krabbeln

\ˈkrabɘln\

/\ˈkrabɘln\/ verb

The verdict

“krabbeln” 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) - Marcher à quatre pattes.

Corpus desk

Index FR-krabbeln · krabbeln · French

krabbeln · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "K" 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 krabbeln
PropertyValue
Headwordkrabbeln
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ˈkrabɘln\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « krabbeln » en français

krabbelnreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

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

Rare enough to double-check

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

krabbeln doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is krabbeln, spelled K-R-A-B-B-E-L-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Marcher à quatre pattes.
  2. 2
    Marcher (se parle d'animaux avec beaucoup de pattes).
  3. 3
    Titiller, chatouiller.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Kleine Kinder lernen erst zu krabbeln, bevor sie gehen können.
  2. Es kann sein, dass Eltern total gut damit zurechtkommen, wenn ihr Kleinkind jede Nacht zu ihnen ins Bett krabbelt, andere macht das fertig.

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 "krabbeln"?
"krabbeln" is spelled K-R-A-B-B-E-L-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈkrabɘln\.
What does "krabbeln" mean?
As a verb, "krabbeln" means: Marcher à quatre pattes.
How do you pronounce "krabbeln"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "krabbeln" is \ˈkrabɘln\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "krabbeln" come from?
"krabbeln" 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