Berlin

/bəˈlɪn/

//bəˈlɪn// name

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

"berlin" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Berlin” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,741 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#3,741
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The capital and largest city of Germany.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Berlin vs Bern
67% similar
Berlin vs brin
50% similar
Berlin vs brain
50% similar

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

Key facts for Berlin
PropertyValue
HeadwordBerlin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/bəˈlɪn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,741
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Berlin” sits in English 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). Berlin 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 English entry for Berlin is 6 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bəˈlɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,741 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 37 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Berlin, with forms such as "bberlin", "belrin", and "beriln". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "Bern", "brin", "brain", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from German Berlin. The correct English form is Berlin, spelled B-E-R-L-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The capital and largest city of Germany.
  2. 2
    The German government.
  3. 3
    A state of Germany containing the capital city.
  4. 4
    A surname from German.
  5. 5
    A female given name from German.
  6. 6
    A civil parish of the municipality of Seedorf, Segeberg district, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
  7. 7
    The former name of Kitchener, a city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
  8. 8
    A village in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia.
  9. 9
    A small town in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.
  10. 10
    A place in the United States.
  11. 11
    A place in the United States.
  12. 12
    A place in the United States.
  13. 13
    A place in the United States.
  14. 14
    A place in the United States.
  15. 15
    A place in the United States.
  16. 16
    A place in the United States.
  17. 17
    A place in the United States.
  18. 18
    A place in the United States.
  19. 19
    A place in the United States.
  20. 20
    A place in the United States.
  21. 21
    A place in the United States.
  22. 22
    A place in the United States.
  23. 23
    A place in the United States.
  24. 24
    A place in the United States.
  25. 25
    A place in the United States.
  26. 26
    A place in the United States.
  27. 27
    A place in the United States.
  28. 28
    A place in the United States.
  29. 29
    A place in the United States.
  30. 30
    A place in the United States.
  31. 31
    A place in the United States.
  32. 32
    A place in the United States.
  33. 33
    A place in the United States.
  34. 34
    A place in the United States.
  35. 35
    A place in the United States.
  36. 36
    A place in the United States.
  37. 37
    Ellipsis of Berlin Township.

Etymology

Borrowed from German Berlin.

This word in other languages

Berlín(Español)Berlin(Français)Berlin(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bberlin,belrin,beriln,berlinn,berllin,berlni,berrlin,brelin,ebrlin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Berlin - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bberlin1belrin2beriln2berlinn1berllin1berlni2berrlin1brelin2
Edit distance from "Berlin"

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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Berlin"?
"Berlin" is spelled B-E-R-L-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /bəˈlɪn/.
What does "Berlin" mean?
As a proper noun, "Berlin" means: The capital and largest city of Germany.
What words are commonly confused with "Berlin"?
"Berlin" is commonly confused with "Bern", "brin", "brain". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Berlin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Berlin" is /bəˈlɪn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "Berlin"?
Borrowed from German Berlin. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 “Berlin”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-E-R-L-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bəˈlɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Bern” - see the side-by-side comparison. Berlin vs Bern
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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