Polarstern

[poˈlaːɐ̯ˌʃtɛʁn]

/[poˈlaːɐ̯ˌʃtɛʁn]/ name

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

The verdict

“Polarstern” is an uncommon German word, ranked #73,895 in German word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#73,895
frequency rank, German
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - hellster Stern im Sternbild Kleiner Bär

Key facts for Polarstern
PropertyValue
HeadwordPolarstern
LanguageGerman
Part of speechProper noun
IPA[poˈlaːɐ̯ˌʃtɛʁn]
Letters10
Frequency rank#73,895
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Polarstern” 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). Polarstern 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 Polarstern is 10 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [poˈlaːɐ̯ˌʃtɛʁn]. Corpus data places it at rank #73,895 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "hellster Stern im Sternbild Kleiner Bär".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Polarstern, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Polarstern, spelled P-O-L-A-R-S-T-E-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    hellster Stern im Sternbild Kleiner Bär

Synonyms

AngelsternNordsternPolarisStella Polaris

This word in other languages

North Star(English)étoile Polaire(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 "Polarstern"?
"Polarstern" is spelled P-O-L-A-R-S-T-E-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is [poˈlaːɐ̯ˌʃtɛʁn].
What does "Polarstern" mean?
As a proper noun, "Polarstern" means: hellster Stern im Sternbild Kleiner Bär
How do you pronounce "Polarstern"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Polarstern" is [poˈlaːɐ̯ˌʃtɛʁn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Polarstern" come from?
"Polarstern" 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 “Polarstern”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is P-O-L-A-R-S-T-E-R-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [poˈlaːɐ̯ˌʃtɛʁn] (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