waten

[ˈvaːtn̩]

/[ˈvaːtn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

“waten” is uncommon German (frequency #79,927 among 38,697 “W” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#79,927
frequency rank, German
38,697
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - im Wasser oder auf nachgebendem Untergrund langsam gehen, wobei die Beine bei jedem Schritt nacheinander angehoben werden

Key facts for waten
PropertyValue
Headwordwaten
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈvaːtn̩]
Letters5
Frequency rank#79,927
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “waten” 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). waten 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

waten is uncommon German at frequency #79,927 among 38,697 “W” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈvaːtn̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "im Wasser oder auf nachgebendem Untergrund langsam gehen, wobei die Beine bei jedem Schritt nacheinander angehoben werden".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for waten, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is waten, spelled W-A-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    im Wasser oder auf nachgebendem Untergrund langsam gehen, wobei die Beine bei jedem Schritt nacheinander angehoben werden

Synonyms

stapfen

Antonyms

laufenrennenrobbenschwimmenspringen

This word in other languages

wade(English)caminar(Español)patauger(Français)atravessar(Português)

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 "waten"?
"waten" is spelled W-A-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈvaːtn̩].
What does "waten" mean?
As a verb, "waten" means: im Wasser oder auf nachgebendem Untergrund langsam gehen, wobei die Beine bei jedem Schritt nacheinander angehoben werden
How do you pronounce "waten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "waten" is [ˈvaːtn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "waten" come from?
"waten" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “waten”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is W-A-T-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈvaːtn̩] (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