Methan

[meˈtaːn]

/[meˈtaːn]/ noun

The verdict

“Methan” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #27,415 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#27,415
frequency rank, German
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - farb- und geruchlose, brennbare Gasverbindung, deren Moleküle aus einem Kohlenstoff- und vier Wasserstoffatomen bestehen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Methan vs Mythen
67% similar
Methan vs mithin
50% similar
Methan vs method
50% similar

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

Key facts for Methan
PropertyValue
HeadwordMethan
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[meˈtaːn]
Letters6
Frequency rank#27,415
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Methan” 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). Methan 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 Methan is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [meˈtaːn]. Corpus data places it at rank #27,415 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "farb- und geruchlose, brennbare Gasverbindung, deren Moleküle aus einem Kohlenstoff- und vier Wasserstoffatomen bestehen".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Methan, with forms such as "emthan", "mehtan", and "metahn". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "Mythen", "mithin", "method", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Methan, spelled M-E-T-H-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    farb- und geruchlose, brennbare Gasverbindung, deren Moleküle aus einem Kohlenstoff- und vier Wasserstoffatomen bestehen

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: emthan,mehtan,metahn,methann,methhan,methna,metthan,mmethan,mtehan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Methan - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

emthan2mehtan2metahn2methann1methhan1methna2metthan1mmethan1
Edit distance from "Methan"

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 "Methan"?
"Methan" is spelled M-E-T-H-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is [meˈtaːn].
What does "Methan" mean?
As a noun, "Methan" means: farb- und geruchlose, brennbare Gasverbindung, deren Moleküle aus einem Kohlenstoff- und vier Wasserstoffatomen bestehen
What words are commonly confused with "Methan"?
"Methan" is commonly confused with "Mythen", "mithin", "method". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Methan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Methan" is [meˈtaːn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Methan" come from?
"Methan" 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.

Using “Methan”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is M-E-T-H-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [meˈtaːn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Mythen” - see the side-by-side comparison. Methan vs Mythen
  • 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