Zirkel

[ˈt͡sɪʁkl̩]

/[ˈt͡sɪʁkl̩]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Zirkel” has 9 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #20,804. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,804
frequency rank, German
1,996
“Z” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Gerät zum Zeichnen von Kreisen

Corpus desk

Index DE-zirkel · Zirkel · German

Zirkel · rank #20,804 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,804
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,996
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ziegel

Nearest frequency peer: Ziegel (-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.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „Zirkel“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „Zirkel“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

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).

Zirkel vs Zirkus
67% similar
Zirkel vs Ziel
67% similar
Zirkel vs zirka
50% similar

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

Key facts for Zirkel
PropertyValue
HeadwordZirkel
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈt͡sɪʁkl̩]
Letters6
Frequency rank#20,804
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „Zirkel“

Diese Skala geht vom Kern des Alltagdeutschen (links) bis zum seltenen Langschwanz (rechts).Zirkelliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

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

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „Ziegel“ (#20,803), „ZK“ (#20,805), „zerbrochen“ (#20,802). Unter 1,996 „Z“-Lemmata liegt „Zirkel“ bei #20,804. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Zirkel (IPA [ˈt͡sɪʁkl̩]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,804 among 1,996 “Z” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Zirkel, with forms such as "izrkel", "zikrel", and "zirekl". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Zirkus", "Ziel", "zirka", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

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 Zirkel, spelled Z-I-R-K-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Gerät zum Zeichnen von Kreisen
  2. 2
    feste, aber nicht als Verein organisierte Gruppe
  3. 3
    Schlussfolgerung, bei der das Erschlossene vorausgesetzt wird

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In der antiken Geometrie waren Zirkel und Lineal geradezu heilige Gegenstände.
  2. „Der Haupteingang der British Library liegt nicht direkt an der Straße, sondern in einem Innenhof, in dem eine riesige Statue von Isaac Newton steht, der über einen Zirkel gebeugt dasitzt.“

Synonyms

KreisRingRundeKränzchenZirkelschluss

This word in other languages

compass(English)compás(Español)compas(Français)compasso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • izrkel
  • zikrel
  • zirekl
  • zirkell
  • zirkkel
  • zirkle
  • zirrkel
  • zrikel
  • zzirkel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

izrkel2zikrel2zirekl2zirkell1zirkkel1zirkle2zirrkel1zrikel2
Edit distance from "Zirkel"

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 "Zirkel"?
"Zirkel" is spelled Z-I-R-K-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈt͡sɪʁkl̩].
What does "Zirkel" mean?
As a noun, "Zirkel" means: Gerät zum Zeichnen von Kreisen
What words are commonly confused with "Zirkel"?
"Zirkel" is commonly confused with "Zirkus", "Ziel", "zirka". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Zirkel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Zirkel" is [ˈt͡sɪʁkl̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Zirkel" come from?
"Zirkel" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Ziegel#20,803ätzend#20,810wirren#20,796weinte#20,791

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

warmer9 variantswalten9 variantsumarmt9 variantstürkis9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list