Libelle

[liˈbɛlə]

/[liˈbɛlə]/ noun

The verdict

“Libelle” is uncommon German (frequency #50,673 among 30,953 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,673
frequency rank, German
30,953
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Vertreter einer Ordnung von am Wasser lebenden, stabförmigen Raubinsekten mit vier nicht faltbaren Flügeln (Odonata)

Key facts for Libelle
PropertyValue
HeadwordLibelle
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[liˈbɛlə]
Letters7
Frequency rank#50,673
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Libelle” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Libelle lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Libelle is uncommon German at frequency #50,673 among 30,953 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [liˈbɛlə]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for Libelle in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Libelle, spelled L-I-B-E-L-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vertreter einer Ordnung von am Wasser lebenden, stabförmigen Raubinsekten mit vier nicht faltbaren Flügeln (Odonata)
  2. 2
    eine Art gebogene Haarspange
  3. 3
    Teil von bestimmten Messinstrumenten bestehend aus einem mit einer Flüssigkeit und einer Luft- beziehungsweise Gasblase gefüllten Röhrchen aus Glas oder Kunststoff, mit dem die horizontale beziehungsweise vertikale Lage eines Gegenstandes überprüft wird

Synonyms

WasserjungferSchilleboldAugenstecherAugenschießerDrachenfliegeGlaserGoldspinnerHimmelspferdchenJungferKehlstecherMohrmannPfaffPfaffePfaffenköchinPfaufliegeReitpferdSchillerboldSchillerbolzSchlangenstecherSchleiferSchneiderSchneidermetzeSchuhflickerSchürschotteSchusterSpinnjungferSpinnejungferTeufelsbolzWasserbummeWasserdockeWasserhexeWassermannWassermutterWassernympheWasserpfauWasserpuppeWildpferdZiebold

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); 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 "Libelle"?
"Libelle" is spelled L-I-B-E-L-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is [liˈbɛlə].
What does "Libelle" mean?
As a noun, "Libelle" means: Vertreter einer Ordnung von am Wasser lebenden, stabförmigen Raubinsekten mit vier nicht faltbaren Flügeln (Odonata)
How do you pronounce "Libelle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Libelle" is [liˈbɛlə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Libelle" come from?
"Libelle" 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 “Libelle”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is L-I-B-E-L-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [liˈbɛlə] (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

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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