Wurzel

[ˈvʊʁt͡sl̩]

/[ˈvʊʁt͡sl̩]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Wurzel” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #11,155 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#11,155
frequency rank, German
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Organ, mit dem sich Pflanzen auf oder im Untergrund verankern und Nährstoffe aufnehmen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Wurzel vs würzen
50% similar
Wurzel vs würzig
33% similar
Wurzel vs Wurzeln
86% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Wurzel
PropertyValue
HeadwordWurzel
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈvʊʁt͡sl̩]
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,155
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Wurzel” 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). Wurzel lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Wurzel is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈvʊʁt͡sl̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #11,155 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Wurzel, with forms such as "uwrzel", "wruzel", and "wurezl". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "würzen", "würzig", "Wurzeln", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Wurzel, spelled W-U-R-Z-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Organ, mit dem sich Pflanzen auf oder im Untergrund verankern und Nährstoffe aufnehmen
  2. 2
    Ort oder Sache, aus dem etwas oder jemand hervorgegangen ist
  3. 3
    kurz für Quadratwurzel; siehe auch Wurzel^([4])
  4. 4
    Zahl, die sich aus dem Wurzelziehen, oder auch Radizieren, ergibt
  5. 5
    der oberste Knoten in einem Baum
  6. 6
    Möhre
  7. 7
    Grundform eines Wortes; Ausgangsform für Flexion und Wortbildung
  8. 8
    belegte oder rekonstruierte historische Grundform eines Wortes
  9. 9
    Haarwurzel
  10. 10
    Zahnwurzel

Synonyms

PflanzenwurzelAbstammungHerkunftUrsprungQuadratwurzelRadixWurzelknotenMöhreMohrrübeKarottePrimitivumRadixStammStammwortWurzelwortWortwurzel

Antonyms

RhizomQuadratDerivatumStammWortstamm

This word in other languages

root(English)raíz(Español)racine(Français)raiz(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: uwrzel,wruzel,wurezl,wurrzel,wurzell,wurzle,wurzzel,wuzrel,wwurzel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Wurzel - 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.

uwrzel2wruzel2wurezl2wurrzel1wurzell1wurzle2wurzzel1wuzrel2
Edit distance from "Wurzel"

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 "Wurzel"?
"Wurzel" is spelled W-U-R-Z-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈvʊʁt͡sl̩].
What does "Wurzel" mean?
As a noun, "Wurzel" means: Organ, mit dem sich Pflanzen auf oder im Untergrund verankern und Nährstoffe aufnehmen
What words are commonly confused with "Wurzel"?
"Wurzel" is commonly confused with "würzen", "würzig", "Wurzeln". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Wurzel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Wurzel" is [ˈvʊʁt͡sl̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Wurzel" come from?
"Wurzel" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “Wurzel”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is W-U-R-Z-E-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈvʊʁt͡sl̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “würzen” - see the side-by-side comparison. Wurzel vs würzen
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list