German is notorious for its sprawling compound words that stretch across the page like linguistic skyscrapers. While these lengthy terms often seem like an enigma to language learners, they’re a direct reflection of the German tendency for precision and strict adherence to grammatical rules. We’ll highlight some historical examples of long German words, explain long German words in English, and demonstrate how you can creatively make some really long words.
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Why German words can be so long
So, why are German words so long? Because the German language is designed to easily create compound words. When communicating in German, you’re allowed to attach any number of words to create a highly specific term. For example, you could call this article a Langworterklärung (long-word explanation) by combining the German words for “long,” “word,” and “explanation.” It’s not officially a real word, but it could be since it’s grammatically accurate.
German numbers also have this flexibility, since any number can be written as one word, regardless of length. Some German words are accredited as being the longest in the language due to historical relevancy, but you’ll find in this guide that the size of a word in German is only limited by your creativity.
Long German words in government, law, and regulation
Few genres capture the need for highly specialized long German words like the legal and government spheres. These long words in German are crafted to capture the full complexity of laws, ordinances, and administrative processes. Some long words in German within this subject include:
- Wettbewerbsbeschränkungsverordnung (34 letters) = Competition restriction regulation
- Rechtsschutzversicherungsunternehmen (36 letters) = Legal protection insurance company
- Bundespraesidentenstichwahlwiederholungsverschiebung (52 letters) = Postponement of the repeat runoff of the presidential election
- This word won Austria’s word of the year in 2016!
- Grundstücksverkehrsgenehmigungszuständigkeitsübertragungsverordnung (67 letters) = Real Estate Transfer Authorization Jurisdiction Transfer Ordinance
Funny long German words
Although the German people aren’t particularly known for their comedic prowess, there are many fun ways to play around with the language to make funny long German words.
This is a comical term made of repeating syllables made popular by the song Rhabarberbarbara. Give the song a listen and try pronouncing it!
- Rhabarberbarbarabarbarbarenbart (31 letters) = The beard of a barbarian who enjoys Rhubarb pies made by a woman named Barbara
A humorous metaphor for something that does everything—like the perfect solution to all problems!
- Eierlegende-Wollmilchsau (30 letters) = Egg-laying, wool-producing pig
This is a playful way to call someone a wimp. Since this is an insult, always gauge your audience before using it!
- Handschuhschneeballwerfer (25 letters) = Gloved snowball thrower
Long German words in business and economics
The German language excels at capturing complex business and economic concepts in a single word, thanks to its love of precision and clarity. Specialized companies, professional roles, and financial topics are indispensable in the corporate world, and so are the long German words used to describe them.
- Forderungsabtretungsvereinbarung (32 letters) = Claim assignment agreement
- Betriebswirtschaftslehreprofessoren (35 letters) = Business administration professors
- Kreditkartenbetrugserkennungssystem (35 letters) = Credit card fraud detection system
- Gemeinschaftsverpflegungsunternehmen (36 letters) = Community catering company
Long German words in technology, energy, and infrastructure
Germany’s status as a technological and industrial leader for the whole European Union is mirrored in its language. These long words describe the intricate processes and systems that drive innovation:
- Abwasserentsorgungsanlagen (26 letters) = Wastewater disposal systems
- Fahrzeugwartungsdokumentation (26 letters) = Vehicle maintenance documentation
- Hochgeschwindigkeitsinternet (28 letters) = High-speed internet
- Verschmutzungsbekämpfungsmaßnahmen (34 letters) = Pollution control measures
- Ökologischverträglicheenergiequellen (36 letters) = Environmentally compatible energy sources
- Überwachungssoftwareentwicklungswerkzeuge (41 letters) = Monitoring software development tools
- Verkehrsinfrastrukturfinanzierungsgesellschaft (46 letters) = Transport infrastructure financing company
Long German words in health and education
Health and education are essential pillars of society, and German nouns in these fields highlight their importance. Now you’ll have a convenient way to describe your food intolerances in German!
- Gesundheitsförderungsmaßnahmen (30 letters) = Health promotion measures
- Hochschulzugangsberechtigungen (30 letters) = University entrance qualifications
- Nahrungsmittelunverträglichkeiten (33 letters) = Food intolerances
Longest German words ever published
These titans of German compound words are the pinnacle of word length—not only in German but in most languages! Short of certain scientific terms, like the whopping 189,819 letter-long chemical name of the protein titin, these are likely the longest words you’ll have the pleasure of attempting to pronounce. Try mastering their pronunciation for a fun party trick or an enjoyable way to pass the time.
- Rinderkennzeichnungsfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz (79 letters) = Beef Identification Meat Labeling Monitoring Assignment of Tasks Act
- Since this behemoth of a word refers to a law that no longer exists, it’s widely regarded as no longer holding the title of longest German word.
- Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft (79 letters) = Association for Subordinate Officials of the Head Office Management of the Danube Steamboat Electrical Services
- This word is regarded as the longest word ever published in the German language by the 1972 Guinness Book of World Records. To date, it is still accredited as having the most letters of any German word in practice.
@nappifam Who did it best ?
♬ Good Vibes (Instrumental) – Ellen Once Againi think its not even the longest Word anymore there might be longer ones but THIS is the most requested word by the Germans. So here are some of the reaction
#language #sprachen #german #germany #deutsch #deutschland #longestword #america #amerika #usa #fyp #languagelearning #sprachencheck #wow #learninggerman #fürdich #bilingual #funny
How to shatter the record of longest German word
Although the longest German words are accredited to be around 79 letters depending on various factors, there is no theoretical limit. If you feel so inclined, you can string any number of words in German together to create a linguistic monstrosity hundreds of letters long or more. This is easier to do with numbers, as a number no matter how high can be written as a single word.
The catch: Many linguists argue that, in order for your long compound German word to count, it has to refer to a real-life concept with real-world applications. A made-up word with no practical use is, by definition, useless—even if you have fun putting that word together!
Try finding specific, real-world phenomena off which to base your long German words, like the example below:
- Sechsunddreißigbillioneneinhundertsiebenundsechzigbilliardendreihundertvierundsechzigmillionenneunhundertachtunddreißigtausendeinhundertacht (140 letters) = 36,167,364,938,108. This number represents the total national debt of the United States of America rounded to the nearest dollar as of December 5th, 2024
If you don’t care what other people consider to be a fair contestant for the longest German word possible, you can end up with an outrageously long German word. To emphasize that there is truly no theoretical length to the German terms you can devise, here’s a 373-letter long word used to describe the result of multiplying pi by ten to the power of 32:
Dreihundertvierzehnnonillioneneinhundertneunundfünfzigoktillionenzweihundertfünfundsechzigseptillionendreihundertachtundfünfzigsextillionenneunhundertsiebenundneunzigquintillionendreihundertdreiundzwanzigquadrillionenachthundertsechsundvierzigtrillionenzweihundertvierundsechzigbillionendreihundertachtunddreißigmillionendreihundertsiebenundzwanzigtausendneunhundertfünfzig (373 letters) = 314,159,265,358,979,323,846,264,338,327,950. The value of pi multiplied by 10^32 and rounded to the nearest whole number (πx10^32).
Consider what other massive numbers exist, such as the number of grains of sand on planet Earth, or the number of cells in the human body, or other highly specific concepts to create your own record-shattering long German words!
Frequently asked questions about long German words
Here are the most commonly asked questions and answers about words in German that are super long:
Why are German words so long?
German words can be long because you can string together any number of words to describe a specific thing or phenomenon and express them as a single word. This comes in handy in genres like law and technology, where specificity is of the utmost importance.
What’s the longest German word?
The longest German word is generally regarded as Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft (Association for Subordinate Officials of the Head Office Management of the Danube Steamboat Electrical Services), measuring an impressive 79 letters long. This word is widely regarded to beat out its competitor: Rinderkennzeichnungsfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz (Beef Identification Meat Labeling Monitoring Assignment of Tasks Act), which also has 79 letters because this refers to a law that is no longer in effect. It’s important to emphasize that there is, in fact, no theoretical maximum to how long a German word can be. It’s only limited by time and circumstance!
How can I determine the meaning of a long German word?
The meaning of a particularly long German word can be found by breaking the word down into its component words. For example, Verkehrsinfrastrukturfinanzierungsgesellschaft is made up of the German words Verkehr (traffic), Infrastruktur (infrastructure), Finanzierung (financing), and Gesellschaft (company). You can take the literal translation of these words to find the meaning of the long German word, which is “traffic infrastructure financing company.”
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