pfänden

[ˈp͡fɛndn̩]

/[ˈp͡fɛndn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

“pfänden” is uncommon German (frequency #96,070 among 3,409 “P” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#96,070
frequency rank, German
3,409
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - als Sicherheit für eine ausstehende Schuld in Gewahrsam nehmen

Corpus desk

Index DE-pfanden · pfänden · German

pfänden · rank #96,070 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #96,070
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,409
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pflock

Nearest frequency peer: Pflock (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “pfänden”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “pfänden” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026
Key facts for pfänden
PropertyValue
Headwordpfänden
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈp͡fɛndn̩]
Letters7
Frequency rank#96,070
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pfänden” 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). pfänden 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

pfänden is uncommon German at frequency #96,070 among 3,409 “P” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈp͡fɛndn̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "als Sicherheit für eine ausstehende Schuld in Gewahrsam nehmen".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for pfänden, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, 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 pfänden, spelled P-F-Ä-N-D-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    als Sicherheit für eine ausstehende Schuld in Gewahrsam nehmen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. „Allerdings erst, als ein Gerichtsvollzieher damit gedroht hatte, einen Jet zu pfänden.“
  2. „Eine Forderung, für die auf einem Bauwerke ein vertragsmäßiges Pfandrecht durch Urkundenhinterlegung begründet wurde, ist nach § 294 EO zu pfänden; eine Urkundenhinterlegung zur Begründung des zwangsweisen Pfandrechtes an dieser Forderung findet nicht statt.“

This word in other languages

seize(English)confiscar(Português)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pfänden"?
"pfänden" is spelled P-F-Ä-N-D-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈp͡fɛndn̩].
What does "pfänden" mean?
As a verb, "pfänden" means: als Sicherheit für eine ausstehende Schuld in Gewahrsam nehmen
How do you pronounce "pfänden"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pfänden" is [ˈp͡fɛndn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pfänden" come from?
"pfänden" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "pfänden", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Pessach#96,064poisson#96,081partial#96,056porösen#96,089

What to do next

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PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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