What is the longest word in german

10 Longest German Words: How many letters are in the longest German word? How to read and translate “mile” long words and not be mistaken? What words exist in reality, and what have the Germans jokingly invented?

One word instead of ten

German words are actually very long. If you look into the dictionary, you will see that one German word can be translated by more than 5-6 words of the English language. This feature of German word formation is very easy to find in everyday speech. Wherever we say “driver’s license” , the Germans will get by with one word – Führerschein. Some more examples: Tischlampe – table lamp; Briefkastenschlüssel – mailbox key; Sommerschlussverkauf – summer sale.

FYI: The gender of compound nouns is determined by the last “piece/word”.

There are also very nice long words that I would even like to borrow from the Germans, for example, das In-den-Tag-hinein-Leben , which can be roughly translated as “to live in the moment“. However, in this word there may be another context – that a person lives idly, without a purpose, so, from one day to another.

Also a very convenient word: Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung – sick leave .

Frauenfussballeuropameisterschaftsschiedsrichterin
European women’s football championship referee

And there are also simply frightening words – these are mainly the names of German laws. However, in recent years, laws have begun to be named in a completely different way, so that their names are becoming more “human” . For example das KiTa-Gesetz – the law on kindergartens . KiTa is short for Kindertagesstätte – kindergarten. This is not surprising, because German word formation does not stand still just like everything around!

A few more examples of the “condensed words” so beloved by the Germans:

Braunkohlekraftwerkstandorts sicherheitsbestimmungen
Safety regulations for a coal-fired power plant branch

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Toilettenbürsten benutzungsanweisung
Toilet brush instructions

Well, one more word as an appetizer (btw click here for Restaurant vocabulary), which, by the way, is considered one of the longest in the German:
Donaudampschiffahrtkapitänswitwenundwaisenversicherungsgesellschaft
Danube Shipping Company Captains Widows and Orphans Insurance Company

Now, after we got acquainted with the different compound words, I offer you the top 10 longest German words.

1. Grundstücksverkehrsgenehmigungszuständigkeitsübertragungsverordnung (67 characters)
Regulation on the delegation of authority concerning land conveyance permissions

2. Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz (64 characters)
Beef labeling regulation & delegation of supervision law

3. Verkehrsinfrastrukturfinanzierungsgesellschaft (46 characters)
Transport infrastructure finance company

4. Gleichgewichtsdichtegradientenzentrifugation (44 characters)
Equilibrium density gradient centrifugation

5. Elektrizitätswirtschaftsorganizationsgesetz (43 characters)
Electricity Industry Organization Act

6. Verkehrswegeplanungsbeschleunigungsgesetz (42 characters)
Traffic Route Planning Acceleration Act

7. Hochleistungsflüssigkeitschromatographie (41 characters)
High performance liquid chromatography

8. Restriktionsfragmentlängenpolymorphismus (40 characters)
Restriction fragment length polymorphism

9. Telekommunikationsüberwachungsverordnung (40 characters)
Corporate Tax Development Act

The German language is currently the 15th most spoken language in the world. The number of first language speakers according to the 21st edition of Ethnologue is 76 million. Speakers of German are found in 28 countries, located in 6 continents. German has official language status in Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Austria. You’ll also find German speakers in Kazakhstan, Russia, Brazil, Namibia, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, South Africa and Australia.

Being part of the Indo European language family, the English language and the German language share around 60% of their lexicon. Like most languages, the German language has its own set of quirks and unique features, which at times add to the confusion of German language learners.

