zerbröckeln

[t͡sɛɐ̯ˈbʁœkl̩n]

/[t͡sɛɐ̯ˈbʁœkl̩n]/ verb

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency German
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - in kleine Teile (Brocken, Bröckchen) zerbrechen

Corpus desk

Index DE-zerbrockeln · zerbröckeln · German

zerbröckeln · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-3 3 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 zerbröckeln
PropertyValue
Headwordzerbröckeln
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[t͡sɛɐ̯ˈbʁœkl̩n]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Wo “zerbröckeln” in der deutschen Häufigkeit sitzt

zerbröckelnschafft 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

zerbröckeln is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈbʁœkl̩n]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for zerbröckeln in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is zerbröckeln, spelled Z-E-R-B-R-Ö-C-K-E-L-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    in kleine Teile (Brocken, Bröckchen) zerbrechen
  2. 2
    Risse bekommen, (von selbst) auseinanderfallen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Sie zerbröckelte das trockene Brot und verfütterte es an die Enten.
  2. Man zerbröckelt die Kekse vorsichtig mit den Fingern.

Antonyms

zusammendrückenwachsen

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 "zerbröckeln"?
"zerbröckeln" is spelled Z-E-R-B-R-Ö-C-K-E-L-N. The IPA pronunciation is [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈbʁœkl̩n].
What does "zerbröckeln" mean?
As a verb, "zerbröckeln" means: in kleine Teile (Brocken, Bröckchen) zerbrechen
How do you pronounce "zerbröckeln"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zerbröckeln" is [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈbʁœkl̩n]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zerbröckeln" come from?
"zerbröckeln" 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.

What to do next

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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