um

[ʊm]

/[ʊm]/ prep

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

The verdict

“um” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #49) as a preposition. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#49
frequency rank, German
2,159
“U” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - bezeichnet eine Lage in Bezug zu etwas oder jemanden – wo?

Corpus desk

Index DE-um · um · German

um · rank #49 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #49
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,159
  • PHOTO-FINISH man

Nearest frequency peer: man (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “um”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “um” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

um vs us
50% similar
um vs up
50% similar
um vs UV
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for um
PropertyValue
Headwordum
LanguageGerman
Part of speechPreposition
IPA[ʊm]
Letters2
Frequency rank#49
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “um” 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). um lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for um is neighbouring look-alikes ("us", "up", …), not just typos; it is apreposition pronounced [ʊm]. Frequency #49 among 2,159 “U” headwords. 8 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

um has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "us", "up", "UV", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is um, spelled U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    bezeichnet eine Lage in Bezug zu etwas oder jemanden – wo?
  2. 2
    bezeichnet eine kreisförmige Bewegung oder einen Richtungswechsel – wohin?
  3. 3
    bezeichnet einen Zeitpunkt - wann? Entweder eine Uhrzeit oder eine ungefähre Zeitangabe
  4. 4
    bezeichnet ein Größen-, Mengen- oder Wertverhältnis – wie viel?
  5. 5
    bezeichnet ein Größen-, Mengen- oder Wertverhältnis – wie viel?
  6. 6
    bezeichnet ein Größen-, Mengen- oder Wertverhältnis – wie viel?
  7. 7
    bezeichnet einen Betreff, einen Anlass – worum?
  8. 8
    bezeichnet eine Abfolge

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Die Mutter hat ihre Kinder um sich.
  2. Die Gruppe um Karl und Johanna machte sich auf den Weg.

Synonyms

beiGegendNähegenauPunktpunktca.circagegenungefährzirkafürbetreffendwegenaufeinanderfolgendnach

This word in other languages

around(English)alrededor de(Español)autour(Français)a(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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "um"?
"um" is spelled U-M. The IPA pronunciation is [ʊm].
What does "um" mean?
As a preposition, "um" means: bezeichnet eine Lage in Bezug zu etwas oder jemanden – wo?
What words are commonly confused with "um"?
"um" is commonly confused with "us", "up", "UV". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "um"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "um" is [ʊm]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "um" come from?
"um" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

What to do next

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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