Schnappmesser

[ˈʃnapˌmɛsɐ]

/[ˈʃnapˌmɛsɐ]/ noun

The verdict

“Schnappmesser” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. 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) - Messer, bei dem die Klinge nach Betätigung eines Knopfes aus dem Messergriff hervorschnellt

Corpus desk

Index DE-schnappmesser · Schnappmesser · German

Schnappmesser · 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 Schnappmesser
PropertyValue
HeadwordSchnappmesser
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈʃnapˌmɛsɐ]
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Schnappmesser“ im Deutschen

Schnappmesserschafft es nicht in die Top 100.000 des Deutschen: Zone für Fach-, Alt- oder Seltenwortschatz.

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

Rare enough to double-check

Schnappmesser is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈʃnapˌmɛsɐ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Messer, bei dem die Klinge nach Betätigung eines Knopfes aus dem Messergriff hervorschnellt".

No generated misspelling entries exist for Schnappmesser in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is Schnappmesser, spelled S-C-H-N-A-P-P-M-E-S-S-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Messer, bei dem die Klinge nach Betätigung eines Knopfes aus dem Messergriff hervorschnellt

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. „Er trug ein kleines Tonbandgerät über der kugelsicheren Weste. In der Tasche hatte er einen Beutel Heroin, ein Schnappmesser, eine 9mm Automatik.“
  2. „Ich ging wieder in die Bar, hob das Schnappmesser auf, steckte es ein, setzte mich auf meinen Barhocker und bestellte noch einen Drink.“

Synonyms

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 "Schnappmesser"?
"Schnappmesser" is spelled S-C-H-N-A-P-P-M-E-S-S-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃnapˌmɛsɐ].
What does "Schnappmesser" mean?
As a noun, "Schnappmesser" means: Messer, bei dem die Klinge nach Betätigung eines Knopfes aus dem Messergriff hervorschnellt
How do you pronounce "Schnappmesser"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Schnappmesser" is [ˈʃnapˌmɛsɐ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Schnappmesser" come from?
"Schnappmesser" 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