Seidenschwanz

[ˈzaɪ̯dn̩ˌʃvant͡s]

/[ˈzaɪ̯dn̩ˌʃvant͡s]/ noun

The verdict

“Seidenschwanz” 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 May 6, 2026) - hübscher nordischer Singvogel (Bombycilla garrulus), der in manchen Wintern in großer Zahl in Mitteleuropa erscheint; auch (nur Plural) taxonomische Familie der Seidenschwänze (Bombycillidae)

Key facts for Seidenschwanz
PropertyValue
HeadwordSeidenschwanz
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈzaɪ̯dn̩ˌʃvant͡s]
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Seidenschwanz” sits in German frequency

Seidenschwanz falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

Seidenschwanz is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈzaɪ̯dn̩ˌʃvant͡s]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "hübscher nordischer Singvogel (Bombycilla garrulus), der in manchen Wintern in großer Zahl in Mitteleuropa erscheint; auch (nur Plural) taxonomische Familie der Seidenschwänze (Bombycillidae)".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Seidenschwanz, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Seidenschwanz, spelled S-E-I-D-E-N-S-C-H-W-A-N-Z.

Definition

  1. 1
    hübscher nordischer Singvogel (Bombycilla garrulus), der in manchen Wintern in großer Zahl in Mitteleuropa erscheint; auch (nur Plural) taxonomische Familie der Seidenschwänze (Bombycillidae)

Synonyms

Pestvogel

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 "Seidenschwanz"?
"Seidenschwanz" is spelled S-E-I-D-E-N-S-C-H-W-A-N-Z. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈzaɪ̯dn̩ˌʃvant͡s].
What does "Seidenschwanz" mean?
As a noun, "Seidenschwanz" means: hübscher nordischer Singvogel (Bombycilla garrulus), der in manchen Wintern in großer Zahl in Mitteleuropa erscheint; auch (nur Plural) taxonomische Familie der Seidenschwänze (Bombycillidae)
How do you pronounce "Seidenschwanz"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Seidenschwanz" is [ˈzaɪ̯dn̩ˌʃvant͡s]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Seidenschwanz" come from?
"Seidenschwanz" 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 “Seidenschwanz”

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

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