Petting

[ˈpɛtɪŋ]

/[ˈpɛtɪŋ]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Petting” is an uncommon German word, ranked #86,905 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#86,905
frequency rank, German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - jede Art von sexueller Betätigung ohne Geschlechtsverkehr

Key facts for Petting
PropertyValue
HeadwordPetting
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈpɛtɪŋ]
Letters7
Frequency rank#86,905
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Petting” 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). Petting lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Petting is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈpɛtɪŋ]. Corpus data places it at rank #86,905 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "jede Art von sexueller Betätigung ohne Geschlechtsverkehr".

Petting doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is Petting, spelled P-E-T-T-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    jede Art von sexueller Betätigung ohne Geschlechtsverkehr

This word in other languages

petting(English)caricias(Español)pelotage(Français)

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 "Petting"?
"Petting" is spelled P-E-T-T-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈpɛtɪŋ].
What does "Petting" mean?
As a noun, "Petting" means: jede Art von sexueller Betätigung ohne Geschlechtsverkehr
How do you pronounce "Petting"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Petting" is [ˈpɛtɪŋ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Petting" come from?
"Petting" 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.

Using “Petting”

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

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