weltanschauung

/ˈvɛlt.ɑːnˌʃaʊ.ʊŋ/

//ˈvɛlt.ɑːnˌʃaʊ.ʊŋ// noun

"weltanschauung" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person's or a group's conception, philosophy or view of the world; a worldview.

Key facts for weltanschauung
PropertyValue
Headwordweltanschauung
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvɛlt.ɑːnˌʃaʊ.ʊŋ/
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “weltanschauung” sits in English frequency

weltanschauung falls 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

weltanschauung is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈvɛlt.ɑːnˌʃaʊ.ʊŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A person's or a group's conception, philosophy or view of the world; a worldview.".

Zero misspellings are on record for weltanschauung in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from German Weltanschauung. The correct English form is weltanschauung, spelled W-E-L-T-A-N-S-C-H-A-U-U-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person's or a group's conception, philosophy or view of the world; a worldview.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from German Weltanschauung.

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 "weltanschauung"?
"weltanschauung" is spelled W-E-L-T-A-N-S-C-H-A-U-U-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɛlt.ɑːnˌʃaʊ.ʊŋ/.
What does "weltanschauung" mean?
As a noun, "weltanschauung" means: A person's or a group's conception, philosophy or view of the world; a worldview.
How do you pronounce "weltanschauung"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "weltanschauung" is /ˈvɛlt.ɑːnˌʃaʊ.ʊŋ/. 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 "weltanschauung"?
Unadapted borrowing from German Weltanschauung. 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 “weltanschauung”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-E-L-T-A-N-S-C-H-A-U-U-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈvɛlt.ɑːnˌʃaʊ.ʊŋ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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