Platzhalter
[ˈplat͡sˌhaltɐ]
The verdict
“Platzhalter” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #49,965 in German word frequency and used as a noun.
- #49,965
- frequency rank, German
- 11
- letters
- 18
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - allgemein: Person, die für eine andere einen Platz freihält
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Platzhalter |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [ˈplat͡sˌhaltɐ] |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #49,965 |
| Misspellings tracked | 18 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Platzhalter” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for Platzhalter is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈplat͡sˌhaltɐ]. Corpus data places it at rank #49,965 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for Platzhalter, with forms such as "lpatzhalter", "paltzhalter", and "plathzalter". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is Platzhalter, spelled P-L-A-T-Z-H-A-L-T-E-R.
Definition
- 1allgemein: Person, die für eine andere einen Platz freihält
- 2grammatische Einheit in einem übergeordneten Teilsatz, die auf etwas im untergeordneten Teilsatz hinweist, selbst keine eigene Bedeutung hat und in vielen Fällen auch einfach weggelassen werden kann.
- 3ein Zeichen oder eine Zeichenkette, die stellvertretend für etwas steht
- 4Name für eine Leerstelle in einem logischen oder mathematischen Ausdruck
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: lpatzhalter,paltzhalter,plathzalter,plattzhalter,platzahlter,platzhaletr,platzhallter,platzhalterr,platzhaltre,platzhaltter,platzhatler,platzhhalter,platzhlater,platzzhalter,plazthalter,pllatzhalter,pltazhalter,pplatzhalter
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Platzhalter - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "Platzhalter"?
What does "Platzhalter" mean?
What are common misspellings of "Platzhalter"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Platzhalter”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is P-L-A-T-Z-H-A-L-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈplat͡sˌhaltɐ] (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.