Winterruhe

[ˈvɪntɐˌʁuːə]

/[ˈvɪntɐˌʁuːə]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Winterruhe” is uncommon German (frequency #88,532 among 38,697 “W” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#88,532
frequency rank, German
38,697
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ein im Winter eintretender Ruhezustand bei Tieren, der durch eingeschränkte Stoffwechselaktivitäten gekennzeichnet ist

Key facts for Winterruhe
PropertyValue
HeadwordWinterruhe
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈvɪntɐˌʁuːə]
Letters10
Frequency rank#88,532
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Winterruhe” 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). Winterruhe 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

Winterruhe is uncommon German at frequency #88,532 among 38,697 “W” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈvɪntɐˌʁuːə]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "ein im Winter eintretender Ruhezustand bei Tieren, der durch eingeschränkte Stoffwechselaktivitäten gekennzeichnet ist".

Winterruhe doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Winterruhe, spelled W-I-N-T-E-R-R-U-H-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein im Winter eintretender Ruhezustand bei Tieren, der durch eingeschränkte Stoffwechselaktivitäten gekennzeichnet ist

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 "Winterruhe"?
"Winterruhe" is spelled W-I-N-T-E-R-R-U-H-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈvɪntɐˌʁuːə].
What does "Winterruhe" mean?
As a noun, "Winterruhe" means: ein im Winter eintretender Ruhezustand bei Tieren, der durch eingeschränkte Stoffwechselaktivitäten gekennzeichnet ist
How do you pronounce "Winterruhe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Winterruhe" is [ˈvɪntɐˌʁuːə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Winterruhe" come from?
"Winterruhe" 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.

Using “Winterruhe”

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

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