Rad

[ʁaːt]

/[ʁaːt]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Rad” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #3,146 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,146
frequency rank, German
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - rundes Bauteil, das um seine Achse rotiert

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Rad vs re
0% similar
Rad vs Rb
33% similar
Rad vs Rn
33% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Rad
PropertyValue
HeadwordRad
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ʁaːt]
Letters3
Frequency rank#3,146
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Rad” 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). Rad 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 Rad is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ʁaːt]. Corpus data places it at rank #3,146 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for Rad in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "re", "Rb", "Rn", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is Rad, spelled R-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    rundes Bauteil, das um seine Achse rotiert
  2. 2
    Fahrrad
  3. 3
    Hinrichtungsgerät in der Form eines Rades^([1])
  4. 4
    aufgestellte, fächerförmig gespreizte Schwanzfedern bei bestimmten Vögeln (zum Beispiel beim Pfau)
  5. 5
    kurz für Radschlag, eine Übung beim Geräteturnen

Synonyms

RadlFahrradRadlVeloVelozipedRichtradRadschlag

This word in other languages

wheel(English)rueda(Español)roue(Français)roda(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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Rad"?
"Rad" is spelled R-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is [ʁaːt].
What does "Rad" mean?
As a noun, "Rad" means: rundes Bauteil, das um seine Achse rotiert
What words are commonly confused with "Rad"?
"Rad" is commonly confused with "re", "Rb", "Rn". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Rad"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Rad" is [ʁaːt]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Rad" come from?
"Rad" 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 “Rad”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is R-A-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ʁaːt] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “re” - see the side-by-side comparison. Rad vs re
  • 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