sonst

\zɔnst\

/\zɔnst\/ adv

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Autrement, normalement, d’habitude, à part ça. → voir normalerweise et gewöhnlich

Corpus desk

Index FR-sonst · sonst · French

sonst · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" 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 sonst
PropertyValue
Headwordsonst
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\zɔnst\
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « sonst » en français

sonstreste 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

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

sonst doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is sonst, spelled S-O-N-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Autrement, normalement, d’habitude, à part ça. → voir normalerweise et gewöhnlich
  2. 2
    Mis à part, en dehors de.
  3. 3
    Sinon, autrement, (si une condition n’est pas remplie).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Das hier ist eine Ausnahme, sonst schlafe ich nicht bis 11 Uhr morgens.
  2. Was ist denn mit dir los, du bist doch sonst immer so lustig!

Synonyms

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 "sonst"?
"sonst" is spelled S-O-N-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is \zɔnst\.
What does "sonst" mean?
As an adverb, "sonst" means: Autrement, normalement, d’habitude, à part ça. → voir normalerweise et gewöhnlich
How do you pronounce "sonst"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sonst" is \zɔnst\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sonst" come from?
"sonst" 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