Scharfsinn

[ˈʃaʁfˌzɪn]

/[ˈʃaʁfˌzɪn]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Scharfsinn” is uncommon German (frequency #71,802 among 8,027 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,802
frequency rank, German
8,027
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Fähigkeit, das Wesentliche an einer Sache im Kern zu erkennen; scharfer Verstand

Corpus desk

Index DE-scharfsinn · Scharfsinn · German

Scharfsinn · rank #71,802 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,802
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,027
  • PHOTO-FINISH Schampus

Nearest frequency peer: Schampus (-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.

Langschwanz-Ränge nahe „Scharfsinn“

Dünnes Band: Balken invertieren den Rang, seltenere Formen wirken kürzer

corpus weight

What this shows Langschwanz-Sicht: wo „Scharfsinn“ gegen ähnlich seltene deutsche Ränge sitzt.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Scharfsinn
PropertyValue
HeadwordScharfsinn
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈʃaʁfˌzɪn]
Letters10
Frequency rank#71,802
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Scharfsinn“ im Deutschen

Von links nach rechts: die wenigen Träger des Alltags, dann der lange Schwanz kaum gebrauchter Formen.Scharfsinnfällt in diesen Seltenheitsbereich:

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

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Seltene Nachbarn derselben Bandbreite: „Schampus“ (#71,801), „Schaumstoff“ (#71,803), „schaffenden“ (#71,800). Unter 8,027 „S“-Lemmata liegt „Scharfsinn“ bei #71,802. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Scharfsinn is uncommon German at frequency #71,802 among 8,027 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈʃaʁfˌzɪn]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Fähigkeit, das Wesentliche an einer Sache im Kern zu erkennen; scharfer Verstand".

Scharfsinn doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is Scharfsinn, spelled S-C-H-A-R-F-S-I-N-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fähigkeit, das Wesentliche an einer Sache im Kern zu erkennen; scharfer Verstand

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mit analytischem Scharfsinn stellte A. Einstein, bei der Betrachtung der Schwerkraft, bereits vor 70 Jahren fest: Das unser Weltall nichts anderes ist, als das sich beim Urknall plötzlich der Raum auftat und die Zeit zu laufen begann; und es sich bei beiden begrifflichen Phänomenen eigentlich um den natürlichen Begriff der "Raumzeit" und dessen Aufteilung…
  2. „Die Liebe wird nur in der Ungedult des Verlangens unvorsichtig; aber wenn es darum geht, die Wiederkehr eines Glücks zu betreiben, dem widrige Umstände Hindernisse in den Weg legen, wird die Liebe alles mit größtem Scharfsinn sehen und voraussehen.“

Synonyms

Scharfsichtigkeit

This word in other languages

acumen(English)acumen(Español)perspicacité(Français)perspicácia(Português)

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 "Scharfsinn"?
"Scharfsinn" is spelled S-C-H-A-R-F-S-I-N-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃaʁfˌzɪn].
What does "Scharfsinn" mean?
As a noun, "Scharfsinn" means: Fähigkeit, das Wesentliche an einer Sache im Kern zu erkennen; scharfer Verstand
How do you pronounce "Scharfsinn"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Scharfsinn" is [ˈʃaʁfˌzɪn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Scharfsinn" come from?
"Scharfsinn" 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 "Scharfsinn", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Satanisten#71,797Salzkotten#71,795Schlagloch#71,810runtergeht#71,789

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list