Washington, D.C.

[…]

/[…]/ name

The verdict

“Washington, D.C.” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
16
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Bundesdistrikt, Regierungssitz und Hauptstadt der Vereinigten Staaten

Corpus desk

Index DE-washington-d-c · Washington, D.C. · German

Washington, D.C. · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 16 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "W" 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 Washington, D.C.
PropertyValue
HeadwordWashington, D.C.
LanguageGerman
Part of speechProper noun
IPA[…]
Letters16
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Wo “Washington, D.C.” in der deutschen Häufigkeit sitzt

Washington, D.C.schafft es nicht in die Top 100.000 des Deutschen: Zone für Fach-, Alt- oder Seltenwortschatz.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Washington, D.C. is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as aproper noun, transcribed […]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Bundesdistrikt, Regierungssitz und Hauptstadt der Vereinigten Staaten".

Washington, D.C. doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

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 Washington, D.C., spelled W-A-S-H-I-N-G-T-O-N-,- -D-.-C-..

Definition

  1. 1
    Bundesdistrikt, Regierungssitz und Hauptstadt der Vereinigten Staaten

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. „Das eigentliche Teleskop mit einem 2,4 Meter großen Hauptspiegel ist fertiggestellt und befindet sich nun im Reinraum des Goddard Space Flight Center der NASA in der Nähe von Washington, D.C. [sic!]“
  2. „Wie das Entdeckerteam um Scott Sheppard von der Carnegie Institution of Science in Washington, D.C., anhand von Teleskopaufnahmen feststellte, benötigt der zirka ein Kilometer große Asteroid 113 Tage, um die Sonne zu umlaufen.“

Synonyms

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 "Washington, D.C."?
"Washington, D.C." is spelled W-A-S-H-I-N-G-T-O-N-,- -D-.-C-.. The IPA pronunciation is […].
What does "Washington, D.C." mean?
As a proper noun, "Washington, D.C." means: Bundesdistrikt, Regierungssitz und Hauptstadt der Vereinigten Staaten
How do you pronounce "Washington, D.C."?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Washington, D.C." is […]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Washington, D.C." come from?
"Washington, D.C." is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

What to do next

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PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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