umklappen

[ˈʊmˌklapn̩]

/[ˈʊmˌklapn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“umklappen” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - etwas (um Scharniere herum) drehen, so dass die andere Seite sichtbar wird

Key facts for umklappen
PropertyValue
Headwordumklappen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈʊmˌklapn̩]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “umklappen” sits in German frequency

umklappen 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for umklappen is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈʊmˌklapn̩]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for umklappen, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is umklappen, spelled U-M-K-L-A-P-P-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas (um Scharniere herum) drehen, so dass die andere Seite sichtbar wird
  2. 2
    umfallen, weil man ohnmächtig wird, einen Schwächeanfall hat

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 "umklappen"?
"umklappen" is spelled U-M-K-L-A-P-P-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʊmˌklapn̩].
What does "umklappen" mean?
As a verb, "umklappen" means: etwas (um Scharniere herum) drehen, so dass die andere Seite sichtbar wird
How do you pronounce "umklappen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "umklappen" is [ˈʊmˌklapn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "umklappen" come from?
"umklappen" 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.

Using “umklappen”

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

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