Lautmalerei

[ˌlaʊ̯tmaːləˈʁaɪ̯]

/[ˌlaʊ̯tmaːləˈʁaɪ̯]/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - lautliche Gestaltung sprachlicher Ausdrücke in einer Weise, die den gemeinten Gegenstand oder Vorgang oder das gemeinte Lebewesen nachahmt

Corpus desk

Index DE-lautmalerei · Lautmalerei · German

Lautmalerei · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" 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 Lautmalerei
PropertyValue
HeadwordLautmalerei
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˌlaʊ̯tmaːləˈʁaɪ̯]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Lautmalerei“ im Deutschen

Lautmalereischafft es nicht in die Top 100.000 des Deutschen: Zone für Fach-, Alt- oder Seltenwortschatz.

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

Rare enough to double-check

Lautmalerei is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˌlaʊ̯tmaːləˈʁaɪ̯]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "lautliche Gestaltung sprachlicher Ausdrücke in einer Weise, die den gemeinten Gegenstand oder Vorgang oder das gemeinte Lebewesen nachahmt".

Zero misspellings are on record for Lautmalerei in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is Lautmalerei, spelled L-A-U-T-M-A-L-E-R-E-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    lautliche Gestaltung sprachlicher Ausdrücke in einer Weise, die den gemeinten Gegenstand oder Vorgang oder das gemeinte Lebewesen nachahmt

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Lautmalerei kann auf verschiedene Weise verwendet werden; am bekanntesten sind lautmalerische Wörter wie „Wauwau“, „Kuckuck“, „Uhu“.
  2. „Dieses Phänomen nennt man Lautsymbolik, Lautmalerei und im literarischen Kontext meist Onomatopöie.“

Synonyms

KlangnachahmungLautnachahmungLautsymbolikOnomatopoesieOnomatopoiieOnomatopöieSchallnachahmung

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 "Lautmalerei"?
"Lautmalerei" is spelled L-A-U-T-M-A-L-E-R-E-I. The IPA pronunciation is [ˌlaʊ̯tmaːləˈʁaɪ̯].
What does "Lautmalerei" mean?
As a noun, "Lautmalerei" means: lautliche Gestaltung sprachlicher Ausdrücke in einer Weise, die den gemeinten Gegenstand oder Vorgang oder das gemeinte Lebewesen nachahmt
How do you pronounce "Lautmalerei"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Lautmalerei" is [ˌlaʊ̯tmaːləˈʁaɪ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Lautmalerei" come from?
"Lautmalerei" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list