sonst
German, adverb/zɔnst/
sonst is spelled S-O-N-S-T (5 letters) and appears 269 times per million words in written German, the 333rd most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Sonst is a German adverb meaning “otherwise (under different circumstances)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “für gewöhnlich, im allgemeinen, bei anderen Gelegenheiten, zu anderer Zeit als gerade jetzt”.
What does sonst mean in English?
adverb
- 1
otherwise (under different circumstances)
Beeil dich, sonst kommen wir zu spät.
- 2
normally, usually (as opposed to a particular case)
Ich trinke sonst nicht so viel.
- 3
else
Sonst noch etwas?
- 4
colloquialso; then; consecutive, but directed against an explicit or implicit alternative
Wenn wir jetzt losgehen, sind wir eh zu spät. Sonst lass uns morgen noch mal wiederkommen.
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
adverb: 1. für gewöhnlich, im allgemeinen, bei anderen Gelegenheiten, zu anderer Zeit als gerade jetzt 2. darüber hinaus, extra 3. im anderen Fall
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
How do you pronounce sonst?
- /zɔnst/
- /zɔns/
- [zɔnst]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to sonst
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is sonst in German?
sonst appears 269 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).