um den Dreh

[ˌʊm deːn ˈdʁeː]

/[ˌʊm deːn ˈdʁeː]/ phrase

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - so in etwa, so ungefähr

Corpus desk

Index DE-um-den-dreh · um den Dreh · German

um den Dreh · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "U" 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 um den Dreh
PropertyValue
Headwordum den Dreh
LanguageGerman
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[ˌʊm deːn ˈdʁeː]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „um den Dreh“ im Deutschen

um den Drehliegt 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

um den Dreh is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed [ˌʊm deːn ˈdʁeː]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "so in etwa, so ungefähr".

Zero misspellings are on record for um den Dreh in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is um den Dreh, spelled U-M- -D-E-N- -D-R-E-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    so in etwa, so ungefähr

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. „Wenn Sie sich dann 1988, 1989, 1990 anschauen, also ungefähr um den Dreh der Wiedervereinigung, dann haben Sie genau das Land, ich erinnere mich auch noch gut als von Westen kommend, wie es damals war.“
  2. „»Soviel kostet ein Flug nach New York auch nicht mehr.» / »Wie viel denn?» / »Na, so vierhundert um den Dreh», wird sie zaghafter.“

Synonyms

um die Drehe

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "um den Dreh"?
"um den Dreh" is spelled U-M- -D-E-N- -D-R-E-H. The IPA pronunciation is [ˌʊm deːn ˈdʁeː].
What does "um den Dreh" mean?
As a phrase, "um den Dreh" means: so in etwa, so ungefähr
How do you pronounce "um den Dreh"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "um den Dreh" is [ˌʊm deːn ˈdʁeː]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "um den Dreh" come from?
"um den Dreh" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list