zem

[zɛm]

/[zɛm]/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
3
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - fester Teil der Erdoberfläche; waagrechte Fläche, auf der wir gehen; Erde, Erdboden, Boden, Fußboden

Key facts for zem
PropertyValue
Headwordzem
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[zɛm]
Letters3
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “zem” sits in German frequency

zem falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

zem is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [zɛm]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "fester Teil der Erdoberfläche; waagrechte Fläche, auf der wir gehen; Erde, Erdboden, Boden, Fußboden".

No generated misspelling entries exist for zem in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is zem, spelled Z-E-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    fester Teil der Erdoberfläche; waagrechte Fläche, auf der wir gehen; Erde, Erdboden, Boden, Fußboden

Synonyms

podlahapůdazemě

This word in other languages

floor(English)

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 "zem"?
"zem" is spelled Z-E-M. The IPA pronunciation is [zɛm].
What does "zem" mean?
As a noun, "zem" means: fester Teil der Erdoberfläche; waagrechte Fläche, auf der wir gehen; Erde, Erdboden, Boden, Fußboden
How do you pronounce "zem"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zem" is [zɛm]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zem" come from?
"zem" 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.

Using “zem”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is Z-E-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [zɛm] (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