkriterium,krietrium,kriteirum,kriterimu,kriteriumm,kriterrium,kriteruim,kritreium,kritterium,krriterium,krtierium,rkiterium

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Kriterium - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

kirterium2kkriterium1krietrium2kriteirum2kriterimu2kriteriumm1kriterrium1kriteruim2
Edit distance from "Kriterium"

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 "Kriterium"?
"Kriterium" is spelled K-R-I-T-E-R-I-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is [kʁiˈteːʁiʊm].
What does "Kriterium" mean?
As a noun, "Kriterium" means: wichtiges Entscheidungs- und Unterscheidungsmerkmal
What words are commonly confused with "Kriterium"?
"Kriterium" is commonly confused with "Kriterien". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Kriterium"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Kriterium" is [kʁiˈteːʁiʊm]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Kriterium" come from?
"Kriterium" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “Kriterium”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is K-R-I-T-E-R-I-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [kʁiˈteːʁiʊm] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Kriterien” - see the side-by-side comparison. Kriterium vs Kriterien
  • 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