plötzlich
German, adjective/ˈplœt͡slɪç/
plötzlich is spelled P-L-Ö-T-Z-L-I-C-H (9 letters) and appears 102 times per million words in written German, the 837th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Plötzlich is a German adjective meaning “sudden, abrupt, brusque” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “unerwartet, überraschend, auf einen Schlag”.
What does plötzlich mean in English?
adverb
- 1
suddenly, abruptly
Während der Fahrt ist der Motor plötzlich ausgegangen.
adjective
- 1
sudden, abrupt, brusque
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. unerwartet, überraschend, auf einen Schlag
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of plötzlich
- plötzlicher masculine nominative singular
- plötzliche feminine nominative singular
- plötzliches neuter nominative singular
- plötzlichen genitive masculine singular
- plötzlichem dative masculine singular
- der plötzliche definite includes-article masculine
- die plötzliche definite feminine includes-article
- das plötzliche definite includes-article neuter
- die plötzlichen definite includes-article nominative
- des plötzlichen definite genitive includes-article
- der plötzlichen definite feminine genitive
- dem plötzlichen dative definite includes-article
- den plötzlichen dative definite includes-article
- plötzl. abbreviation
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce plötzlich?
- /ˈplœt͡slɪç/
- [ˈpʰl̥œt͡slɪç]
- [ˈplœt͡slɪç]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to plötzlich
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is plötzlich in German?
plötzlich appears 102 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).