nieder-

[ˈniːdɐ]

/[ˈniːdɐ]/ prefix

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - nach unten, zu Boden

Corpus desk

Index DE-nieder · nieder- · German

nieder- · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "N" 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 nieder-
PropertyValue
Headwordnieder-
LanguageGerman
Part of speechPrefix
IPA[ˈniːdɐ]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Wo “nieder-” in der deutschen Häufigkeit sitzt

nieder-schafft es nicht in die Top 100.000 des Deutschen: Zone für Fach-, Alt- oder Seltenwortschatz.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nieder- is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as aprefix, transcribed [ˈniːdɐ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for nieder-, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is nieder-, spelled N-I-E-D-E-R--.

Definition

  1. 1
    nach unten, zu Boden
  2. 2
    jemanden verbal fertigmachen oder kleinkriegen
  3. 3
    zerstören oder reduzieren

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Wer sich niederkniet, beugt die Knie und bewegt sich auf den Boden zu.
  2. Wer jemanden niederbrüllt, brüllt jemand anderen so an, dass dieser keine Chance zur Antwort hat.

Antonyms

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "nieder-"?
"nieder-" is spelled N-I-E-D-E-R--. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈniːdɐ].
What does "nieder-" mean?
As a prefix, "nieder-" means: nach unten, zu Boden
How do you pronounce "nieder-"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nieder-" is [ˈniːdɐ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "nieder-" come from?
"nieder-" 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.

What to do next

You've looked up "nieder-". Here's where to go from here.

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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