savoir

[savwaʁ]

/[savwaʁ]/ verb

The verdict

“savoir” is uncommon German (frequency #94,809 among 107,600 “S” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,809
frequency rank, German
107,600
“S” headwords

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

Key facts for savoir
PropertyValue
Headwordsavoir
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[savwaʁ]
Letters6
Frequency rank#94,809
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “savoir” 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). savoir lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

savoir is uncommon German at frequency #94,809 among 107,600 “S” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [savwaʁ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for savoir, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is savoir, spelled S-A-V-O-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    wissen
  2. 2
    können (fähig sein)

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); 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 "savoir"?
"savoir" is spelled S-A-V-O-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is [savwaʁ].
What does "savoir" mean?
As a verb, "savoir" means: wissen
How do you pronounce "savoir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "savoir" is [savwaʁ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "savoir" come from?
"savoir" 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 “savoir”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is S-A-V-O-I-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [savwaʁ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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