-zen

[t͡sn̩]

/[t͡sn̩]/ suffix

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
4
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - iteratives Verbalsuffix

Corpus desk

Index DE-zen · -zen · German

-zen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "-" 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 -zen
PropertyValue
Headword-zen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechSuffix
IPA[t͡sn̩]
Letters4
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Wo “-zen” in der deutschen Häufigkeit sitzt

-zenliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

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

Rare enough to double-check

-zen is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as asuffix, transcribed [t͡sn̩]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "iteratives Verbalsuffix".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for -zen, 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 easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is -zen, spelled --Z-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    iteratives Verbalsuffix

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. schluchzen, duzen, ächzen

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 "-zen"?
"-zen" is spelled --Z-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [t͡sn̩].
What does "-zen" mean?
As a suffix, "-zen" means: iteratives Verbalsuffix
How do you pronounce "-zen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "-zen" is [t͡sn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "-zen" come from?
"-zen" 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.

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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