überrumpeln

[yːbɐˈʁʊmpl̩n]

/[yːbɐˈʁʊmpl̩n]/ verb

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

The verdict

“überrumpeln” is an uncommon German word, ranked #74,236 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#74,236
frequency rank, German
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - jemanden so unvorbereitet treffen, dass eine angemessene Reaktion kaum möglich ist

Key facts for überrumpeln
PropertyValue
Headwordüberrumpeln
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[yːbɐˈʁʊmpl̩n]
Letters11
Frequency rank#74,236
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “überrumpeln” 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). überrumpeln lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for überrumpeln is 11 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [yːbɐˈʁʊmpl̩n]. Corpus data places it at rank #74,236 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "jemanden so unvorbereitet treffen, dass eine angemessene Reaktion kaum möglich ist".

Zero misspellings are on record for überrumpeln in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is überrumpeln, spelled Ü-B-E-R-R-U-M-P-E-L-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    jemanden so unvorbereitet treffen, dass eine angemessene Reaktion kaum möglich ist

Synonyms

überraschen

This word in other languages

take by surprise(English)sorprender(Español)prendre au dépourvu(Français)surpreender(Português)

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 "überrumpeln"?
"überrumpeln" is spelled Ü-B-E-R-R-U-M-P-E-L-N. The IPA pronunciation is [yːbɐˈʁʊmpl̩n].
What does "überrumpeln" mean?
As a verb, "überrumpeln" means: jemanden so unvorbereitet treffen, dass eine angemessene Reaktion kaum möglich ist
How do you pronounce "überrumpeln"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "überrumpeln" is [yːbɐˈʁʊmpl̩n]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "überrumpeln" come from?
"überrumpeln" 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 “überrumpeln”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is Ü-B-E-R-R-U-M-P-E-L-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [yːbɐˈʁʊmpl̩n] (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
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