recht haben

[ˈʁɛçt ˌhaːbn̩]

/[ˈʁɛçt ˌhaːbn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

“recht haben” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - im Recht sein; etwas der Wahrheit Entsprechendes äußern

Key facts for recht haben
PropertyValue
Headwordrecht haben
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈʁɛçt ˌhaːbn̩]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “recht haben” sits in German frequency

recht haben falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for recht haben is 11 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈʁɛçt ˌhaːbn̩]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "im Recht sein; etwas der Wahrheit Entsprechendes äußern".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for recht haben, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is recht haben, spelled R-E-C-H-T- -H-A-B-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    im Recht sein; etwas der Wahrheit Entsprechendes äußern

Synonyms

den Nagel auf den Kopf treffenins Schwarze treffenrichtig liegen

Antonyms

unrecht habenirrendaneben liegenschief liegenfalsch liegen

This word in other languages

avoir raison(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "recht haben"?
"recht haben" is spelled R-E-C-H-T- -H-A-B-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʁɛçt ˌhaːbn̩].
What does "recht haben" mean?
As a verb, "recht haben" means: im Recht sein; etwas der Wahrheit Entsprechendes äußern
How do you pronounce "recht haben"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recht haben" is [ˈʁɛçt ˌhaːbn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "recht haben" come from?
"recht haben" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “recht haben”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is R-E-C-H-T- -H-A-B-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈʁɛçt ˌhaːbn̩] (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