scharfstellen

[ˈʃaʁfˌʃtɛlən]

/[ˈʃaʁfˌʃtɛlən]/ verb

The verdict

“scharfstellen” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - optische Linsen für eine deutliche Abbildung eines Objektes einstellen

Corpus desk

Index DE-scharfstellen · scharfstellen · German

scharfstellen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for scharfstellen
PropertyValue
Headwordscharfstellen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈʃaʁfˌʃtɛlən]
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „scharfstellen“ im Deutschen

scharfstellenliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

scharfstellen is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈʃaʁfˌʃtɛlən]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "optische Linsen für eine deutliche Abbildung eines Objektes einstellen".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for scharfstellen, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is scharfstellen, spelled S-C-H-A-R-F-S-T-E-L-L-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    optische Linsen für eine deutliche Abbildung eines Objektes einstellen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Als Autofokus (AF) wird die Technik einer Kamera oder auch anderer optischer Geräte bezeichnet, automatisch auf das Motiv scharfzustellen.
  2. Drücken Sie den Auslöser bis zum ersten Druckpunkt, um scharfzustellen.

Synonyms

Antonyms

weichzeichnen

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "scharfstellen"?
"scharfstellen" is spelled S-C-H-A-R-F-S-T-E-L-L-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃaʁfˌʃtɛlən].
What does "scharfstellen" mean?
As a verb, "scharfstellen" means: optische Linsen für eine deutliche Abbildung eines Objektes einstellen
How do you pronounce "scharfstellen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scharfstellen" is [ˈʃaʁfˌʃtɛlən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "scharfstellen" come from?
"scharfstellen" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list