1. Quirky German language

• German is a language that is known for being logical. However, the language also has many characteristics that make it confusing as well as inspiring. Here are some of these interesting characteristics.
• Among the languages in Europe, German is the most spoken. It still ranks first among the most common European languages, besting English, Spanish, French and Italian. German is spoken as a first language by 16% of the population in Europe.
• In the past, German and English have three genders, but with the changes in English grammar, it uses masculine and feminine and use a gender-neutral nouns and pronouns for persons of undetermined gender. German on the other hand retained the old rule, so it has masculine, feminine and neuter genders.
• Telling time in German is a bit tricky for language learners. When a German tells you that it’s halb drei or half-three, this does not mean that it is half past the hour of two. Rather, this means that it is 30 minutes to three.
• Germans are also known for their propensity in creating compound words – words that contain several consonants. Here are a few examples:
  1. der Kühlschrank. The literal meaning of this is cool cupboard, but technically, this refers to a refrigerator.
  2. das Weichei. This is not a very complimentary word. Literally, it’s translated as soft egg, but wimp is its real meaning.
  3. der Tagedieb. You might have guessed correctly. This translates to day thief, but it does not really mean that someone is stealing the day. What it actually means is someone who dawdles, someone who is a layabout or somebody who wastes the day doing nothing.
  4. der Handschuh.This is somewhat understandable, isn’t it. If you guessed that it meant the hand shoe, you got it right! But your hands do not wear shoes. Instead you wear gloves, which is the correct translation of the term.
  5. das Fingerspitzengefühl. This is definitely not the last in the list of German compound word, but this one is quite meaningful. Its literal meaning isthe fingertip feeling. The accurate translation of this phrase is intuitive instinct or flair. It also means tactfulness.
• Depending on which study results you are looking at, German can be the third or the seventh most studied language in the world. It is safe to say that it belongs to the world’s top 10 most taught languages.
• The Koreans may have invented the movable printing type but Germany introduced mechanical printing to the world. It printed the first book in movable metal type – the Gutenberg Bible. Contrary to what some people believe, the Gutenberg Bible is not German but rather written in Latin.
• The German alphabet has 26 letters just like the English language, but it has three umlauted (letters with two dots on top) letters, ä, ö, ü as well as a ligature, ß that is called ein scharfes (sharp S or double S). It is a peculiar letter. If you use double S for ‘Masse‘ when you do not have a German keyboard, it translates to mass. But if you write Maße, it refers to dimensions.

Despite the confusion that is natural to the German language, do not let this deter you from learning German.

Because Germans love using compound words, it is easy for them to construct very long words by combining these compound texts, resulting in words that could be about 30 to over 60 letters in length. At the same time, expect to see lengthy meanings for these words.

2. Longest words in German

Creating compound words is not exclusive to the German language. There are several more languages where you’ll encounter compound words, although German is legendary for having very long words. Even Mark Twain said that due to their length, some of the German words have their own perspective.

1- Siebenhundertsiebenundsiebzigtausendsiebenhundertsiebenundsiebzig

This word contains 65 letters and looks like you’ll run out of breath before you finish saying it. If you look carefully, you might have a clue as to what it actually is. That’s right; it’s about numbers and number 7 to be precise. Because all numbers can be expressed in long words in German, this one is the compound word for seven hundred seventy-seven thousand, seven hundred seventy-seven or 777,777.

2- Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

This 63-letter term refers to the law for the delegation of monitoring beef labeling. It is officially the longest word that appears in government documents. The law which was passed in 1999 was meant to protect beef consumers from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease. However, the law has been dropped as the EU declared that testing is not needed anymore. Hence the word will now be a part of history.

3- Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften

There are only 39 letters in Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften, which translates to insurance companies providing legal protection. It’s included here because it holds a Guinness Book of World Records recognition as German’s longest word that is commonly used.

4- Kaftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung

At 36 letters, it is one of the shortest compound words in German. Kaftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung equates to motor vehicle liability insurance. It is the longest word that is included in the Duden German dictionary.

5- Sozialversicherungsfachangestelltenauszubildender

This 49-letter word is a modern term. It refers to a trainee assistant social insurance broker.
Some of these are not even the longest words Germans ever came up with, but they are quite distinct. Several more are truly unique and tongue twisting.

