schwankten

[ˈʃvaŋktn̩]

/[ˈʃvaŋktn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“schwankten” is uncommon German (frequency #94,846 among 107,600 “S” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,846
frequency rank, German
107,600
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schwanken

Key facts for schwankten
PropertyValue
Headwordschwankten
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈʃvaŋktn̩]
Letters10
Frequency rank#94,846
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “schwankten” 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). schwankten 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

schwankten is uncommon German at frequency #94,846 among 107,600 “S” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈʃvaŋktn̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

schwankten doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is schwankten, spelled S-C-H-W-A-N-K-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schwanken
  2. 2
    1. Person Plural Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schwanken
  3. 3
    3. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schwanken
  4. 4
    3. Person Plural Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schwanken

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 "schwankten"?
"schwankten" is spelled S-C-H-W-A-N-K-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃvaŋktn̩].
What does "schwankten" mean?
As a verb, "schwankten" means: 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schwanken
How do you pronounce "schwankten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schwankten" is [ˈʃvaŋktn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "schwankten" come from?
"schwankten" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “schwankten”

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-T-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈʃvaŋktn̩] (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list