wehrhaft

[ˈveːɐ̯haft]

/[ˈveːɐ̯haft]/ adj

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

The verdict

“wehrhaft” is uncommon German (frequency #92,457 among 38,697 “W” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,457
frequency rank, German
38,697
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - fähig, sich zu verteidigen/sich zu wehren

Key facts for wehrhaft
PropertyValue
Headwordwehrhaft
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈveːɐ̯haft]
Letters8
Frequency rank#92,457
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “wehrhaft” 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). wehrhaft 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

wehrhaft is uncommon German at frequency #92,457 among 38,697 “W” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ˈveːɐ̯haft]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

wehrhaft doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is wehrhaft, spelled W-E-H-R-H-A-F-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    fähig, sich zu verteidigen/sich zu wehren
  2. 2
    so gebaut, dass man sich verteidigen kann

Synonyms

befestigt

Antonyms

kampfunfähigverteidigungsunfähigwehrlosamBodenliegend

This word in other languages

fortified(English)aguerrido(Español)

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 "wehrhaft"?
"wehrhaft" is spelled W-E-H-R-H-A-F-T. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈveːɐ̯haft].
What does "wehrhaft" mean?
As an adjective, "wehrhaft" means: fähig, sich zu verteidigen/sich zu wehren
How do you pronounce "wehrhaft"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wehrhaft" is [ˈveːɐ̯haft]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "wehrhaft" come from?
"wehrhaft" 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 “wehrhaft”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is W-E-H-R-H-A-F-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈveːɐ̯haft] (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list