For example, Betäubungsmittelverschreibungsverordnung (regulation for requiring a prescription for an anesthetic), Massenkommunikationsdienstleistungsunternehmen (companies providing mass communications services) and Nahrungsmittelunverträglichkeit (food intolerance).

3. Keep Learning German!

Don’t stop learning a new language. German is similar to English so in time you’ll be able to pick up the pace as you learn to recognize the German words and their English equivalent. Find the most suitable online lessons on the German language to support your formal language learning. If you need language translation services, find the best translation company that will meet your requirements.

Author’s bio:
Sean Patrick Hopwood is a polyglot whose interests include technology, the Internet, education, and positive thinking. He is the President and CEO of Day Translations, Inc., a company serving international clients with a wide range of language services including translating, interpreting and website and app localization.

Before you start asking yourself
is German easy to learn, first of all, we want to congratulate you.

German is such an amazing and unique language, perhaps not among the easiest languages to learn, but well, which one is easy, right?

One thing, however, that any German learner fears and something the language is famous for are (too) long German words.

When it comes to the longest words, German is probably the winner.

And when we add the specific pronunciation, the situation becomes almost impossible for German students.

Or perhaps not?

Because we understand your fears and struggles, in the following lines, we’ve collected the 30 long German words so that you can learn their meanings, when to use them, and, more importantly, how to pronounce them.

Actually, it’s better to ask for help in pronunciation from
German tutors. They are all native speakers, and we’re sure that they will be more helpful. Besides, you two can practice pronouncing them correctly until you master them.

But now, let’s dive into the world of long German words.

Why Are German Phrases So Long?

Thanks to the
determinative compounds, in German, ling words are made of smaller ones.

At first sight, they seem really hard but when you get into the whole grammar thing, you can see that besides the logic that follows these words, they aren’t that complex.

For example, in English, you also have some determinative compounds, such as ‘hairdresser – a dresser of hair’ or ‘notebook – a book for notes.’

Like in English, in German too, the first word gives you more information on the second. More precisely, the first word determines the second. This is exactly how long German words are built.

In German, words like these consist mainly of two to three words.

However, in law and administration, people like to make even more compound words so it seems like they want to compete to see who will make the longest word.

19 Long German Words to Help You Master Your German Pronunciation

• Arbeiterunfallversicherungsgesetz

This 31-letter word is actually one of
the German tongue twisters, ideal for practicing pronunciation. In English, it can be translated as the ‘Worker Accident Insurance Act.’

• Backpfeifengesicht

Even though to you it is a pretty long word, in German, with ‘only’ 18 letters, it is actually one of the shorter ones. This word can be translated as ‘a face in need of a fist.’

• Betäubungsmittelverschreibungsverordnung

Now, this is something really Germanic. Will you count the letters or should we tell you? Perhaps to save your time so that you can focus on other things, the word has 40 letters and can be translated as ‘Narcotics Prescription Ordinance.’

• Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän

With 41 letters, this word’s meaning is ‘Danube steamship company captain.’ Can you pronounce it quickly? 

• Freundschaftsbeziehungen

A 24-letter word now seems like a piece of cake, doesn’t it?

Besides, it isn’t so challenging to pronounce it? Or perhaps it is?

It means ‘the bond of friendship’ which you can practice pronouncing with your
German tutor.

• Grundstücksverkehrsgenehmigungszuständigkeitsübertragungsverordnung

No, this isn’t a sentence, it is a single word! It means Real Estate Movement Permit Transfer of Responsibility Ordinance, and with 63 letters, it is one of the longest German words ever.

• Innerer Schweinehund

The literal translation of this word can be ‘inner pig dog’ but you can use it in contexts when you want to say ‘inner beast.’ In some situations, depending on the context, of course, it can also be translated as ‘the devil inside you.’

• Käsesalamipizzaabhängigkeit

Do you like pizza? Of course, you do! Who doesn’t?

That yummy slice of cheese, pepperoni, ketchup, and co. altogether can make you addicted to it. Or at least in German, it is possible, especially with the ‘cheese and pepperoni pizza addiction word.’

• Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung

In case you are in Germany and you need insurance, ‘motor vehicle liability insurance is exactly what you need to know. Correct pronunciation of this 36-letter word is also necessary.

• Lebensabschnittpartner

Who says that German isn’t the language of love? Even though it may seem a little harsh, there are many romantic
German idioms about love.

Here’s one, for example, with 22 letters in the meaning ‘the person you are with today.’

• Lebensversicherungsgesellschaft

One more insurance!

You might think, why on Earth insurance have so long words?

We don’t know exactly but we do know that in case you need life insurance, you have to memorize this 31-letter word. It can be translated as ‘life insurance company.’

• Massenkommunikationsdienstleistungsunternehmen

You’ve surely used long German words but somehow you always get more and more surprised with how long they can actually be. The translation of the ‘mass communication service company’ consists of 46 letters, which can give you a pretty bad headache while you are trying to pronounce it, but it can be fun when you learn it to tease other people a bit.

• Mullautohintendraufsteher

It is likely that in everyday conversation you won’t often use ‘garbage collector at the back of the truck’ but the word can be great practice to improve your pronunciation.

• Nahrungsmittelunverträglichkeit

The German word ‘Nahrungsmittelunverträglichkeit’ can be translated as ‘food intolerance.’ In everyday conversations, this topic became popular, so not only will you improve your German pronunciation but you will also use the word often.

• Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften

Once again, it is about insurance and once again, the word is among the longest ones. With 39 letters, ‘insurance companies providing legal protection’ isn’t something you will use every day, but you will use it now until you master your pronunciation.

• Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

No, this is not a joke. It is a real word with 63 letters.

In case you need the phrase ‘Beef Labeling Supervision Task Transfer Act,’ you’d better start practicing to pronounce this word.

• Steuervergünstigungsabbaugesetz

We all know that law-related words and phrases can be complex in any language. So, in German, this comes like an everyday word. With 31 letters, this word has the meaning of ‘Tax Preference Relief Act.’

• Telekommunikationsdienstleistungsunternehmen 

Companies really have long names, but when it comes to a classic ‘telecommunication service company,’ even though it is pretty long, you should admit that the pronunciation isn’t that hard as with some other words.

• Unabhängigkeitserklärungen

‘Independence Day in English is the whole phrase! In German, on the other hand, it is a 28-letter word. Anyway, no matter how challenging it can be for the pronunciation, it is always good to know this word.

Final Thoughts

These are some of the most creative, some of them even useful in everyday conversations, long German words.

Feel free to explore more of them so that you can practice your pronunciation.

True that at first it can be intimidating, but once you master the pronunciation not only your
German tutor will be proud of you but you will also have a smile on your face and feel true pride.

Rindfleischetikettierungsueberwachungsaufgabenuebertragungsgesetz. But never fear, now that this 65-letter word is being erased from the law books, there’s still a 49-letter German beauty that translates to “Widow of a Danube Steamboat Company Captain”: Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitaenswitwe.

What is the hardest German word to say?

10 Difficult German Words and How to Pronounce Them

• Eichhörnchen (Squirrel)
• Streichholzschachtel (Box of matches)
• Freundschaftsbeziehungen (Friendship relations)
• Rührei (Scrambled eggs)
• Arbeitslosigkeitsversicherung (Unemployment insurance)
• Röntgen (X-ray)
• Quietscheentchen (Rubber duck)
• Tschechien (Czechia)

What’s the longest word in the German dictionary?

Kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung
So the longest word to be found in the German dictionary is Kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung – “motor vehicle indemnity insurance“. As Mark Twain said “a word so long it has a perspective”.

What is the shortest German word?

Tja is one of the shortest but most versatile words in the German language.

What are some German curse words?

