fraktur

/ˈfɹæktuːɹ/

//ˈfɹæktuːɹ// noun

"fraktur" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fraktur” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A style of black letter type, used especially in German-speaking countries from the 16th century until World War II.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fraktur · fraktur · English

fraktur · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "F" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Key facts for fraktur
PropertyValue
Headwordfraktur
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɹæktuːɹ/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fraktur” in English

frakturfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English 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.

Rare enough to double-check

fraktur is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfɹæktuːɹ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for fraktur, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1886 fractur, 1904 fraktur, from German Fraktur, from Latin frāctūra (“breaking”, noun), from frangere (“to break”), past participle fractus. Compare English fracture, fraction. Doublet of fracture. The correct English form is fraktur, spelled F-R-A-K-T-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A style of black letter type, used especially in German-speaking countries from the 16th century until World War II.
  2. 2
    A Pennsylvania German document style, incorporating watercolor illustration and fraktur lettering.

Etymology

1886 fractur, 1904 fraktur, from German Fraktur, from Latin frāctūra (“breaking”, noun), from frangere (“to break”), past participle fractus. Compare English fracture, fraction. Doublet of fracture.

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 "fraktur"?
"fraktur" is spelled F-R-A-K-T-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɹæktuːɹ/.
What does "fraktur" mean?
As a noun, "fraktur" means: A style of black letter type, used especially in German-speaking countries from the 16th century until World War II.
How do you pronounce "fraktur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fraktur" is /ˈfɹæktuːɹ/. 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 "fraktur"?
1886 fractur, 1904 fraktur, from German Fraktur, from Latin frāctūra (“breaking”, noun), from frangere (“to break”), past participle fractus. Compare English fracture, fraction. Doublet of fracture. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list