begreifen

\bəˈɡʀaɪ̯fn̩\

/\bəˈɡʀaɪ̯fn̩\/ verb

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Concevoir, comprendre.

Corpus desk

Index FR-begreifen · begreifen · French

begreifen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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 begreifen
PropertyValue
Headwordbegreifen
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\bəˈɡʀaɪ̯fn̩\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « begreifen » en français

begreifensiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

begreifen is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \bəˈɡʀaɪ̯fn̩\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for begreifen, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is begreifen, spelled B-E-G-R-E-I-F-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Concevoir, comprendre.
  2. 2
    Suivre (un raisonnement).
  3. 3
    Dans l'expression « in sich begreifen » : contenir, comprendre, inclure.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. (Er bricht ins Eis ein.) Auf einmal war es still. Er sah nichts mehr, und die Kälte nahm ihm fast die Sinne. Erst da begriff er, daß er unter Wasser war. Er strampelte. Sein Kopf prallte gegen etwas Hartes, das Eis. Seine Fellmütze löste sich und schwebte davon, seine Haare richteten sich auf, seine Füße schlugen auf den Boden.
  2. Der Mann, der damals gerade die Leitung des KGB übernimmt, Juri Andropow, begreift, dass diese Bombe für das Regime gefährlicher ist als das gesamte Arsenal an amerikanischen Atomwaffen, und er ergreift die Initiative und versammelt das Politbüro zu einer Dringlichkeitssitzung.

Antonyms

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 "begreifen"?
"begreifen" is spelled B-E-G-R-E-I-F-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \bəˈɡʀaɪ̯fn̩\.
What does "begreifen" mean?
As a verb, "begreifen" means: Concevoir, comprendre.
How do you pronounce "begreifen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "begreifen" is \bəˈɡʀaɪ̯fn̩\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "begreifen" come from?
"begreifen" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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