retten
German, verb/ˈʁɛtn̩/
retten is spelled R-E-T-T-E-N (6 letters) and appears 40 times per million words in written German, the 2,115th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Retten is a German verb meaning “to save, to rescue” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “jemanden oder etwas aus einer bedrohlichen Lage befreien, erlösen, in Sicherheit bringen”.
What does retten mean in English?
verb
- 1
to save, to rescue
Diese Katze war ein Streuner, der aus einem Tierheim gerettet wurde.
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
noun: 1. das Abwenden eines lebensbedrohlichen Zustandes durch lebensrettende Maßnahmen und/oder durch Befreien aus einer lebensbedrohlichen Zwangslage
verb: 1. jemanden oder etwas aus einer bedrohlichen Lage befreien, erlösen, in Sicherheit bringen 2. etwas vor drohendem Verlust bewahren, erhalten 3. einen gegnerischen Punkt oder ein Tor verhindern
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 retten
- rettet present singular third-person
- rettete past
- gerettet participle past
- haben auxiliary
- rettend participle present
- rette first-person indicative present
- rettest indicative present second-person
- retteten first-person indicative plural
- rettetest indicative preterite second-person
- rettetet indicative plural preterite
- rett imperative second-person singular
- habe gerettet first-person indicative multiword-construction
- haben gerettet first-person indicative multiword-construction
- Rettens genitive singular
- rette! imperative singular
- rettet! imperative plural
- gerettet haben active infinitive perfect
- gerettet werden processual-passive infinitive present
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce retten?
- /ˈʁɛtn̩/
- [ˈʁɛtn̩]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to retten
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is retten in German?
retten appears 40 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).