zähmen

[ˈt͡sɛːmən]

/[ˈt͡sɛːmən]/ verb

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

The verdict

“zähmen” is uncommon German (frequency #50,224 among 37,643 “Z” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,224
frequency rank, German
37,643
“Z” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (Tiere) an den Menschen gewöhnen

Key facts for zähmen
PropertyValue
Headwordzähmen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈt͡sɛːmən]
Letters6
Frequency rank#50,224
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “zähmen” 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). zähmen 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

zähmen is uncommon German at frequency #50,224 among 37,643 “Z” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed [ˈt͡sɛːmən]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for zähmen, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is zähmen, spelled Z-Ä-H-M-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    (Tiere) an den Menschen gewöhnen
  2. 2
    etwas beherrschbar machen; etwas in seine Gewalt bringen

This word in other languages

tame(English)domar(Español)apprivoiser(Français)

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 "zähmen"?
"zähmen" is spelled Z-Ä-H-M-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈt͡sɛːmən].
What does "zähmen" mean?
As a verb, "zähmen" means: (Tiere) an den Menschen gewöhnen
How do you pronounce "zähmen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zähmen" is [ˈt͡sɛːmən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zähmen" come from?
"zähmen" 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 “zähmen”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is Z-Ä-H-M-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈt͡sɛːmən] (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