Schellack

[ˈʃɛlak]

/[ˈʃɛlak]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Schellack” is uncommon German (frequency #90,845 among 107,600 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,845
frequency rank, German
107,600
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lack, der aus den Absonderungen von Lackschildläusen hergestellt wird

Key facts for Schellack
PropertyValue
HeadwordSchellack
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈʃɛlak]
Letters9
Frequency rank#90,845
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Schellack” 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). Schellack 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

Schellack is uncommon German at frequency #90,845 among 107,600 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈʃɛlak]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Lack, der aus den Absonderungen von Lackschildläusen hergestellt wird".

No misspelling variants are generated for Schellack in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is Schellack, spelled S-C-H-E-L-L-A-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lack, der aus den Absonderungen von Lackschildläusen hergestellt wird

Synonyms

GummilackTafellackPlattlack

This word in other languages

shellac(English)gomme-laque(Français)goma-laca(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 "Schellack"?
"Schellack" is spelled S-C-H-E-L-L-A-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃɛlak].
What does "Schellack" mean?
As a noun, "Schellack" means: Lack, der aus den Absonderungen von Lackschildläusen hergestellt wird
How do you pronounce "Schellack"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Schellack" is [ˈʃɛlak]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Schellack" come from?
"Schellack" 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 “Schellack”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is S-C-H-E-L-L-A-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈʃɛlak] (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