müssen

Name: müssen, German Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

[ˈmʏsn̩]

/[ˈmʏsn̩]/ verb

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 2, 2026

The verdict

“müssen” has 8 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #154. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#154
frequency rank, German: 3,571
“M” headwords: 8
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - unausweichlich gezwungen sein, etwas zu tun oder zu erleiden

Corpus desk

Index DE-mussen · müssen · German

müssen · rank #154 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

FREQ-CORE #154
LEN-LONG 6 letters
VOW-2 2 vowels
CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
VAR-MID 8 variants
BOOK-MID 3,571
PHOTO-FINISH dort

Nearest frequency peer: dort (-1 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.

dabei

99,850
A

99,849
dort

99,848
müssen

99,847
gerade

99,846
neue

99,845

What this shows Bars show where “müssen” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

müssen vs musst

50% similar

müssen vs musste

50% similar

müssen vs Muster

33% similar

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

Key facts for müssen
Property	Value
Headword	müssen
Language	German
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	[ˈmʏsn̩]
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#154
Misspellings tracked	8
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “müssen” 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). müssen lands here:

#154

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around müssen (IPA [ˈmʏsn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #154 among 3,571 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for müssen, with forms such as "mmüssen", "msüsen", and "müsen". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "musst", "musste", "Muster", 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 best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is müssen, spelled M-Ü-S-S-E-N.

Definition

1
unausweichlich gezwungen sein, etwas zu tun oder zu erleiden
2
es ist notwendig, an diesen Ort zu gelangen
3
den Drang zu einem Toilettenbesuch verspüren
4
zum Ausdruck einer Vermutung oder Schlussfolgerung
5
einem Vorhaben im Wege stehen und das Recht haben, es zuzulassen oder zu verhindern; eine Voraussetzung für etwas anderes (nicht notwendig Genanntes) sein

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

Jeder Mensch muss sterben.
Der Mensch muss sein Gehirn gebrauchen, sonst verblödet er.

Synonyms

notwendig nötig verpflichtet

Antonyms

dürfen

This word in other languages

must(English)deber(Español)devoir(Français)dever(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

mmüssen
msüsen
müsen
müsesn
müssenn
müssne
müßen
ümssen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of müssen - 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.

Edit distance from "müssen"

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.

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 September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "müssen"?

"müssen" is spelled M-Ü-S-S-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈmʏsn̩].

What does "müssen" mean?

As a verb, "müssen" means: unausweichlich gezwungen sein, etwas zu tun oder zu erleiden

What words are commonly confused with "müssen"?

"müssen" is commonly confused with "musst", "musste", "Muster". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "müssen"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "müssen" is [ˈmʏsn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What language does "müssen" come from?

"müssen" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gerade#155 wurden#149 dieses#148 ersten#160

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

diesem8 variants andere8 variants seiner8 variants weiter8 variants

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.