Ohrenschmalz
[ˈoːʁənˌʃmalt͡s]
The verdict
“Ohrenschmalz” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency German
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - bitteres, fettiges Sekret, das von speziellen Drüsen im Ohr zur Reinigung des äußeren Gehörganges abgesondert wird
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Ohrenschmalz |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [ˈoːʁənˌʃmalt͡s] |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Ohrenschmalz” sits in German frequency
Rare enough to double-check
Ohrenschmalz is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈoːʁənˌʃmalt͡s]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "bitteres, fettiges Sekret, das von speziellen Drüsen im Ohr zur Reinigung des äußeren Gehörganges abgesondert wird".
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for Ohrenschmalz, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is Ohrenschmalz, spelled O-H-R-E-N-S-C-H-M-A-L-Z.
Definition
- 1bitteres, fettiges Sekret, das von speziellen Drüsen im Ohr zur Reinigung des äußeren Gehörganges abgesondert wird
Synonyms
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
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Using “Ohrenschmalz”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is O-H-R-E-N-S-C-H-M-A-L-Z - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈoːʁənˌʃmalt͡s] (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.