German

/ˈd͡ʒɜː.mən/

//ˈd͡ʒɜː.mən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“German” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,187. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,187
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A native or inhabitant of Germany; a person of German citizenship or nationality.

Corpus desk

Index EN-german · German · English

German · rank #1,187 · 9 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,187
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH generally

Nearest frequency peer: generally (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “German”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “German” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

German vs gran
50% similar
German vs groan
50% similar
German vs gunman
50% similar

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

Key facts for German
PropertyValue
HeadwordGerman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒɜː.mən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,187
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “German”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Germanlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “generally” (#1,186), “global” (#1,188), “fit” (#1,185). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “German” is #1,187. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around German (IPA /ˈd͡ʒɜː.mən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,187 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for German, with forms such as "egrman", "gemran", and "geramn". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "gran", "groan", "gunman", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin Germānus, Germānī (“the peoples of Germānia”), as distinct from Gauls (in the writings of Caesar and Tacitus), and of uncertain ultimate origin (possibly Celtic/Gaulish). Not related to german (“closely related”) or germane (from the Latin adject… The correct English form is German, spelled G-E-R-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A native or inhabitant of Germany; a person of German citizenship or nationality.
  2. 2
    A member of the Germanic ethnic group which is the most populous ethnic group in Germany; a person of German descent.
  3. 3
    A member of a Germanic tribe.
  4. 4
    A German wine.
  5. 5
    A size of type between American and Saxon, 1+¹⁄₂-point type.
  6. 6
    A Germany-produced car, a “German whip”.
  7. 7
    A prison warder.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how German appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The holiday evolved over centuries as it was observed by different groups, from the Celts to Germans to the Pennsylvania Dutch and eventually, by those in other parts of the US.
  2. Rome was sacked by Germans and the Western Roman Empire collapsed.

Etymology

From Latin Germānus, Germānī (“the peoples of Germānia”), as distinct from Gauls (in the writings of Caesar and Tacitus), and of uncertain ultimate origin (possibly Celtic/Gaulish). Not related to german (“closely related”) or germane (from the Latin adjective germānus, through Old French). Attested since at least 1520. Replaced the older terms Almain and Dutch (from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz) in English. Besides cognates of German, Almain, and Dutch, two other categories of words for the Germans in other languages are cognates of Saxon and descendants of Proto-Slavic *němьcь; see those entries for more. The surname is generally from the noun, though sometimes confused with Herman, Hermann under Russian influence. As a German surname, Americanized from Germann. Compare Germán, Germain, Jerman.

Synonyms

BocheFritzKrautJerryHunTeuton

This word in other languages

alemán(Español)Allemand(Français)Deutscher(Deutsch)alemão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • egrman
  • gemran
  • geramn
  • germann
  • germman
  • germna
  • gerrman
  • ggerman
  • greman

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of German - 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.

egrman2gemran2geramn2germann1germman1germna2gerrman1ggerman1
Edit distance from "German"

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 "German"?
"German" is spelled G-E-R-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɜː.mən/.
What does "German" mean?
As a noun, "German" means: A native or inhabitant of Germany; a person of German citizenship or nationality.
What words are commonly confused with "German"?
"German" is commonly confused with "gran", "groan", "gunman". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "German"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "German" is /ˈd͡ʒɜː.mən/. 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 "German"?
From Latin Germānus, Germānī (“the peoples of Germānia”), as distinct from Gauls (in the writings of Caesar and Tacitus), and of uncertain ultimate origin (possibly Celtic/Gaulish). Not related to german (“closely related”) or germane (from the La... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "German", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

global#1,188centre#1,180author#1,179leader#1,195

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

nobody9 variantssearch9 variantshappens9 variantsFriday9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list