wirklich
[ˈvɪʁklɪç]
The verdict
“wirklich” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #169 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #169
- frequency rank, German
- 8
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 7
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - tatsächlich existierend und nicht nur in der Einbildung vorhanden seiend
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | wirklich |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | [ˈvɪʁklɪç] |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #169 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 7 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “wirklich” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for wirklich is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈvɪʁklɪç]. Corpus data places it at rank #169 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for wirklich, with forms such as "iwrklich", "wikrlich", and "wirkilch". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "wörtlich", "Wittlich", "wirkliche", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is wirklich, spelled W-I-R-K-L-I-C-H.
Definition
- 1tatsächlich existierend und nicht nur in der Einbildung vorhanden seiend
- 2den Erwartungen und Wertvorstellungen entsprechend
- 3wahrhaftig, echt, ganz
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: iwrklich,wikrlich,wirkilch,wirkklich,wirklcih,wirklicch,wirklichh,wirklihc,wirkllich,wirlkich,wirrklich,wriklich,wwirklich
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wirklich - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "wirklich"?
What does "wirklich" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "wirklich"?
How do you pronounce "wirklich"?
What language does "wirklich" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “wirklich”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is W-I-R-K-L-I-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈvɪʁklɪç] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “wörtlich” - see the side-by-side comparison. wirklich vs wörtlich
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
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.