sanfter
[ˈzanftɐ]
The verdict
“sanfter” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #23,691 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #23,691
- frequency rank, German
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 9
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs sanft
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | sanfter |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | [ˈzanftɐ] |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #23,691 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 9 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “sanfter” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for sanfter is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈzanftɐ]. Corpus data places it at rank #23,691 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for sanfter, with forms such as "asnfter", "safnter", and "sanfetr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "Sänger", "sauter", "Stifter", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, 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 sanfter, spelled S-A-N-F-T-E-R.
Definition
- 1Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs sanft
- 2Genitiv Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs sanft
- 3Dativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs sanft
- 4Genitiv Plural alle Genera der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs sanft
- 5Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der gemischten Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs sanft
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: asnfter,safnter,sanfetr,sanffter,sanfterr,sanftre,sanftter,sannfter,santfer,snafter,ssanfter
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sanfter - 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.
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 "sanfter"?
What does "sanfter" mean?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “sanfter”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is S-A-N-F-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈzanftɐ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Sänger” - see the side-by-side comparison. sanfter vs Sänger
- 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.