Skip to main content
PlainSpell

german

Ger·man/ˈd͡ʒɝ.mən/adjective, noun

german is spelled G-E-R-M-A-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables (Ger·man). It appears 89 times per million words in written English, the 1,191st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, german means “Having the same mother and father; a full (brother or sister)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in german?

Letters6: G-E-R-M-A-N
Syllables2: Ger·man
In writing89 times per million words; the 1,191st most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is german?

German appears 89 times per million words in written English, the 1,191st most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce german?

  • UK /ˈd͡ʒɜː.mən/
  • US /ˈd͡ʒɝ.mən/

German has 2 syllables, split Ger·man in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-German.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-german.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with german?

3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as german from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹmən/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: manger, engram.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of german

  • more german comparative
  • most german superlative
  • germane
  • germans plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does german mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Having the same mother and father; a full (brother or sister).

    brother-german

  2. 2

    Being born to one’s blood aunt or uncle; a first (cousin).

    cousin-german

  3. 3

    obsoleteClosely related, akin.

noun

  1. 1

    An elaborate round dance, often with a waltz movement.

  2. 2

    A social party at which the german is danced.

  3. 3

    obsoleteA near relative.

noun

as German
  1. 1

    A native or inhabitant of Germany; a person of German citizenship or nationality.

  2. 2

    A member of a Germanic tribe.

    Rome was sacked by Germans and the Western Roman Empire collapsed.

  3. 3

    A German wine.

  4. 4

    USdatedrareA size of type between American and Saxon, 1+¹⁄₂-point type.

  5. 5

    slangA Germany-produced car, a “German whip”.

  6. 6

    UKslangA prison warder.

  7. 7

    Ellipsis of German cockroach.

adjective

as German
  1. 1

    Of or relating to the nation of Germany.

  2. 2

    Of or relating to the natives or inhabitants of Germany; to people of German descent; to their cultures.

    Her German husband has blond hair.

  3. 3

    Of, in or relating to the German language.

    Because the instructions were German, Yves couldn't read them.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

German in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
FrenchAllemand, Allemande (native or inhabitant of Germany; person of…), Germain, Germaine (member of a Germanic tribe), allemand (of or relating to the country of Germany), germain ((brother or sister) sharing parents)
GermanDeutscher, Deutsche (native or inhabitant of Germany; person of…), Germane, Germanin (member of a Germanic tribe), deutsch, tüütsch (of or relating to the country of Germany)
Portuguesealemão, alemã (native or inhabitant of Germany; person of…), germano, germana (member of a Germanic tribe), germânico, germânica (member of the Germanic ethnic group which is…)
Spanishalemán, alemana (native or inhabitant of Germany; person of…), germano, germana (member of a Germanic tribe), hermano carnal ((brother or sister) sharing parents), primo carnal ((cousin) born to one’s blood aunt or uncle)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does german come from?

From Old French germain, from Latin germānus, from germen (“seed, sprout, bud”). See also germane, a formal variant which has survived in specific senses. Not related to the proper noun German.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after german