schmähen

[ˈʃmɛːən]

/[ˈʃmɛːən]/ verb

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - mit verachtenden Worten beleidigen

Corpus desk

Index DE-schmahen · schmähen · German

schmähen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 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 schmähen
PropertyValue
Headwordschmähen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈʃmɛːən]
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „schmähen“ im Deutschen

schmähenliegt 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

schmähen is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈʃmɛːən]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "mit verachtenden Worten beleidigen".

Zero misspellings are on record for schmähen in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is schmähen, spelled S-C-H-M-Ä-H-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    mit verachtenden Worten beleidigen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. „Harald Schmidt darf Klinsmann nicht mehr schmähen.“ (rz-online)
  2. „Erst werden die Menschen unters Joch gezwungen und dann als knechtisch verachtet, unterdrückt und dann von oben herab behandelt, verdummt und ihrer Dummheit wegen verhöhnt, versklavt und als Sklaven geschmäht.“

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 "schmähen"?
"schmähen" is spelled S-C-H-M-Ä-H-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃmɛːən].
What does "schmähen" mean?
As a verb, "schmähen" means: mit verachtenden Worten beleidigen
How do you pronounce "schmähen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schmähen" is [ˈʃmɛːən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "schmähen" come from?
"schmähen" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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