unheimlich
German, adjective/ˈʊnˌhaɪ̯m.lɪç/
unheimlich is spelled U-N-H-E-I-M-L-I-C-H (10 letters) and appears 10 times per million words in written German, the 6,780th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Unheimlich is a German adjective meaning “uncanny, creepy, eerie (causing fearful discomfort)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “ein Gefühl leichter oder unbestimmter Furcht oder Angst erregend”.
What does unheimlich mean in English?
adjective
- 1
uncanny, creepy, eerie (causing fearful discomfort)
jemandem ist etwas unheimlich
- 2
incredible, massive (very large in scope, amount or ambition)
Das war eine unheimliche Leistung.
adverb
- 1
extremely, incredibly; a strong intensifier
Ich freue mich unheimlich über diese Medaille.
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. ein Gefühl leichter oder unbestimmter Furcht oder Angst erregend 2. als Adverb: doll, gewaltig, mächtig, sehr, außerordentlich
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of unheimlich
- unheimlicher masculine nominative singular
- am unheimlichsten superlative
- unheimliche feminine nominative singular
- unheimliches neuter nominative singular
- unheimlichen genitive masculine singular
- unheimlichem dative masculine singular
- der unheimliche definite includes-article masculine
- die unheimliche definite feminine includes-article
- das unheimliche definite includes-article neuter
- die unheimlichen definite includes-article nominative
- des unheimlichen definite genitive includes-article
- der unheimlichen definite feminine genitive
- dem unheimlichen dative definite includes-article
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce unheimlich?
- /ˈʊnˌhaɪ̯m.lɪç/
- /ˌʊnˈhaɪ̯m.lɪç/
- [ˈʊnhaɪ̯mlɪç]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to unheimlich
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is unheimlich in German?
unheimlich appears 10 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).