zapfen

[ˈt͡sap͡fn̩]

/[ˈt͡sap͡fn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

“zapfen” has 9 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #26,704. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,704
frequency rank, German
1,996
“Z” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Flüssigkeit abfließen lassen oder ableiten

Corpus desk

Index DE-zapfen · zapfen · German

zapfen · rank #26,704 · 9 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,704
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,996
  • PHOTO-FINISH Zagreb

Nearest frequency peer: Zagreb (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „zapfen“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „zapfen“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

zapfen vs Zaren
50% similar
zapfen vs Zöpfe
50% similar
zapfen vs zarten
67% similar

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

Key facts for zapfen
PropertyValue
Headwordzapfen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈt͡sap͡fn̩]
Letters6
Frequency rank#26,704
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „zapfen“

Die Häufigkeit läuft von den wenigen Alltagswörtern (links) bis zur langen, seltenen Schwanzseite (rechts).zapfenliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

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

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „Zagreb“ (#26,703), „zeitig“ (#26,706), „zelebriert“ (#26,707). Unter 1,996 „Z“-Lemmata liegt „zapfen“ bei #26,704. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around zapfen (IPA [ˈt͡sap͡fn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #26,704 among 1,996 “Z” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for zapfen, with forms such as "azpfen", "zafpen", and "zapefn". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "Zaren", "Zöpfe", "zarten", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is zapfen, spelled Z-A-P-F-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Flüssigkeit abfließen lassen oder ableiten
  2. 2
    mit Zapfen verbinden

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how zapfen appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Der alte Wirt in Lancashire, der zapft ein jämmerliches Bier. Er zapft' es gestern, zapft es heute, er zapft es immer für arme Leute.
  2. Die Seitenteile des Kasten hat Emil gestern gezapft.

Synonyms

abfüllen

This word in other languages

tap(English)extraer(Español)tirer(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • azpfen
  • zafpen
  • zapefn
  • zapfenn
  • zapffen
  • zapfne
  • zappfen
  • zpafen
  • zzapfen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

azpfen2zafpen2zapefn2zapfenn1zapffen1zapfne2zappfen1zpafen2
Edit distance from "zapfen"

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 "zapfen"?
"zapfen" is spelled Z-A-P-F-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈt͡sap͡fn̩].
What does "zapfen" mean?
As a verb, "zapfen" means: Flüssigkeit abfließen lassen oder ableiten
What words are commonly confused with "zapfen"?
"zapfen" is commonly confused with "Zaren", "Zöpfe", "zarten". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "zapfen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zapfen" is [ˈt͡sap͡fn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zapfen" come from?
"zapfen" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "zapfen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Zagreb#26,703zeitig#26,706zielte#26,709Wacken#26,684

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

zittert9 variantsaddition9 variantsAmmoniak9 variantsanbauen9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list