prüften

[ˈpʁyːftn̩]

/[ˈpʁyːftn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

“prüften” is uncommon German (frequency #68,585 among 49,534 “P” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,585
frequency rank, German
49,534
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs prüfen

Key facts for prüften
PropertyValue
Headwordprüften
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈpʁyːftn̩]
Letters7
Frequency rank#68,585
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prüften” 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). prüften 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

prüften is uncommon German at frequency #68,585 among 49,534 “P” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈpʁyːftn̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for prüften in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, 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 prüften, spelled P-R-Ü-F-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs prüfen
  2. 2
    1. Person Plural Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs prüfen
  3. 3
    3. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs prüfen
  4. 4
    3. Person Plural Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs prüfen

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 "prüften"?
"prüften" is spelled P-R-Ü-F-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈpʁyːftn̩].
What does "prüften" mean?
As a verb, "prüften" means: 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs prüfen
How do you pronounce "prüften"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prüften" is [ˈpʁyːftn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "prüften" come from?
"prüften" 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 “prüften”

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

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

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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