German Conversation · Level 85
59 words
German word
buchstabieren
Pronunciation
IPA/ˌbuːxʃtaˈbiːʁən/
Meaning
- verbspell
Example
Er buchstabiert seinen Nachnamen.
He spells his surname.
More examples
Im Amt musste er seinen Vornamen buchstabieren, damit die Mitarbeiterin das Formular korrekt ausfüllte.
At the office, he had to spell his first name so that the employee could fill out the form correctly.
Core concept
A person says a word's letters one by one so another person can write its correct spelling.
Common phrases
die Adresse buchstabieren
spell the address
den Vornamen buchstabieren
spell the first name
Similar words
diktieren: Speak words or text aloud for someone else to write down.
schreiben: Put letters or words onto paper or a screen by hand or with a keyboard.
aussprechen: Produce a word or letter aloud with the proper pronunciation.
nennen: Identify someone or something by stating a name or fact.
Definition in German
Die einzelnen Buchstaben eines Wortes nacheinander nennen, um die korrekte Schreibweise zu zeigen.
Word origin
Buchstabieren is formed from Buchstabe, meaning 'letter', with the verb-forming suffix -ieren.
Usage tips
- Buchstabieren usually takes the word or name as an accusative object, as in 'seinen Nachnamen buchstabieren'.
Related words
- das Buchstabieralphabetspelling alphabetnoun
- die Buchstabierregelspelling rulenoun