zappelig

[ˈt͡sapəlɪç]

/[ˈt͡sapəlɪç]/ adj

The verdict

“zappelig” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - andauernd in Bewegung, unfähig, seinen Bewegungsdrang zu beherrschen

Corpus desk

Index DE-zappelig · zappelig · German

zappelig · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "Z" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for zappelig
PropertyValue
Headwordzappelig
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈt͡sapəlɪç]
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „zappelig“ im Deutschen

zappeligsitzt jenseits der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Formen, im Schwanz spezialisierten oder seltenen Wortschatzes.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

zappelig is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ˈt͡sapəlɪç]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "andauernd in Bewegung, unfähig, seinen Bewegungsdrang zu beherrschen".

No misspelling variants are generated for zappelig in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is zappelig, spelled Z-A-P-P-E-L-I-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    andauernd in Bewegung, unfähig, seinen Bewegungsdrang zu beherrschen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Das ist aber mal ein zappliges Kind.
  2. Sei nicht so zappelig!

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "zappelig"?
"zappelig" is spelled Z-A-P-P-E-L-I-G. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈt͡sapəlɪç].
What does "zappelig" mean?
As an adjective, "zappelig" means: andauernd in Bewegung, unfähig, seinen Bewegungsdrang zu beherrschen
How do you pronounce "zappelig"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zappelig" is [ˈt͡sapəlɪç]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zappelig" come from?
"zappelig" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list