Saboteur

[zaboˈtøːɐ̯]

/[zaboˈtøːɐ̯]/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - jemand, der etwas sabotiert (hat)

Corpus desk

Index DE-saboteur · Saboteur · German

Saboteur · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" 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 Saboteur
PropertyValue
HeadwordSaboteur
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[zaboˈtøːɐ̯]
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Saboteur“ im Deutschen

Saboteurschafft es nicht in die Top 100.000 des Deutschen: Zone für Fach-, Alt- oder Seltenwortschatz.

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

Rare enough to double-check

Saboteur is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [zaboˈtøːɐ̯]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "jemand, der etwas sabotiert (hat)".

Saboteur doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is Saboteur, spelled S-A-B-O-T-E-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    jemand, der etwas sabotiert (hat)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. „Beim Jamming nutzen Saboteure einen Störer am Boden und überstrahlen damit das schwache Navigationssignal der Satelliten. Flugzeuge, Schiffe oder Fahrzeuge können sich dann nicht mehr genau verorten.“
  2. „Die Saboteure von der Fatah kamen gewöhnlich aus Syrien und operierten in kleinen Städten und Dörfern in Grenznähe.“

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 "Saboteur"?
"Saboteur" is spelled S-A-B-O-T-E-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is [zaboˈtøːɐ̯].
What does "Saboteur" mean?
As a noun, "Saboteur" means: jemand, der etwas sabotiert (hat)
How do you pronounce "Saboteur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Saboteur" is [zaboˈtøːɐ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Saboteur" come from?
"Saboteur" 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