riech

[ʁiːç]

/[ʁiːç]/ verb

The verdict

“riech” is uncommon German (frequency #63,703 among 42,116 “R” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,703
frequency rank, German
42,116
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs riechen

Key facts for riech
PropertyValue
Headwordriech
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ʁiːç]
Letters5
Frequency rank#63,703
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “riech” 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). riech 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

riech is uncommon German at frequency #63,703 among 42,116 “R” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [ʁiːç]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs riechen".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for riech, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No borrowing history is documented 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 riech, spelled R-I-E-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs riechen

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 "riech"?
"riech" is spelled R-I-E-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is [ʁiːç].
What does "riech" mean?
As a verb, "riech" means: 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs riechen
How do you pronounce "riech"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "riech" is [ʁiːç]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "riech" come from?
"riech" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “riech”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is R-I-E-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ʁiːç] (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list