10 German Swear Words and Insults you Really Should Know

• Quatsch! /ˈkvatʃ/
• Donnerwetter! /ˌdɔnɐ’vɛtɐ/
• Depp! /dɛp/
• verdammt. /fɛɐ̯ˈdamt/
• Scheiße. /ˈʃaɪ̯sə/
• Halt deinen Mund! /halt ‘daɪ̯nən mʊnt/
• der Mist. /deːr ‘mɪst/
• Leck mich am Arsch! /lɛk mɪç am aʀʃ/

What word takes 3 hours to say?

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (45 letters)

Why do Germans not play Scrabble?

German does raise unique challenges, however. It’s a fusional language, taking on aspects of inflected languages, where you can add endings to words to change their meanings. It’s also an agglutinative language, where you can build long words out of small, simple morphemes.

Why is German word so long?

The reason for long words to exist is, because in German it is not allowed to have noun clusters. While in English you will just write a bunch of nouns to describe the final noun, Germans just leave out those unnecessary spaces and form one word out of it.

Why does German sound so angry?

Well, linguists say that when people talk about ‘harsh’ sounding languages, they’re usually referring to tongues that make sounds using the back of the vocal track. This can result in a more throaty, guttural noise which gives the language a stronger sound which others don’t seem to have.

Is German easy to learn?

Learning German can be a bit difficult, especially if you are a native of a language that doesn’t belong to the Indo-European family of languages. But, no matter what your native language is, and even if German may seem tricky to you at first, don’t get discouraged.

Which is harder French or German?

Nitty-gritty things like these can make getting started a bit of a challenge – but between the two, French will be a little easier, with (slightly) fewer endings to learn. That said, experts largely agree that the more German you learn, the easier it gets, while French gets more complicated the deeper you dive in.

Is German hard to learn?

With plenty of straightforward rules, German is not actually as hard to learn as most people think. And since English and German stem from the same language family, you might actually be surprised at the things you pick up without even trying! And on top of it all, it’s definitely a useful one, too.

Which word takes 3.5 hours to say?

The answer is three-and-a-half hours! This word is the chemical name for titin (aka connectin) – a human protein. Titin is a giant protein that functions as a molecular spring which is responsible for the passive elasticity of muscle.

Is Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious the longest word?

On the other hand, English speakers around the world are familiar with supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (34 letters). When it was first popularized in the 1964 film “Mary Poppins,” it was fun but meaningless and so it is still often left off lists of longest words.

What’s the shortest word ever?

Eunoia, at six letters long, is the shortest word in the English language that contains all five main vowels. Seven letter words with this property include adoulie, douleia, eucosia, eulogia, eunomia, eutopia, miaoued, moineau, sequoia, and suoidea. (The scientific name iouea is a genus of Cretaceous fossil sponges.)

How do you say F word in German?

Ficken means to f*ck, mit jemandem ficken = to f*ck someone etc. Germans use ficken only in a sexual sense. Most f-expressions in English are translated using some form of Scheiß or Arsch.

How do you flirt in German?

Right! This is why we have listed some of our best phrases you can use to flirt in German with your crush or partner.
16 TOP PHRASES USED WHEN FLIRTING IN GERMAN.

German	English
Du siehst einfach umwerfend aus!	You simply look stunning
Ich möchte immer bei dir sein!	I want to be with you forever!

What is the longest video on YouTube?

Jonathan Harchick has created and uploaded the longest YouTube video of all time, clocking in at 571 hours, 1 minute and 41 seconds.

The word is 189,819 letters long. It’s actually the name of a giant protein called Titin. Proteins are usually named by mashing-up the names of the chemicals making them. And since Titin is the largest protein ever discovered, its name had to be equally as large.

What is Scrabble called in German?

But not really. In 2018, a group of German creatives were employed by Mattel. Intending a mild prank at their employer’s expense, they announced they were changing the name of the game from “Scrabble” to “Buchstaben-YOLO” (or “Letters-YOLO”).

Can you have foreign words in Scrabble?

While it’s true that the category of “foreign words” is not acceptable in SCRABBLE tournament play, words of foreign origin that are widely used in English are.