umherschweifen

[ʊmˈheːɐ̯ˌʃvaɪ̯fn̩]

/[ʊmˈheːɐ̯ˌʃvaɪ̯fn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (ziellos und langsam) durch die Gegend gehen, mal hierhin, mal dorthin

Key facts for umherschweifen
PropertyValue
Headwordumherschweifen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ʊmˈheːɐ̯ˌʃvaɪ̯fn̩]
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “umherschweifen” sits in German frequency

umherschweifen falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

umherschweifen is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [ʊmˈheːɐ̯ˌʃvaɪ̯fn̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "(ziellos und langsam) durch die Gegend gehen, mal hierhin, mal dorthin".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for umherschweifen, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is umherschweifen, spelled U-M-H-E-R-S-C-H-W-E-I-F-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    (ziellos und langsam) durch die Gegend gehen, mal hierhin, mal dorthin

Antonyms

ansteuern

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 "umherschweifen"?
"umherschweifen" is spelled U-M-H-E-R-S-C-H-W-E-I-F-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ʊmˈheːɐ̯ˌʃvaɪ̯fn̩].
What does "umherschweifen" mean?
As a verb, "umherschweifen" means: (ziellos und langsam) durch die Gegend gehen, mal hierhin, mal dorthin
How do you pronounce "umherschweifen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "umherschweifen" is [ʊmˈheːɐ̯ˌʃvaɪ̯fn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "umherschweifen" come from?
"umherschweifen" 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 “umherschweifen”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is U-M-H-E-R-S-C-H-W-E-I-F-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ʊmˈheːɐ̯ˌʃvaɪ̯fn̩] (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