Zunge

[ˈt͡sʊŋə]

/[ˈt͡sʊŋə]/ noun

The verdict

“Zunge” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #4,402 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,402
frequency rank, German
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - das bewegliche Organ im Mund, mit dem man schmeckt, schleckt, leckt, die Nahrung hin und her schiebt und spricht

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Zunge vs Zusage
67% similar
Zunge vs zutage
50% similar
Zunge vs Zungen
83% similar

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

Key facts for Zunge
PropertyValue
HeadwordZunge
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈt͡sʊŋə]
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,402
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Zunge” 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). Zunge 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 Zunge is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈt͡sʊŋə]. Corpus data places it at rank #4,402 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Zunge, with forms such as "uznge", "znuge", and "zugne". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Zusage", "zutage", "Zungen", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is Zunge, spelled Z-U-N-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    das bewegliche Organ im Mund, mit dem man schmeckt, schleckt, leckt, die Nahrung hin und her schiebt und spricht
  2. 2
    bewegliche Lasche in der Mitte des Schuhs
  3. 3
    Teil in einem Musikinstrument, das im Luftstrom schwingt
  4. 4
    Sprache
  5. 5
    der Teil der Balkenwaage, der das Gleichgewicht zeigt, Zünglein

Synonyms

LascheSpracheWagezunge

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: uznge,znuge,zugne,zuneg,zungge,zunnge,zzunge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

uznge2znuge2zugne2zuneg2zungge1zunnge1zzunge1
Edit distance from "Zunge"

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 "Zunge"?
"Zunge" is spelled Z-U-N-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈt͡sʊŋə].
What does "Zunge" mean?
As a noun, "Zunge" means: das bewegliche Organ im Mund, mit dem man schmeckt, schleckt, leckt, die Nahrung hin und her schiebt und spricht
What words are commonly confused with "Zunge"?
"Zunge" is commonly confused with "Zusage", "zutage", "Zungen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Zunge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Zunge" is [ˈt͡sʊŋə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Zunge" come from?
"Zunge" 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 “Zunge”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is Z-U-N-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈt͡sʊŋə] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Zusage” - see the side-by-side comparison. Zunge vs Zusage
  • 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