Paukenschlag

[ˈpaʊ̯kn̩ˌʃlaːk]

/[ˈpaʊ̯kn̩ˌʃlaːk]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Paukenschlag” is uncommon German (frequency #53,974 among 49,534 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,974
frequency rank, German
49,534
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ein Schlag auf eine Pauke

Key facts for Paukenschlag
PropertyValue
HeadwordPaukenschlag
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈpaʊ̯kn̩ˌʃlaːk]
Letters12
Frequency rank#53,974
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Paukenschlag” 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). Paukenschlag 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

Paukenschlag is uncommon German at frequency #53,974 among 49,534 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈpaʊ̯kn̩ˌʃlaːk]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Paukenschlag doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is Paukenschlag, spelled P-A-U-K-E-N-S-C-H-L-A-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein Schlag auf eine Pauke
  2. 2
    ein Aufsehen erregender Vorfall

Synonyms

Eklat

This word in other languages

drumbeat(English)

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 "Paukenschlag"?
"Paukenschlag" is spelled P-A-U-K-E-N-S-C-H-L-A-G. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈpaʊ̯kn̩ˌʃlaːk].
What does "Paukenschlag" mean?
As a noun, "Paukenschlag" means: ein Schlag auf eine Pauke
How do you pronounce "Paukenschlag"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Paukenschlag" is [ˈpaʊ̯kn̩ˌʃlaːk]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Paukenschlag" come from?
"Paukenschlag" 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 “Paukenschlag”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is P-A-U-K-E-N-S-C-H-L-A-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈpaʊ̯kn̩ˌʃlaːk] (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list