nuckeln

[ˈnʊkl̩n]

/[ˈnʊkl̩n]/ verb

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

The verdict

“nuckeln” is an uncommon German word, ranked #84,355 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#84,355
frequency rank, German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (an) etwas saugen, lutschen

Key facts for nuckeln
PropertyValue
Headwordnuckeln
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈnʊkl̩n]
Letters7
Frequency rank#84,355
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “nuckeln” 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). nuckeln 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 nuckeln is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈnʊkl̩n]. Corpus data places it at rank #84,355 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "(an) etwas saugen, lutschen".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for nuckeln, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is nuckeln, spelled N-U-C-K-E-L-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    (an) etwas saugen, lutschen

Synonyms

nubbeln

Antonyms

ausspucken

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 "nuckeln"?
"nuckeln" is spelled N-U-C-K-E-L-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈnʊkl̩n].
What does "nuckeln" mean?
As a verb, "nuckeln" means: (an) etwas saugen, lutschen
How do you pronounce "nuckeln"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nuckeln" is [ˈnʊkl̩n]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "nuckeln" come from?
"nuckeln" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “nuckeln”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is N-U-C-K-E-L-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈnʊkl̩n] (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
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