zerbrechen

[t͡sɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩]

/[t͡sɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“zerbrechen” has 16 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #16,885. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,885
frequency rank, German
1,996
“Z” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - kaputtgehen (wenn es dabei Splitter oder Brocken erzeugt)

Corpus desk

Index DE-zerbrechen · zerbrechen · German

zerbrechen · rank #16,885 · 16 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,885
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,996
  • PHOTO-FINISH Zeigefinger

Nearest frequency peer: Zeigefinger (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “zerbrechen”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “zerbrechen” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

zerbrechen vs zerbrochen
90% similar
zerbrechen vs zerbrochene
82% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for zerbrechen
PropertyValue
Headwordzerbrechen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[t͡sɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩]
Letters10
Frequency rank#16,885
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Wo “zerbrechen” in der deutschen Häufigkeit sitzt

Diese Skala geht vom Kern des Alltagdeutschen (links) bis zum seltenen Langschwanz (rechts).zerbrechenliegt hier:

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

Die Achse ist logarithmisch: jeder Tick markiert etwa zehnfach geringere Häufigkeit. In derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite liegen „Zeigefinger“ (#16,884), „Ziege“ (#16,886), „zivil“ (#16,887). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around zerbrechen (IPA [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #16,885 among 1,996 “Z” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for zerbrechen, with forms such as "ezrbrechen", "zebrrechen", and "zerbbrechen". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "zerbrochen", "zerbrochene", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is zerbrechen, spelled Z-E-R-B-R-E-C-H-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    kaputtgehen (wenn es dabei Splitter oder Brocken erzeugt)
  2. 2
    emotional zutiefst geschädigt werden
  3. 3
    etwas wie bei [1] kaputt machen (zerstören)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Die Vase fiel vom Regal und zerbrach.
  2. An dem Verlust seiner Frau und seines Kindes ist er letztendlich zerbrochen.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ezrbrechen
  • zebrrechen
  • zerbbrechen
  • zerberchen
  • zerbrcehen
  • zerbrecchen
  • zerbrecehn
  • zerbrechenn
  • zerbrechhen
  • zerbrechne
  • zerbrehcen
  • zerbrrechen
  • zerrbechen
  • zerrbrechen
  • zrebrechen
  • zzerbrechen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of zerbrechen - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ezrbrechen2zebrrechen2zerbbrechen1zerberchen2zerbrcehen2zerbrecchen1zerbrecehn2zerbrechenn1
Edit distance from "zerbrechen"

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 "zerbrechen"?
"zerbrechen" is spelled Z-E-R-B-R-E-C-H-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩].
What does "zerbrechen" mean?
As a verb, "zerbrechen" means: kaputtgehen (wenn es dabei Splitter oder Brocken erzeugt)
What words are commonly confused with "zerbrechen"?
"zerbrechen" is commonly confused with "zerbrochen", "zerbrochene". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "zerbrechen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zerbrechen" is [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈbʁɛçn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zerbrechen" come from?
"zerbrechen" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "zerbrechen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "zerbrechen". Here's where to go from here.

  • "zerbrechen" maps to 2 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "zerbrochen". View pair
  • 16 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #16,885 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "Z" letter cohort. Z–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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