niederknien

[ˈniːdɐˌkniːn]

/[ˈniːdɐˌkniːn]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“niederknien” is uncommon German (frequency #72,776 among 26,919 “N” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,776
frequency rank, German
26,919
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - auf die Knie gehen, eine kniende Haltung einnehmen

Key facts for niederknien
PropertyValue
Headwordniederknien
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈniːdɐˌkniːn]
Letters11
Frequency rank#72,776
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “niederknien” 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). niederknien 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

niederknien is uncommon German at frequency #72,776 among 26,919 “N” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈniːdɐˌkniːn]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "auf die Knie gehen, eine kniende Haltung einnehmen".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for niederknien, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is niederknien, spelled N-I-E-D-E-R-K-N-I-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    auf die Knie gehen, eine kniende Haltung einnehmen

Synonyms

hinknien

This word in other languages

arrodillarse(Español)

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 "niederknien"?
"niederknien" is spelled N-I-E-D-E-R-K-N-I-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈniːdɐˌkniːn].
What does "niederknien" mean?
As a verb, "niederknien" means: auf die Knie gehen, eine kniende Haltung einnehmen
How do you pronounce "niederknien"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "niederknien" is [ˈniːdɐˌkniːn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "niederknien" come from?
"niederknien" 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 “niederknien”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is N-I-E-D-E-R-K-N-I-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈniːdɐˌkniːn] (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