useful

[ˈjuːsf(ə)l]

/[ˈjuːsf(ə)l]/ adj

The verdict

“useful” is an uncommon German word, ranked #93,767 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#93,767
frequency rank, German
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - nützlich, praktisch, brauchbar, zweckdienlich

Key facts for useful
PropertyValue
Headworduseful
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈjuːsf(ə)l]
Letters6
Frequency rank#93,767
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “useful” 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). useful lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for useful is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈjuːsf(ə)l]. Corpus data places it at rank #93,767 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. 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 useful, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is useful, spelled U-S-E-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    nützlich, praktisch, brauchbar, zweckdienlich
  2. 2
    gut, wertvoll, hilfreich, passend, sinnvoll

Synonyms

worthwhile

Antonyms

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "useful"?
"useful" is spelled U-S-E-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈjuːsf(ə)l].
What does "useful" mean?
As an adjective, "useful" means: nützlich, praktisch, brauchbar, zweckdienlich
How do you pronounce "useful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "useful" is [ˈjuːsf(ə)l]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "useful" come from?
"useful" 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 “useful”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is U-S-E-F-U-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈjuːsf(ə)l] (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