stachelig

prickly

adjective SHTAKH-e-likh Rare

Origin: from Stachel (thorn, spine)

Also means

spiky

Usage Note

stachelig means covered with thorns or spines, from Stachel. Used for cacti, hedgehogs and stubble: ein stacheliges Kinn. Also spelt stachlig. Figuratively a touchy person.

Examples

"Die Distel war über und über stachelig."

Natural Translation

The thistle was prickly all over.

Literal Translation

The thistle was over and over prickly.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Body Parts: Vocabulary + How to Say It Hurts

Learn German body parts with der/die/das and plurals, plus the two ways to say something hurts: Mir tut der Kopf weh and Ich habe Kopfschmerzen.

June 9, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

Weil vs Denn vs Da: "Because" in German

Weil and da send the verb to the end; denn keeps it in second position. Here's how to pick the right German "because" and place the verb correctly.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

How to Tell Time in German Without Mistakes

Halb sieben means 6:30, not 7:30. Master telling time in German — Viertel nach, halb, vor, the 24-hour clock, and the prepositions that trip up beginners.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

Wo, Wohin, Woher: Three Ways to Say Where

German splits where into three: wo (location), wohin (destination), and woher (origin). Learn the wo vs wohin rule, the hin/her logic, and common mistakes.

June 5, 2026 6 min read