Orang-Utan

[ˈoːʁaŋˈʔuːtan]

/[ˈoːʁaŋˈʔuːtan]/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Primatengattung aus der Familie der Menschenaffen

Corpus desk

Index DE-orang-utan · Orang-Utan · German

Orang-Utan · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "O" 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 Orang-Utan
PropertyValue
HeadwordOrang-Utan
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈoːʁaŋˈʔuːtan]
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Orang-Utan“ im Deutschen

Orang-Utanschafft 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

Orang-Utan is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈoːʁaŋˈʔuːtan]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for Orang-Utan in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. 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.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Orang-Utan, spelled O-R-A-N-G---U-T-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Primatengattung aus der Familie der Menschenaffen
  2. 2
    kurz für Orang-Utan-Eröffnung

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In Hagenbecks Tierpark wurde gerade ein Haus für Orang-Utans gebaut.
  2. „Der Gesichtswinkel der Orang-Utans ähnelte dem der Australier und Hottentotten, man rechne sie deshalb zu den Menschenaffen.“

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

How do you spell "Orang-Utan"?
"Orang-Utan" is spelled O-R-A-N-G---U-T-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈoːʁaŋˈʔuːtan].
What does "Orang-Utan" mean?
As a noun, "Orang-Utan" means: Primatengattung aus der Familie der Menschenaffen
How do you pronounce "Orang-Utan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Orang-Utan" is [ˈoːʁaŋˈʔuːtan]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Orang-Utan" come from?
"Orang-Utan" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list