Lemma

[ˈlɛma]

/[ˈlɛma]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Lemma” is uncommon German (frequency #63,514 among 2,640 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,514
frequency rank, German
2,640
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - der im Titel oder Motto ausgedrückte Hauptinhalt eines Werks

Corpus desk

Index DE-lemma · Lemma · German

Lemma · rank #63,514 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,514
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,640
  • PHOTO-FINISH legitimes

Nearest frequency peer: legitimes (-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 „Lemma“

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

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Lemma
PropertyValue
HeadwordLemma
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈlɛma]
Letters5
Frequency rank#63,514
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Lemma“ im Deutschen

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

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

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Seltene Nachbarn derselben Bandbreite: „legitimes“ (#63,512), „Lenzburg“ (#63,516), „Lebensgewohnheiten“ (#63,510). Unter 2,640 „L“-Lemmata liegt „Lemma“ bei #63,514. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Lemma is uncommon German at frequency #63,514 among 2,640 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈlɛma]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for Lemma in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Lemma, spelled L-E-M-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    der im Titel oder Motto ausgedrückte Hauptinhalt eines Werks
  2. 2
    das Stichwort in der Grundform eines Wortes (also die Form, unter der man ein Wort im Lexikon sucht); siehe auch: Lemmaselektion
  3. 3
    ein Satz, der vor allem als Hilfssatz im Beweis eines wichtigeren Satzes von Bedeutung ist
  4. 4
    Bestandteil eines Emblems

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Das Lemma, unter dem man die Wortform „Lemmata“ findet, lautet „Lemma“.
  2. „Jeder Artikel besteht aus Lemma (Artikelkopf), Textteil und gegebenenfalls dem Verweisteil.“

Synonyms

MottoGrundformLexemStichwort

This word in other languages

lemma(English)lema(Español)lemme(Français)lema(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 "Lemma"?
"Lemma" is spelled L-E-M-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈlɛma].
What does "Lemma" mean?
As a noun, "Lemma" means: der im Titel oder Motto ausgedrückte Hauptinhalt eines Werks
How do you pronounce "Lemma"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Lemma" is [ˈlɛma]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Lemma" come from?
"Lemma" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Lauge#63,505lahti#63,496Mandl#63,549klack#63,469

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list