petrifizieren

[petʁifiˈt͡siːʁən]

/[petʁifiˈt͡siːʁən]/ verb

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

The verdict

“petrifizieren” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - zu Stein werden (lassen); versteinern

Key facts for petrifizieren
PropertyValue
Headwordpetrifizieren
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[petʁifiˈt͡siːʁən]
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “petrifizieren” sits in German frequency

petrifizieren falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for petrifizieren is 13 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [petʁifiˈt͡siːʁən]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "zu Stein werden (lassen); versteinern".

petrifizieren has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is petrifizieren, spelled P-E-T-R-I-F-I-Z-I-E-R-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    zu Stein werden (lassen); versteinern

Synonyms

versteinern

This word in other languages

petrify(English)petrificar(Español)pétrifier(Français)

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 "petrifizieren"?
"petrifizieren" is spelled P-E-T-R-I-F-I-Z-I-E-R-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [petʁifiˈt͡siːʁən].
What does "petrifizieren" mean?
As a verb, "petrifizieren" means: zu Stein werden (lassen); versteinern
How do you pronounce "petrifizieren"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "petrifizieren" is [petʁifiˈt͡siːʁən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "petrifizieren" come from?
"petrifizieren" 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 “petrifizieren”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is P-E-T-R-I-F-I-Z-I-E-R-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [petʁifiˈt͡siːʁən] (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