Tetanus

[ˈteːtanʊs]

/[ˈteːtanʊs]/ noun

The verdict

“Tetanus” is uncommon German (frequency #50,923 among 35,386 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,923
frequency rank, German
35,386
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Infektionskrankheit, die Lähmungen und Muskelkrämpfe zur Folge hat und häufig tödlich endet

Key facts for Tetanus
PropertyValue
HeadwordTetanus
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈteːtanʊs]
Letters7
Frequency rank#50,923
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Tetanus” 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). Tetanus 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

Tetanus is uncommon German at frequency #50,923 among 35,386 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈteːtanʊs]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Infektionskrankheit, die Lähmungen und Muskelkrämpfe zur Folge hat und häufig tödlich endet".

No generated misspelling entries exist for Tetanus in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is Tetanus, spelled T-E-T-A-N-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Infektionskrankheit, die Lähmungen und Muskelkrämpfe zur Folge hat und häufig tödlich endet

Synonyms

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 "Tetanus"?
"Tetanus" is spelled T-E-T-A-N-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈteːtanʊs].
What does "Tetanus" mean?
As a noun, "Tetanus" means: Infektionskrankheit, die Lähmungen und Muskelkrämpfe zur Folge hat und häufig tödlich endet
How do you pronounce "Tetanus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Tetanus" is [ˈteːtanʊs]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Tetanus" come from?
"Tetanus" 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 “Tetanus”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is T-E-T-A-N-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈteːtanʊs] (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