wohl
German, adverb
wohl is spelled W-O-H-L (4 letters) and appears 537 times per million words in written German, the 176th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Wohl is a German adverb meaning “possibly, probably; as I was told (modal particle expressing an assumption, often like English must + infinitive, or (US) guess + clause)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). With a capital, Wohl is a different word: “good”. The German Wiktionary defines it as “gut, gesund, angenehm, behaglich”.
What does wohl mean in English?
adverb
- 1
possibly, probably; as I was told (modal particle expressing an assumption, often like English must + infinitive, or (US) guess + clause)
Er ist wohl schon gegangen.
- 2
of course, indeed (modal particle adding stress to the statement to contradict a preceding one, often like English do + infinitive)
Du warst ja noch nie in Frankreich. − Ich war wohl schon in Frankreich!
- 3
actually, somehow, quite (modal particle making the statement weaker or expressing a concession)
Was habt ihr denn alle mit der Suppe? Ich find die wohl nicht schlecht.
- 4
well, very well
Ihr habt wohl gesprochen, mein Herr!
- 5
yes; surely; really; on the contrary
Das stimmt nicht. – Wohl!
noun
- 1
neutergood
- 2
neuterweal
- 3
neuterwealthy
- 4
neuterwelfare
- 5
neuterwell-being
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Zustand des Gutgehens, körperlich und geistig, auch Gesundheit und Glück 2. das Gute im Interesse der Masse, zum Beispiel Reichtum und (soziale) Stabilität
adverb: 1. gut, gesund, angenehm, behaglich
particle: 1. wahrscheinlich, vermutlich 2. doch
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of wohl
- woll alternative
- wol alternative obsolete
- Wohles genitive
- Wohls genitive
- Wohle dative singular
- wohler comparative
- besser comparative
- am wohlsten superlative
- am besten superlative
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to wohl
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is wohl in German?
wohl appears 537 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).