zünden

\ˈt͡sʏndn̩\

/\ˈt͡sʏndn̩\/ verb

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - S'allumer, s'embraser.

Corpus desk

Index FR-zunden · zünden · French

zünden · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "Z" 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 zünden
PropertyValue
Headwordzünden
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ˈt͡sʏndn̩\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « zünden » en français

zündensiège 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

zünden is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \ˈt͡sʏndn̩\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for zünden, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is zünden, spelled Z-Ü-N-D-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    S'allumer, s'embraser.
  2. 2
    Allumer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Bei einem ersten Startversuch im vergangenen Jahr hatte der Antrieb der zweiten Raketenstufe nicht gezündet. Da die Mission keine Aussicht auf Erfolg hatte, war wenige Minuten nach dem Abheben die Selbstzerstörung der Trägerrakete ausgelöst worden.
  2. Wie kannst du es zulassen, dass dein sechsjähriger Sohn Knallkörper zündet, die nur an Erwachsene abgegeben werden dürfen?

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 "zünden"?
"zünden" is spelled Z-Ü-N-D-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈt͡sʏndn̩\.
What does "zünden" mean?
As a verb, "zünden" means: S'allumer, s'embraser.
How do you pronounce "zünden"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zünden" is \ˈt͡sʏndn̩\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zünden" come from?
"zünden" 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