Russian

[ˈrʌʃn]

/[ˈrʌʃn]/ adj

The verdict

“Russian” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #27,030 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#27,030
frequency rank, German
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - russisch

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Russian vs Russin
86% similar
Russian vs Russland
75% similar
Russian vs Russen
71% similar

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

Key facts for Russian
PropertyValue
HeadwordRussian
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈrʌʃn]
Letters7
Frequency rank#27,030
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Russian” 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). Russian 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 Russian is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈrʌʃn]. Corpus data places it at rank #27,030 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "russisch".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Russian, with forms such as "rrussian", "rsusian", and "rusian". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Russin", "Russland", "Russen", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Russian, spelled R-U-S-S-I-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    russisch

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: rrussian,rsusian,rusian,rusisan,russain,russiann,russina,rußian,urssian

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Russian - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

rrussian1rsusian2rusian1rusisan2russain2russiann1russina2rußian2
Edit distance from "Russian"

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 "Russian"?
"Russian" is spelled R-U-S-S-I-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈrʌʃn].
What does "Russian" mean?
As an adjective, "Russian" means: russisch
What words are commonly confused with "Russian"?
"Russian" is commonly confused with "Russin", "Russland", "Russen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Russian"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Russian" is [ˈrʌʃn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Russian" come from?
"Russian" 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 “Russian”

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

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