rotwelsch

[ˈʁoːtvɛlʃ]

/[ˈʁoːtvɛlʃ]/ adj

The verdict

“rotwelsch” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - auf die Landfahrersprache, das Rotwelsche bezogen, gaunersprachlich

Corpus desk

Index DE-rotwelsch · rotwelsch · German

rotwelsch · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "R" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for rotwelsch
PropertyValue
Headwordrotwelsch
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈʁoːtvɛlʃ]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „rotwelsch“ im Deutschen

rotwelschsitzt jenseits der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Formen, im Schwanz spezialisierten oder seltenen Wortschatzes.

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

Rare enough to double-check

rotwelsch is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ˈʁoːtvɛlʃ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "auf die Landfahrersprache, das Rotwelsche bezogen, gaunersprachlich".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for rotwelsch, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is rotwelsch, spelled R-O-T-W-E-L-S-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    auf die Landfahrersprache, das Rotwelsche bezogen, gaunersprachlich

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how rotwelsch appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. „Alle diese Fragen lassen sich einzig aus der exakten Analyse des rotwelschen Jargons und aus der Geschichte des deutschen Gaunertums beantworten.“
  2. „Ausbaldowern“, „Kies“, „Schotter“ (für „Geld“) und „kleine Münz“ (für „wenig“) sind rotwelsche Ausdrücke.

Synonyms

gaunersprachlichSlanggossensprachlichgassensprachlich

Antonyms

This word in other languages

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 "rotwelsch"?
"rotwelsch" is spelled R-O-T-W-E-L-S-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʁoːtvɛlʃ].
What does "rotwelsch" mean?
As an adjective, "rotwelsch" means: auf die Landfahrersprache, das Rotwelsche bezogen, gaunersprachlich
How do you pronounce "rotwelsch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rotwelsch" is [ˈʁoːtvɛlʃ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "rotwelsch" come from?
"rotwelsch" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list