Ritter

[ˈʁɪtɐ]

/[ˈʁɪtɐ]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Ritter” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #3,396 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,396
frequency rank, German
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ein Adliger, der einem Lehnsherrn zu Kriegsdiensten und Treue verpflichtet ist und der meist als schwerer Kavallerist mit Lanze eingesetzt wurde

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Ritter vs roter
50% similar
Ritter vs river
50% similar
Ritter vs runter
50% similar

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

Key facts for Ritter
PropertyValue
HeadwordRitter
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈʁɪtɐ]
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,396
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Ritter” 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). Ritter 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 Ritter is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈʁɪtɐ]. Corpus data places it at rank #3,396 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Ritter, with forms such as "irtter", "riter", and "ritetr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "roter", "river", "runter", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is Ritter, spelled R-I-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein Adliger, der einem Lehnsherrn zu Kriegsdiensten und Treue verpflichtet ist und der meist als schwerer Kavallerist mit Lanze eingesetzt wurde
  2. 2
    ein bewaffneter, militärisch ausgebildeter und ausgerüsteter Angehöriger eines geistlichen Ritterordens
  3. 3
    jemand, der einen bestimmten Orden verliehen bekommen hat
  4. 4
    Kavalier
  5. 5
    jemand, der sich als mutig, unerschrocken erweist
  6. 6
    Arme Ritter, Armer Ritter, eine Süßspeise
  7. 7
    die Familie der Ritterfalter (Papilionidae)

Synonyms

RittersmannPapilionidae

This word in other languages

knight(English)caballero(Español)chevalier(Français)cavaleiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: irtter,riter,ritetr,ritterr,rittre,rritter,rtiter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Ritter - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

irtter2riter1ritetr2ritterr1rittre2rritter1rtiter2
Edit distance from "Ritter"

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 "Ritter"?
"Ritter" is spelled R-I-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʁɪtɐ].
What does "Ritter" mean?
As a noun, "Ritter" means: ein Adliger, der einem Lehnsherrn zu Kriegsdiensten und Treue verpflichtet ist und der meist als schwerer Kavallerist mit Lanze eingesetzt wurde
What words are commonly confused with "Ritter"?
"Ritter" is commonly confused with "roter", "river", "runter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Ritter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Ritter" is [ˈʁɪtɐ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Ritter" come from?
"Ritter" 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 “Ritter”

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

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