Walfänger

[ˈvaːlˌfɛŋɐ]

/[ˈvaːlˌfɛŋɐ]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Walfänger” is uncommon German (frequency #96,497 among 38,697 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#96,497
frequency rank, German
38,697
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Person, die am Walfang beteiligt ist

Key facts for Walfänger
PropertyValue
HeadwordWalfänger
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈvaːlˌfɛŋɐ]
Letters9
Frequency rank#96,497
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Walfänger” 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). Walfänger lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

Walfänger is uncommon German at frequency #96,497 among 38,697 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈvaːlˌfɛŋɐ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Walfänger, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is Walfänger, spelled W-A-L-F-Ä-N-G-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Person, die am Walfang beteiligt ist
  2. 2
    Schiff, das für den Walfang bestimmt ist

Synonyms

Walfangschiff

This word in other languages

whaler(English)ballenero(Español)baleinier(Français)

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 "Walfänger"?
"Walfänger" is spelled W-A-L-F-Ä-N-G-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈvaːlˌfɛŋɐ].
What does "Walfänger" mean?
As a noun, "Walfänger" means: Person, die am Walfang beteiligt ist
How do you pronounce "Walfänger"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Walfänger" is [ˈvaːlˌfɛŋɐ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Walfänger" come from?
"Walfänger" 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.

Using “Walfänger”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is W-A-L-F-Ä-N-G-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈvaːlˌfɛŋɐ] (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

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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