Selbsterhaltungstrieb

[ˈzɛlpstʔɛɐ̯haltʊŋsˌtʁiːp]

/[ˈzɛlpstʔɛɐ̯haltʊŋsˌtʁiːp]/ noun

The verdict

“Selbsterhaltungstrieb” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
21
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - innerer Drang, unter allen Umständen seine Existenz zu bewahren

Corpus desk

Index DE-selbsterhaltungstrieb · Selbsterhaltungstrieb · German

Selbsterhaltungstrieb · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 21 letters
  • VOW-6 6 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 Selbsterhaltungstrieb
PropertyValue
HeadwordSelbsterhaltungstrieb
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈzɛlpstʔɛɐ̯haltʊŋsˌtʁiːp]
Letters21
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Selbsterhaltungstrieb“ im Deutschen

Selbsterhaltungstriebschafft 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

Selbsterhaltungstrieb is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈzɛlpstʔɛɐ̯haltʊŋsˌtʁiːp]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "innerer Drang, unter allen Umständen seine Existenz zu bewahren".

No misspelling variants are generated for Selbsterhaltungstrieb in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Selbsterhaltungstrieb, spelled S-E-L-B-S-T-E-R-H-A-L-T-U-N-G-S-T-R-I-E-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    innerer Drang, unter allen Umständen seine Existenz zu bewahren

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. „Die Hoffnung ist eine der stärksten Triebfedern des Lebens und in Grenzfällen sogar mit dem Selbsterhaltungstrieb identifizierbar.“
  2. „Manche schließlich marschierten aus einem merkwürdigen Selbsterhaltungstrieb geradewegs in die psychiatrische Klinik.“

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 "Selbsterhaltungstrieb"?
"Selbsterhaltungstrieb" is spelled S-E-L-B-S-T-E-R-H-A-L-T-U-N-G-S-T-R-I-E-B. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈzɛlpstʔɛɐ̯haltʊŋsˌtʁiːp].
What does "Selbsterhaltungstrieb" mean?
As a noun, "Selbsterhaltungstrieb" means: innerer Drang, unter allen Umständen seine Existenz zu bewahren
How do you pronounce "Selbsterhaltungstrieb"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Selbsterhaltungstrieb" is [ˈzɛlpstʔɛɐ̯haltʊŋsˌtʁiːp]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Selbsterhaltungstrieb" come from?
"Selbsterhaltungstrieb" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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