wackeln
[ˈvakl̩n]
The verdict
“wackeln” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #24,192 in German word frequency and used as a verb.
- #24,192
- frequency rank, German
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 12
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - sich hin und her neigen
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | wackeln |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [ˈvakl̩n] |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #24,192 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 12 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “wackeln” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for wackeln is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈvakl̩n]. Corpus data places it at rank #24,192 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for wackeln, with forms such as "awckeln", "wacckeln", and "wacekln". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "wecken", "wacker", "wanken", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is wackeln, spelled W-A-C-K-E-L-N.
Definition
- 1sich hin und her neigen
- 2kurz vor dem Versagen oder Sturz stehen
- 3lose sein (zum Beispiel ein Bolzen)
- 4hin und her bewegen
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: awckeln,wacckeln,wacekln,wackelln,wackelnn,wackenl,wackkeln,wacklen,wakceln,wcakeln,wwackeln
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wackeln - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "wackeln"?
What does "wackeln" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "wackeln"?
How do you pronounce "wackeln"?
What language does "wackeln" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “wackeln”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is W-A-C-K-E-L-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈvakl̩n] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “wecken” - see the side-by-side comparison. wackeln vs wecken
- 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.