tertiären

[ˌtɛʁˈt͡si̯ɛːʁən]

/[ˌtɛʁˈt͡si̯ɛːʁən]/ adj

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

The verdict

“tertiären” is uncommon German (frequency #67,779 among 35,386 “T” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,779
frequency rank, German
35,386
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär

Key facts for tertiären
PropertyValue
Headwordtertiären
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˌtɛʁˈt͡si̯ɛːʁən]
Letters9
Frequency rank#67,779
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tertiären” 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). tertiären 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

tertiären is uncommon German at frequency #67,779 among 35,386 “T” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ˌtɛʁˈt͡si̯ɛːʁən]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 12 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for tertiären in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

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 tertiären, spelled T-E-R-T-I-Ä-R-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär
  2. 2
    Akkusativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär
  3. 3
    Genitiv Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär
  4. 4
    Dativ Plural alle Genera der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär
  5. 5
    Genitiv Singular alle Genera der schwachen Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär
  6. 6
    Dativ Singular alle Genera der schwachen Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär
  7. 7
    Akkusativ Singular Maskulinum der schwachen Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär
  8. 8
    Alle Kasus Plural alle Genera der schwachen Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär
  9. 9
    Genitiv Singular alle Genera der gemischten Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär
  10. 10
    Dativ Singular alle Genera der gemischten Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär
  11. 11
    Akkusativ Singular Maskulinum der gemischten Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär
  12. 12
    Alle Kasus Plural alle Genera der gemischten Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär

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 "tertiären"?
"tertiären" is spelled T-E-R-T-I-Ä-R-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˌtɛʁˈt͡si̯ɛːʁən].
What does "tertiären" mean?
As an adjective, "tertiären" means: Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs tertiär
How do you pronounce "tertiären"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tertiären" is [ˌtɛʁˈt͡si̯ɛːʁən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tertiären" come from?
"tertiären" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “tertiären”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is T-E-R-T-I-Ä-R-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˌtɛʁˈt͡si̯ɛːʁən] (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