sauer

[ˈzaʊ̯ɐ]

/[ˈzaʊ̯ɐ]/ adj

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

The verdict

“sauer” has 6 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #3,769. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,769
frequency rank, German
8,027
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - nach der grundlegende Geschmacksrichtung, die unreifem Obst, gestockter Milch, unter Luftabschluss vergorenem Kohl und durch Essigmutter zu Essig umgesetztem Alkohol gemeinsam ist kommend

Corpus desk

Index DE-sauer · sauer · German

sauer · rank #3,769 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,769
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,027
  • PHOTO-FINISH Salz

Nearest frequency peer: Salz (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “sauer”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “sauer” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sauer vs sur
60% similar
sauer vs ser
60% similar
sauer vs Sue
40% similar

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

Key facts for sauer
PropertyValue
Headwordsauer
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈzaʊ̯ɐ]
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,769
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sauer” sits in German frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).sauer lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around sauer (IPA [ˈzaʊ̯ɐ]), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #3,769 among 8,027 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for sauer, with forms such as "asuer", "saeur", and "sauerr". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sur", "ser", "Sue", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is sauer, spelled S-A-U-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    nach der grundlegende Geschmacksrichtung, die unreifem Obst, gestockter Milch, unter Luftabschluss vergorenem Kohl und durch Essigmutter zu Essig umgesetztem Alkohol gemeinsam ist kommend
  2. 2
    verdorben, schlecht
  3. 3
    negative Gefühle habend oder auslösend; ärgerlich, böse
  4. 4
    leicht Protonen(H⁺) abgebend und einen pH-Wert kleiner als 7,0 habend

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Die Milch ist sauer geworden!
  2. Wenn Du jetzt nicht tust, was ich sage, dann werde ich sauer!

Synonyms

gesäuertherbgegorenstichigvergorenärgerlichbeleidigtböseeingeschnapptpikiertverärgert

Antonyms

bittersalzigsüßumamialkalischbasisch

This word in other languages

sour(English)ácido(Español)acide(Français)azedo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • asuer
  • saeur
  • sauerr
  • saure
  • ssauer
  • suaer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sauer - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

asuer2saeur2sauerr1saure2ssauer1suaer2
Edit distance from "sauer"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sauer"?
"sauer" is spelled S-A-U-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈzaʊ̯ɐ].
What does "sauer" mean?
As an adjective, "sauer" means: nach der grundlegende Geschmacksrichtung, die unreifem Obst, gestockter Milch, unter Luftabschluss vergorenem Kohl und durch Essigmutter zu Essig umgesetztem Alkohol gemeinsam ist kommend
What words are commonly confused with "sauer"?
"sauer" is commonly confused with "sur", "ser", "Sue". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sauer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sauer" is [ˈzaʊ̯ɐ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sauer" come from?
"sauer" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "sauer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

shirt#3,772stört#3,778lebte#3,756Weite#3,783

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Salz6 variantsKurt6 variantsHeft6 variantsHaft6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "sauer". Here's where to go from here.

  • "sauer" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "sur". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #3,769 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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