zehren

[ˈt͡seːʁən]

/[ˈt͡seːʁən]/ verb

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

The verdict

“zehren” is an uncommon German word, ranked #54,258 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#54,258
frequency rank, German
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - durch verschiedene Einflüsse an Gewicht oder Volumen verlieren oder verlieren lassen

Key facts for zehren
PropertyValue
Headwordzehren
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈt͡seːʁən]
Letters6
Frequency rank#54,258
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “zehren” 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). zehren lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for zehren is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈt͡seːʁən]. Corpus data places it at rank #54,258 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for zehren, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is zehren, spelled Z-E-H-R-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    durch verschiedene Einflüsse an Gewicht oder Volumen verlieren oder verlieren lassen
  2. 2
    jemanden schwächen
  3. 3
    sich von etwas ernähren, etwas als Nahrung für den Körper oder Stärkung für die Seele nutzen
  4. 4
    essen und trinken (in Anlehnung an die Wortgeschichte ist davon auszugehen, dass zunächst nur das Zerreißen des Fleisches beim Essen erfasst war)
  5. 5
    verdauen
  6. 6
    fressen
  7. 7
    verbrauchen
  8. 8
    betteln, erpressen

Synonyms

entkräftenerschöpfenschwächen

Antonyms

stärken

This word in other languages

consume(English)

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 "zehren"?
"zehren" is spelled Z-E-H-R-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈt͡seːʁən].
What does "zehren" mean?
As a verb, "zehren" means: durch verschiedene Einflüsse an Gewicht oder Volumen verlieren oder verlieren lassen
How do you pronounce "zehren"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zehren" is [ˈt͡seːʁən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zehren" come from?
"zehren" 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.

Using “zehren”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is Z-E-H-R-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈt͡seːʁən] (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
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list