schwanke

[ˈʃvaŋkə]

/[ˈʃvaŋkə]/ adj

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

The verdict

“schwanke” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #48,464 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#48,464
frequency rank, German
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwank

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

schwanke vs Schwanz
63% similar
schwanke vs Schwenk
63% similar
schwanke vs Schwarze
63% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for schwanke
PropertyValue
Headwordschwanke
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈʃvaŋkə]
Letters8
Frequency rank#48,464
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “schwanke” 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). schwanke lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for schwanke is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈʃvaŋkə]. Corpus data places it at rank #48,464 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for schwanke, with forms such as "cshwanke", "scchwanke", and "schawnke". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Schwanz", "Schwenk", "Schwarze", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is schwanke, spelled S-C-H-W-A-N-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwank
  2. 2
    Akkusativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwank
  3. 3
    Nominativ Plural alle Genera der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwank
  4. 4
    Akkusativ Plural alle Genera der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwank
  5. 5
    Nominativ Singular alle Genera der schwachen Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwank
  6. 6
    Akkusativ Singular Femininum der schwachen Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwank
  7. 7
    Akkusativ Singular Neutrum der schwachen Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwank
  8. 8
    Nominativ Singular Femininum der gemischten Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwank
  9. 9
    Akkusativ Singular Femininum der gemischten Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwank

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cshwanke,scchwanke,schawnke,schhwanke,schwakne,schwanek,schwankke,schwannke,schwnake,schwwanke,scwhanke,shcwanke,sschwanke

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of schwanke - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cshwanke2scchwanke1schawnke2schhwanke1schwakne2schwanek2schwankke1schwannke1
Edit distance from "schwanke"

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 "schwanke"?
"schwanke" is spelled S-C-H-W-A-N-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃvaŋkə].
What does "schwanke" mean?
As an adjective, "schwanke" means: Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwank
What words are commonly confused with "schwanke"?
"schwanke" is commonly confused with "Schwanz", "Schwenk", "Schwarze". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "schwanke"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schwanke" is [ˈʃvaŋkə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "schwanke" come from?
"schwanke" 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 “schwanke”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is S-C-H-W-A-N-K-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈʃvaŋkə] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Schwanz” - see the side-by-side comparison. schwanke vs Schwanz
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list