kurzweilen

[ˈkʊʁt͡sˌvaɪ̯lən]

/[ˈkʊʁt͡sˌvaɪ̯lən]/ verb

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - scherzen, Kurzweile treiben

Corpus desk

Index DE-kurzweilen · kurzweilen · German

kurzweilen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 kurzweilen
PropertyValue
Headwordkurzweilen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈkʊʁt͡sˌvaɪ̯lən]
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „kurzweilen“ im Deutschen

kurzweilenliegt 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

kurzweilen is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈkʊʁt͡sˌvaɪ̯lən]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

kurzweilen doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

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 kurzweilen, spelled K-U-R-Z-W-E-I-L-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    scherzen, Kurzweile treiben
  2. 2
    die Zeit angenehm vertreiben, Kurzweile machen, unterhalten

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. „Während der heiligen Messe unterhielt man sich durch laute Gespräche, scherzte und kurzweilte, und beging Ungezogenheiten, die nicht auf öffentlichen Plätzen hätten entschuldigt werden können […].“
  2. „Bis dahin hatte ich nur unvollständige Gefühle gehabt, ich fürchtete meine Tante, aber ihr Verstand kurzweilte mich.“

Antonyms

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 "kurzweilen"?
"kurzweilen" is spelled K-U-R-Z-W-E-I-L-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈkʊʁt͡sˌvaɪ̯lən].
What does "kurzweilen" mean?
As a verb, "kurzweilen" means: scherzen, Kurzweile treiben
How do you pronounce "kurzweilen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kurzweilen" is [ˈkʊʁt͡sˌvaɪ̯lən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "kurzweilen" come from?
"kurzweilen" 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