Zaunkönig

[ˈt͡saʊ̯nkøːnɪç]

/[ˈt͡saʊ̯nkøːnɪç]/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - kleiner, brauner Singvogel, wissenschaftliche Bezeichnung: Troglodytes troglodytes

Corpus desk

Index DE-zaunkonig · Zaunkönig · German

Zaunkönig · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 Zaunkönig
PropertyValue
HeadwordZaunkönig
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈt͡saʊ̯nkøːnɪç]
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Zaunkönig“ im Deutschen

Zaunkönigschafft es nicht in die Top 100.000 des Deutschen: Zone für Fach-, Alt- oder Seltenwortschatz.

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

Rare enough to double-check

Zaunkönig is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈt͡saʊ̯nkøːnɪç]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "kleiner, brauner Singvogel, wissenschaftliche Bezeichnung: Troglodytes troglodytes".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for Zaunkönig, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is Zaunkönig, spelled Z-A-U-N-K-Ö-N-I-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    kleiner, brauner Singvogel, wissenschaftliche Bezeichnung: Troglodytes troglodytes

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Im Winter versuchen Zaunkönige bei strenger Kälte gelegentlich sich nachts in einer Schlafgemeinschaft zu schützen.

Synonyms

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 "Zaunkönig"?
"Zaunkönig" is spelled Z-A-U-N-K-Ö-N-I-G. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈt͡saʊ̯nkøːnɪç].
What does "Zaunkönig" mean?
As a noun, "Zaunkönig" means: kleiner, brauner Singvogel, wissenschaftliche Bezeichnung: Troglodytes troglodytes
How do you pronounce "Zaunkönig"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Zaunkönig" is [ˈt͡saʊ̯nkøːnɪç]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Zaunkönig" come from?
"Zaunkönig" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list