zerkratzen

[t͡sɛɐ̯ˈkʁat͡sn̩]

/[t͡sɛɐ̯ˈkʁat͡sn̩]/ verb

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

The verdict

“zerkratzen” is an uncommon German word, ranked #89,859 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#89,859
frequency rank, German
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - beschädigen, indem Riefen (Kratzer) zugefügt werden

Key facts for zerkratzen
PropertyValue
Headwordzerkratzen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[t͡sɛɐ̯ˈkʁat͡sn̩]
Letters10
Frequency rank#89,859
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “zerkratzen” 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). zerkratzen 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 zerkratzen is 10 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈkʁat͡sn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #89,859 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "beschädigen, indem Riefen (Kratzer) zugefügt werden".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for zerkratzen, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. 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.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is zerkratzen, spelled Z-E-R-K-R-A-T-Z-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    beschädigen, indem Riefen (Kratzer) zugefügt werden

Antonyms

ausspachtelnplanschleifen

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 "zerkratzen"?
"zerkratzen" is spelled Z-E-R-K-R-A-T-Z-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈkʁat͡sn̩].
What does "zerkratzen" mean?
As a verb, "zerkratzen" means: beschädigen, indem Riefen (Kratzer) zugefügt werden
How do you pronounce "zerkratzen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zerkratzen" is [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈkʁat͡sn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zerkratzen" come from?
"zerkratzen" 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.

Using “zerkratzen”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is Z-E-R-K-R-A-T-Z-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [t͡sɛɐ̯ˈkʁat͡sn̩] (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