verschmähen

[fɛɐ̯ˈʃmɛːən]

/[fɛɐ̯ˈʃmɛːən]/ verb

The verdict

“verschmähen” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. 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) - etwas nicht für wert genug erachten und deshalb nicht haben wollen

Corpus desk

Index DE-verschmahen · verschmähen · German

verschmähen · 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 "V" 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 verschmähen
PropertyValue
Headwordverschmähen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[fɛɐ̯ˈʃmɛːən]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „verschmähen“ im Deutschen

verschmähenliegt 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

verschmähen is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [fɛɐ̯ˈʃmɛːən]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "etwas nicht für wert genug erachten und deshalb nicht haben wollen".

No misspelling variants are generated for verschmähen in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No borrowing history is documented 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 verschmähen, spelled V-E-R-S-C-H-M-Ä-H-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas nicht für wert genug erachten und deshalb nicht haben wollen

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Das Angebot zu einem Treffen verschmähte er.

Antonyms

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 "verschmähen"?
"verschmähen" is spelled V-E-R-S-C-H-M-Ä-H-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃmɛːən].
What does "verschmähen" mean?
As a verb, "verschmähen" means: etwas nicht für wert genug erachten und deshalb nicht haben wollen
How do you pronounce "verschmähen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "verschmähen" is [fɛɐ̯ˈʃmɛːən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "verschmähen" come from?
"verschmähen" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list