verb
to spell
A1
'buchstabieren' means 'to spell' (to name letters of a word) and rarely 'to spell out'. It is a regular, weak verb, non‑reflexive and non‑separable. Uses auxiliary 'haben' in perfect tenses (Perfekt: 'hat buchstabiert'). No special preposition; imperative forms: 'buchstabiere', 'buchstabiert'.
Examples
Ich buchstabiere meinen Namen.
I spell my name.
Er buchstabierte das Wort.
He spelled the word.
Ich habe meinen Namen buchstabiert.
I spelled my name.
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine pointing at letters in a book and slowly saying each letter out loud as someone spells a word.
Sounds a bit like 'book-stabber-in' — think 'book' (buch) + 'stabbing' the letters one by one.
Notes
Commonly used when asking someone to spell a name or word (e.g., on the phone). The perfect tense uses 'haben' (hat buchstabiert).