noun
average, mean
B1
'Durchschnitt' (der Durchschnitt) means average or mean, used for statistical or general averages and figurative 'on average'. Masculine noun; singular genitive 'des Durchschnitts', plural 'Durchschnitte'. Standard declension applies; dative singular 'dem Durchschnitt' and dative plural 'den Durchschnitten'. Common in everyday and technical contexts.
Examples
Der Durchschnitt der Testergebnisse war besser als erwartet.
The average of the test results was better than expected.
Im Durchschnitt schläft sie acht Stunden pro Nacht.
On average she sleeps eight hours a night.
Der Lehrer sagte, dass die Schüler im Durchschnitt bessere Noten erzielt hätten, wenn sie mehr gelernt hätten.
The teacher said that the students would have achieved better grades on average if they had studied more.
Details
Mnemonics
a bell curve with a line marking the central value labeled 'Durchschnitt'
think 'through-schnit' (through + German 'schnitt') — the middle cut through the data
der (masculine) — imagine a male teacher announcing 'the average' to a class (der Durchschnitt)
Notes
Commonly used in statistics and everyday contexts as 'im Durchschnitt' ('on average'). Genitive commonly 'des Durchschnitts' or occasionally 'des Durchschnittes'.