sollen

[ˈzɔlən]

/[ˈzɔlən]/ verb

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

The verdict

“sollen” has 7 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #291. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#291
frequency rank, German
8,027
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - um das Erteilen eines Befehls oder Auftrags auszudrücken

Corpus desk

Index DE-sollen · sollen · German

sollen · rank #291 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #291
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,027
  • PHOTO-FINISH schnell

Nearest frequency peer: schnell (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “sollen”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “sollen” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sollen vs sollt
67% similar
sollen vs Solls
50% similar
sollen vs sollte
67% similar

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

Key facts for sollen
PropertyValue
Headwordsollen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈzɔlən]
Letters6
Frequency rank#291
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sollen” 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). sollen lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around sollen (IPA [ˈzɔlən]), averb. Corpus frequency is #291 among 8,027 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for sollen, with forms such as "osllen", "slolen", and "soleln". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sollt", "Solls", "sollte", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is sollen, spelled S-O-L-L-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    um das Erteilen eines Befehls oder Auftrags auszudrücken
  2. 2
    um eine Empfehlung eines Dritten auszudrücken
  3. 3
    in der indirekten Rede: um eine nicht selbst aufgestellte Behauptung oder das Hörensagen auszudrücken
  4. 4
    im Präteritum: um eine spätere Zeitebene in der Vergangenheit auszudrücken
  5. 5
    im Konjunktiv II: um eine Vermutung, Annahme auszudrücken
  6. 6
    im Konjunktiv II Präteritum: um eine persönliche Empfehlung auszudrücken
  7. 7
    im Konjunktiv II Präteritum: um ein unwahrscheinliches Eintreffen einer Bedingung zu verstärken

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ich soll Wasser holen.
  2. „Du sollst nicht stehlen.“

Synonyms

müssen

This word in other languages

shall(English)deber(Español)devoir(Français)dever(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • osllen
  • slolen
  • soleln
  • solen
  • sollenn
  • sollne
  • ssollen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sollen - 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.

osllen2slolen2soleln2solen1sollenn1sollne2ssollen1
Edit distance from "sollen"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sollen"?
"sollen" is spelled S-O-L-L-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈzɔlən].
What does "sollen" mean?
As a verb, "sollen" means: um das Erteilen eines Befehls oder Auftrags auszudrücken
What words are commonly confused with "sollen"?
"sollen" is commonly confused with "sollt", "Solls", "sollte". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sollen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sollen" is [ˈzɔlən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sollen" come from?
"sollen" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "sollen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

jemand#295später#296stehen#297worden#285

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

jeden7 variantswollte7 variantssogar7 variantsganze7 variants
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