secondhand

[ˈsɛkn̩tˌhɛnt]

/[ˈsɛkn̩tˌhɛnt]/ adv

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

The verdict

“secondhand” is uncommon German (frequency #67,691 among 107,600 “S” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,691
frequency rank, German
107,600
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - aus zweiter Hand

Key facts for secondhand
PropertyValue
Headwordsecondhand
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdverb
IPA[ˈsɛkn̩tˌhɛnt]
Letters10
Frequency rank#67,691
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “secondhand” 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). secondhand 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

secondhand is uncommon German at frequency #67,691 among 107,600 “S” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed [ˈsɛkn̩tˌhɛnt]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "aus zweiter Hand".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for secondhand, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is secondhand, spelled S-E-C-O-N-D-H-A-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    aus zweiter Hand

Antonyms

neu

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 "secondhand"?
"secondhand" is spelled S-E-C-O-N-D-H-A-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈsɛkn̩tˌhɛnt].
What does "secondhand" mean?
As an adverb, "secondhand" means: aus zweiter Hand
How do you pronounce "secondhand"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "secondhand" is [ˈsɛkn̩tˌhɛnt]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "secondhand" come from?
"secondhand" 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 “secondhand”

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

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