litten

[ˈlɪtn̩]

/[ˈlɪtn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“litten” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #23,221 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#23,221
frequency rank, German
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leiden

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

litten vs lotte
67% similar
litten vs little
67% similar
litten vs Lüften
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for litten
PropertyValue
Headwordlitten
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈlɪtn̩]
Letters6
Frequency rank#23,221
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “litten” 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). litten lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for litten is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈlɪtn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #23,221 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for litten, with forms such as "iltten", "liten", and "litetn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lotte", "little", "Lüften", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, 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 litten, spelled L-I-T-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leiden
  2. 2
    1. Person Plural Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leiden
  3. 3
    3. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leiden
  4. 4
    3. Person Plural Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leiden

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iltten,liten,litetn,littenn,littne,llitten,ltiten

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of litten - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

iltten2liten1litetn2littenn1littne2llitten1ltiten2
Edit distance from "litten"

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 "litten"?
"litten" is spelled L-I-T-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈlɪtn̩].
What does "litten" mean?
As a verb, "litten" means: 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leiden
What words are commonly confused with "litten"?
"litten" is commonly confused with "lotte", "little", "Lüften". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "litten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "litten" is [ˈlɪtn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "litten" come from?
"litten" 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 “litten”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is L-I-T-T-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈlɪtn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “lotte” - see the side-by-side comparison. litten vs lotte
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
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