zugrunde liegen

[t͡suˈɡʁʊndə ˈliːɡn̩]

/[t͡suˈɡʁʊndə ˈliːɡn̩]/ phrase

The verdict

“zugrunde liegen” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - die Grundlage für etwas sein

Key facts for zugrunde liegen
PropertyValue
Headwordzugrunde liegen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[t͡suˈɡʁʊndə ˈliːɡn̩]
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “zugrunde liegen” sits in German frequency

zugrunde liegen falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for zugrunde liegen is 15 letters long, classified as a phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [t͡suˈɡʁʊndə ˈliːɡn̩]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "die Grundlage für etwas sein".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for zugrunde liegen, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is zugrunde liegen, spelled Z-U-G-R-U-N-D-E- -L-I-E-G-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    die Grundlage für etwas sein

Synonyms

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "zugrunde liegen"?
"zugrunde liegen" is spelled Z-U-G-R-U-N-D-E- -L-I-E-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [t͡suˈɡʁʊndə ˈliːɡn̩].
What does "zugrunde liegen" mean?
As a phrase, "zugrunde liegen" means: die Grundlage für etwas sein
How do you pronounce "zugrunde liegen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zugrunde liegen" is [t͡suˈɡʁʊndə ˈliːɡn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zugrunde liegen" come from?
"zugrunde liegen" 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.

Using “zugrunde liegen”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is Z-U-G-R-U-N-D-E- -L-I-E-G-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [t͡suˈɡʁʊndə ˈliːɡn̩] (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