lähmen

[ˈlɛːmən]

/[ˈlɛːmən]/ verb

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

The verdict

“lähmen” is uncommon German (frequency #59,857 among 2,640 “L” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,857
frequency rank, German
2,640
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - einem System seine Funktion nehmen (teilweise nur für bestimmte Zeit); eine Lähmung hervorrufen

Corpus desk

Index DE-lahmen · lähmen · German

lähmen · rank #59,857 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #59,857
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,640
  • PHOTO-FINISH LRS

Nearest frequency peer: LRS (-2 rank slots)

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.

Langschwanz-Ränge nahe „lähmen“

Dünnes Band: Balken invertieren den Rang, seltenere Formen wirken kürzer

corpus weight

What this shows Langschwanz-Sicht: wo „lähmen“ gegen ähnlich seltene deutsche Ränge sitzt.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for lähmen
PropertyValue
Headwordlähmen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈlɛːmən]
Letters6
Frequency rank#59,857
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „lähmen“ im Deutschen

Von links nach rechts: die wenigen Träger des Alltags, dann der lange Schwanz kaum gebrauchter Formen.lähmenfällt in diesen Seltenheitsbereich:

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

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Seltene Nachbarn derselben Bandbreite: „LRS“ (#59,855), „machbare“ (#59,859), „Lokalpolitik“ (#59,854). Unter 2,640 „L“-Lemmata liegt „lähmen“ bei #59,857. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lähmen is uncommon German at frequency #59,857 among 2,640 “L” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈlɛːmən]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "einem System seine Funktion nehmen (teilweise nur für bestimmte Zeit); eine Lähmung hervorrufen".

lähmen has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is lähmen, spelled L-Ä-H-M-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    einem System seine Funktion nehmen (teilweise nur für bestimmte Zeit); eine Lähmung hervorrufen

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Das Nervengift Botulinumtoxin lähmt die Muskulatur.

Synonyms

paralysieren

This word in other languages

paralyze(English)paralizar(Español)paralyser(Français)paralisar(Português)

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 "lähmen"?
"lähmen" is spelled L-Ä-H-M-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈlɛːmən].
What does "lähmen" mean?
As a verb, "lähmen" means: einem System seine Funktion nehmen (teilweise nur für bestimmte Zeit); eine Lähmung hervorrufen
How do you pronounce "lähmen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lähmen" is [ˈlɛːmən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "lähmen" come from?
"lähmen" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "lähmen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Lenden#59,849marlin#59,867Matcha#59,871McLean#59,872

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list