warning

[ˈwɔːnɪŋ]

/[ˈwɔːnɪŋ]/ verb

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

The verdict

“warning” is uncommon German (frequency #59,327 among 38,697 “W” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,327
frequency rank, German
38,697
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Partizip Präsens (present participle) des Verbs warn

Key facts for warning
PropertyValue
Headwordwarning
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈwɔːnɪŋ]
Letters7
Frequency rank#59,327
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “warning” 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). warning 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

warning is uncommon German at frequency #59,327 among 38,697 “W” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈwɔːnɪŋ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Partizip Präsens (present participle) des Verbs warn".

No misspelling variants are generated for warning in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No documented word history exists for this headword, 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 warning, spelled W-A-R-N-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Partizip Präsens (present participle) des Verbs warn

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 "warning"?
"warning" is spelled W-A-R-N-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈwɔːnɪŋ].
What does "warning" mean?
As a verb, "warning" means: Partizip Präsens (present participle) des Verbs warn
How do you pronounce "warning"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "warning" is [ˈwɔːnɪŋ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "warning" come from?
"warning" 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 “warning”

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

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