erklären

\ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːʁən\

/\ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːʁən\/ verb

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Expliquer, rendre clair, faire comprendre, rendre intelligible par l’enseignement ou la démonstration.

Corpus desk

Index FR-erklaren · erklären · French

erklären · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" 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 erklären
PropertyValue
Headworderklären
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːʁən\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « erklären » en français

erklärenn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

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

Rare enough to double-check

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

Zero misspellings are on record for erklären in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is erklären, spelled E-R-K-L-Ä-R-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Expliquer, rendre clair, faire comprendre, rendre intelligible par l’enseignement ou la démonstration.
  2. 2
    Expliquer, faire connaître la cause, le motif d’une chose.
  3. 3
    Déclarer, proclamer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Der Lehrer hat den Schülern erklärt, wie man den Satz des Pythagoras anwendet.
  2. Mädchen aus konservativen Familien werden häufiger ungewollt schwanger, weil niemand ihnen erklärt, wie man verhütet.

Synonyms

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 "erklären"?
"erklären" is spelled E-R-K-L-Ä-R-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːʁən\.
What does "erklären" mean?
As a verb, "erklären" means: Expliquer, rendre clair, faire comprendre, rendre intelligible par l’enseignement ou la démonstration.
How do you pronounce "erklären"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "erklären" is \ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːʁən\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "erklären" come from?
"erklären" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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