Lemming

[ˈlɛmɪŋ]

/[ˈlɛmɪŋ]/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Nagetier aus der Unterfamilie der Wühlmäuse (Arvicolinae), das vor allem in Nordeuropa, Nordasien und Nordamerika vorkommt

Corpus desk

Index DE-lemming · Lemming · German

Lemming · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 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 Lemming
PropertyValue
HeadwordLemming
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈlɛmɪŋ]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Lemming” sits in German frequency

Lemming 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.

Rare enough to double-check

Lemming is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈlɛmɪŋ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Nagetier aus der Unterfamilie der Wühlmäuse (Arvicolinae), das vor allem in Nordeuropa, Nordasien und Nordamerika vorkommt".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Lemming, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

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 Lemming, spelled L-E-M-M-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nagetier aus der Unterfamilie der Wühlmäuse (Arvicolinae), das vor allem in Nordeuropa, Nordasien und Nordamerika vorkommt

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ihr Vorkommen ist dabei von den Bestandsschwankungen der Lemminge, ihrer Hauptbeute, abhängig.
  2. „Demographen beobachten ähnliche Phänomene, wenn sie untersuchen, wie Populationen von Ameisen, Lemmingen oder Menschen anwachsen.“

Synonyms

Lemmini

This word in other languages

lemming(English)lemming(Español)lemming(Français)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Lemming"?
"Lemming" is spelled L-E-M-M-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈlɛmɪŋ].
What does "Lemming" mean?
As a noun, "Lemming" means: Nagetier aus der Unterfamilie der Wühlmäuse (Arvicolinae), das vor allem in Nordeuropa, Nordasien und Nordamerika vorkommt
How do you pronounce "Lemming"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Lemming" is [ˈlɛmɪŋ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Lemming" come from?
"Lemming" 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.
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