schadenfroh

[ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁoː]

/[ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁoː]/ adj

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

The verdict

“schadenfroh” is an uncommon German word, ranked #79,669 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#79,669
frequency rank, German
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Schadenfreude fühlend, von Schadenfreude getrieben

Key facts for schadenfroh
PropertyValue
Headwordschadenfroh
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁoː]
Letters11
Frequency rank#79,669
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “schadenfroh” 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). schadenfroh 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 schadenfroh is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁoː]. Corpus data places it at rank #79,669 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Schadenfreude fühlend, von Schadenfreude getrieben".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for schadenfroh, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is schadenfroh, spelled S-C-H-A-D-E-N-F-R-O-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Schadenfreude fühlend, von Schadenfreude getrieben

Synonyms

schadenfreudig

This word in other languages

gloating(English)narquois(Français)

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 "schadenfroh"?
"schadenfroh" is spelled S-C-H-A-D-E-N-F-R-O-H. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁoː].
What does "schadenfroh" mean?
As an adjective, "schadenfroh" means: Schadenfreude fühlend, von Schadenfreude getrieben
How do you pronounce "schadenfroh"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schadenfroh" is [ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁoː]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "schadenfroh" come from?
"schadenfroh" 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.

Using “schadenfroh”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is S-C-H-A-D-E-N-F-R-O-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁoː] (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
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