German

Grund: the 65th-Most Reused Word in German

Grund: Das 65.-häufigste Wort im Deutschen

October 21, 2026

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Grund ("reason", A2) is the 65th-most reused word-building block in this dictionary's compounds, appearing in 12 different words.

100% nouns

Of the 12 compounds built on Grund, 100% are nouns.

CEFR levels

  • A2 (1 entries): Grundschule (primary school).
  • B1 (1 entries): Hintergrund (background).
  • B2 (5 entries): Grundgesetz (Basic Law (German constitution)), Grundlage (basis, foundation), Grundrecht (fundamental right), Grundstein (foundation stone, cornerstone), Grundstück (plot of land).
  • C1 (5 entries): Grundausbildung (basic training), Grundbesitz (landed property), Grundsatz (principle), Grundsicherung (basic social security), Grundsteuer (property tax).

Grouping by meaning, not just difficulty

Looking at the same 12 compounds by what KIND of thing each one names, rather than how hard it is, splits them into 2 groups:

  1. Literal ground or land5
  2. Figurative -- a foundational concept or right7
  • Literal ground or land (5): Grundbesitz, Grundstein, Grundsteuer, Grundstück, Hintergrund.
  • Figurative -- a foundational concept or right (7): Grundausbildung, Grundgesetz, Grundlage, Grundrecht, Grundsatz, Grundschule, Grundsicherung.

Exactly half of this family is literal ground and half is figurative foundation -- a clean illustration of how "ground" and "grounds for something" are the same metaphor in both German and English.

Test yourself: grouping by meaning

Which group does each word belong to?

1 Where does Grundbesitz belong?

2 Where does Grundstein belong?

3 Where does Grundsteuer belong?

4 Where does Grundstück belong?

5 Where does Hintergrund belong?

6 Where does Grundausbildung belong?

7 Where does Grundgesetz belong?

8 Where does Grundlage belong?

9 Where does Grundrecht belong?

10 Where does Grundsatz belong?

11 Where does Grundschule belong?

12 Where does Grundsicherung belong?

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