weak

[wiːk]

/[wiːk]/ adj

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

The verdict

“weak” is uncommon German (frequency #72,031 among 2,930 “W” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,031
frequency rank, German
2,930
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - schwach

Corpus desk

Index DE-weak · weak · German

weak · rank #72,031 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,031
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,930
  • PHOTO-FINISH Wassertempera…

Nearest frequency peer: Wassertemperaturen (-2 rank slots)

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.

Langschwanz-Ränge nahe „weak“

Dünnes Band: Balken invertieren den Rang, seltenere Formen wirken kürzer

corpus weight

What this shows Langschwanz-Sicht: wo „weak“ gegen ähnlich seltene deutsche Ränge sitzt.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for weak
PropertyValue
Headwordweak
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[wiːk]
Letters4
Frequency rank#72,031
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „weak“ im Deutschen

Von links nach rechts: die wenigen Träger des Alltags, dann der lange Schwanz kaum gebrauchter Formen.weakfällt in diesen Seltenheitsbereich:

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

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Seltene Nachbarn derselben Bandbreite: „Wassertemperaturen“ (#72,029), „Weihnachtsabend“ (#72,033), „Wasserkraftwerke“ (#72,028). Unter 2,930 „W“-Lemmata liegt „weak“ bei #72,031. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

weak is uncommon German at frequency #72,031 among 2,930 “W” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed [wiːk]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for weak in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is weak, spelled W-E-A-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    schwach
  2. 2
    empfindlich, kränklich
  3. 3
    charakterschwach, labil, schwächlich
  4. 4
    schwach, dünn
  5. 5
    schwach, flau

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. weak in Latin - schwach in Latein

Synonyms

debilitateddelicateenfeebledenervatedexhaustedfaintfeeblefragilefrailinfirminvalidlanguidlanguishedshakysicklyspentstrengthlesstenderunhealthyunsoundwastedweaklyaccessibledefencelessunprotectedvulnerablelightsoftunstressedbonelessinfirmcompliantirresolutepliablepliantundecidedundeterminedunsettledunstableunsteadyvacillatingwaveringyieldingchildishfoolishimbecilesenselessshallowsillysimplestupidweak-mindedwitlesserringfoolishindiscreetinjudiciousunwisefaintfeeblegentleindistinctlowsmalladulteratedattenuateddilutedinsipidtastelessthinwateryfeebleflimsyfrivolouspoorsleazyslighttriflingfutileillogicalinconclusiveineffectiveineffectualinefficientlameunconvincingunsatisfactoryunsupportedunsustainedvaguevainunsafeunsoundunsubstantialuntrustworthyhelplessimpotentpowerlessbreakablebrittledelicatefrangibleinconsiderablepunyslenderslightsmall

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 "weak"?
"weak" is spelled W-E-A-K. The IPA pronunciation is [wiːk].
What does "weak" mean?
As an adjective, "weak" means: schwach
How do you pronounce "weak"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "weak" is [wiːk]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "weak" come from?
"weak" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "weak", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

zock#72,081Alia#72,123tret#71,933tors#71,922

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list