last minute

/[ˈlaːst ˈmɪnɪt]/ adv

The verdict

“last minute” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as an adverb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
11
letters

Dominant Wiktionary sense: kurzfristig (und zu einem günstigeren Preis)

Key facts for last minute
PropertyValue
Headwordlast minute
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdverb
IPA[ˈlaːst ˈmɪnɪt]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “last minute” sits in German frequency

last minute falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for last minute is 11 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈlaːst ˈmɪnɪt]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "kurzfristig (und zu einem günstigeren Preis)".

No misspelling variants are generated for last minute in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct German form is last minute, spelled L-A-S-T- -M-I-N-U-T-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    kurzfristig (und zu einem günstigeren Preis)

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.

Cite this page

Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:

PlainSpell, “last minute, German word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/de/wort/last-minute

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "last minute"?
"last minute" is spelled L-A-S-T- -M-I-N-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈlaːst ˈmɪnɪt].
What does "last minute" mean?
As an adverb, "last minute" means: kurzfristig (und zu einem günstigeren Preis)
How do you pronounce "last minute"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "last minute" is [ˈlaːst ˈmɪnɪt]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "last minute" come from?
"last minute" 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.

Using “last minute”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is L-A-S-T- -M-I-N-U-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈlaːst ˈmɪnɪt] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Nearby German words

Other entries that begin with the letter L in our German index:

Explore PlainSpell

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