Opal
[oˈpaːl]
The verdict
“Opal” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #47,621 in German word frequency and used as a noun.
- #47,621
- frequency rank, German
- 4
- letters
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ein Edelstein aus der Mineralklasse der Oxide; als Schmuck verwendet
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Opal |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [oˈpaːl] |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #47,621 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Opal” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for Opal is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [oˈpaːl]. Corpus data places it at rank #47,621 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for Opal, with forms such as "oapl", "opall", and "opla". 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, "ops", "opt", "owl", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is Opal, spelled O-P-A-L.
Definition
- 1ein Edelstein aus der Mineralklasse der Oxide; als Schmuck verwendet
- 2feines Baumwollgewebe; milchiger Batist
- 3eine funktionale Programmiersprache; 1986 entwickelt
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: oapl,opall,opla,oppal,poal
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Opal - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "Opal"?
What does "Opal" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "Opal"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Opal”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is O-P-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [oˈpaːl] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “ops” - see the side-by-side comparison. Opal vs ops
- 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.