tattern

[ˈtatɐn]

/[ˈtatɐn]/ verb

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - zittern

Corpus desk

Index DE-tattern · tattern · German

tattern · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" 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 tattern
PropertyValue
Headwordtattern
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈtatɐn]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „tattern“ im Deutschen

tatternliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

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

Rare enough to double-check

tattern is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈtatɐn]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "zittern".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for tattern, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is tattern, spelled T-A-T-T-E-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    zittern

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Er tattert schon, wenn er nur die Schlüssel rasseln hört.
  2. „Am kleinen Ecktisch sitzt Herr Fridolin. Weit über achtzig, tattert so vor sich hin.“

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 "tattern"?
"tattern" is spelled T-A-T-T-E-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈtatɐn].
What does "tattern" mean?
As a verb, "tattern" means: zittern
How do you pronounce "tattern"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tattern" is [ˈtatɐn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tattern" come from?
"tattern" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list