Spiegelei

[ˈʃpiːɡl̩ˌʔaɪ̯]

/[ˈʃpiːɡl̩ˌʔaɪ̯]/ noun

The verdict

“Spiegelei” is uncommon German (frequency #52,442 among 107,600 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,442
frequency rank, German
107,600
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ein aufgeschlagenes, (meist in der Pfanne) gebratenes Ei, bei dem der Eidotter ganz in seiner Form erhalten bleibt

Key facts for Spiegelei
PropertyValue
HeadwordSpiegelei
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈʃpiːɡl̩ˌʔaɪ̯]
Letters9
Frequency rank#52,442
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Spiegelei” 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). Spiegelei 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

Spiegelei is uncommon German at frequency #52,442 among 107,600 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈʃpiːɡl̩ˌʔaɪ̯]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "ein aufgeschlagenes, (meist in der Pfanne) gebratenes Ei, bei dem der Eidotter ganz in seiner Form erhalten bleibt".

Spiegelei has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is Spiegelei, spelled S-P-I-E-G-E-L-E-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein aufgeschlagenes, (meist in der Pfanne) gebratenes Ei, bei dem der Eidotter ganz in seiner Form erhalten bleibt

Synonyms

SetzeiStierenauge

Antonyms

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); 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 "Spiegelei"?
"Spiegelei" is spelled S-P-I-E-G-E-L-E-I. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃpiːɡl̩ˌʔaɪ̯].
What does "Spiegelei" mean?
As a noun, "Spiegelei" means: ein aufgeschlagenes, (meist in der Pfanne) gebratenes Ei, bei dem der Eidotter ganz in seiner Form erhalten bleibt
How do you pronounce "Spiegelei"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Spiegelei" is [ˈʃpiːɡl̩ˌʔaɪ̯]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Spiegelei" come from?
"Spiegelei" 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 “Spiegelei”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is S-P-I-E-G-E-L-E-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈʃpiːɡl̩ˌʔaɪ̯] (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list