Zisterne

[t͡sɪsˈtɛʁnə]

/[t͡sɪsˈtɛʁnə]/ noun

The verdict

“Zisterne” is uncommon German (frequency #58,477 among 37,643 “Z” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,477
frequency rank, German
37,643
“Z” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - meist unterirdischer und abgedeckter Auffang- und Sammelbehälter für Regenwasser und anderes Oberflächenwasser

Key facts for Zisterne
PropertyValue
HeadwordZisterne
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[t͡sɪsˈtɛʁnə]
Letters8
Frequency rank#58,477
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Zisterne” 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). Zisterne lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Zisterne is uncommon German at frequency #58,477 among 37,643 “Z” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [t͡sɪsˈtɛʁnə]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Zisterne, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Zisterne, spelled Z-I-S-T-E-R-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    meist unterirdischer und abgedeckter Auffang- und Sammelbehälter für Regenwasser und anderes Oberflächenwasser
  2. 2
    mit Flüssigkeit gefüllter Hohlraum in Organen oder Zellen

This word in other languages

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 "Zisterne"?
"Zisterne" is spelled Z-I-S-T-E-R-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is [t͡sɪsˈtɛʁnə].
What does "Zisterne" mean?
As a noun, "Zisterne" means: meist unterirdischer und abgedeckter Auffang- und Sammelbehälter für Regenwasser und anderes Oberflächenwasser
How do you pronounce "Zisterne"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Zisterne" is [t͡sɪsˈtɛʁnə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Zisterne" come from?
"Zisterne" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “Zisterne”

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

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

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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