Zapfenstreich

[ˈt͡sap͡fn̩ˌʃtʁaɪ̯ç]

/[ˈt͡sap͡fn̩ˌʃtʁaɪ̯ç]/ noun

The verdict

“Zapfenstreich” is uncommon German (frequency #77,579 among 37,643 “Z” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,579
frequency rank, German
37,643
“Z” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Beginn der Nachtruhe, Ende der Ausgehzeit, Ende der Aktivitäten für den Tag

Corpus desk

Index DE-zapfenstreich · Zapfenstreich · German

Zapfenstreich · rank #77,579 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,579
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 37,643
  • PHOTO-FINISH Zaire

Nearest frequency peer: Zaire (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “Zapfenstreich”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “Zapfenstreich” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for Zapfenstreich
PropertyValue
HeadwordZapfenstreich
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈt͡sap͡fn̩ˌʃtʁaɪ̯ç]
Letters13
Frequency rank#77,579
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Zapfenstreich” 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). Zapfenstreich 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

Zapfenstreich is uncommon German at frequency #77,579 among 37,643 “Z” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈt͡sap͡fn̩ˌʃtʁaɪ̯ç]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for Zapfenstreich in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, 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 Zapfenstreich, spelled Z-A-P-F-E-N-S-T-R-E-I-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Beginn der Nachtruhe, Ende der Ausgehzeit, Ende der Aktivitäten für den Tag
  2. 2
    Signal, das den Beginn der Nachtruhe ankündigt
  3. 3
    Großer Zapfenstreich, die feierlichste militärische Zeremonie der Bundeswehr

This word in other languages

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Zapfenstreich"?
"Zapfenstreich" is spelled Z-A-P-F-E-N-S-T-R-E-I-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈt͡sap͡fn̩ˌʃtʁaɪ̯ç].
What does "Zapfenstreich" mean?
As a noun, "Zapfenstreich" means: Beginn der Nachtruhe, Ende der Ausgehzeit, Ende der Aktivitäten für den Tag
How do you pronounce "Zapfenstreich"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Zapfenstreich" is [ˈt͡sap͡fn̩ˌʃtʁaɪ̯ç]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Zapfenstreich" come from?
"Zapfenstreich" 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 "Zapfenstreich", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency 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