15 hilariously long words in German giving you a tough time to learn

The Germans are well-known for their fondness for long words. Their language’s “Lego-like” grammatical structure allows for the arrangement of an excessive number of elements, so it’s not uncommon to be able to describe an ultra-specific concept with a single, intensely long word in German.

Learning basic German words such as name or introduction is common. Why don’t you learn to pronounce “Massenkommunikationsdienstleistungsunternehmen” or “Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz” scary enough right?

These words may look scary but they are not that hard to learn. Learning long words in German isn’t as difficult as it looks. The longest German words have a secret. The majority of them are simply a group of words acting as one. They are usually very literal and logical. The German word for a domestic partner is “Lebensabschnittsgefährte,” which translates as “life passage companion,” but that logic will help you remember them.

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The longest German words in the German dictionary

The Duden dictionary of standard High German contains some incredibly long words, but which one is the longest that won the “longest German word award,” and what does it mean?

Here are the top three longest words in the German dictionary, along with their English translations:

3. Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

Letters: 63

English meaning: Delegation transfer law for the labeling of beef in order to monitor task transfers.

2. Grundstücksverkehrsgenehmigungszuständigkeitsübertragungsverordnung

Letters: 67

English meaning: Regulation on the delegation of authority concerning land conveyance permissions.

1.    Rinderkennzeichnungsfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

Letters: 79

English meaning: Delegation transfer law for cattle labeling and beef labeling supervision duties.

So, Rinderkennzeichnungsfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz is the longest word in the German dictionary.

How to pronounce the longest word in German

Breaking down any long German word makes it easier to pronounce. After all, long German words are just a string of compound nouns. Look for familiar words within the longer words.

Take Rinder Kennzeichnungs Fleisch Etikettierungs Überwachungs Aufgaben Übertragungs Gesetz. Perhaps you’ve heard of the words “Fleisch” (meat) and “Aufgaben” (tasks)? Concentrate on what appears familiar first, and then learn the unfamiliar words.

As you can see, “Rinderkennzeichnungsfleischetikettierungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz” is more than one word. It does not, for example, mean “cattle,” which would be absurd. It is technically eight words in a row, with a few extra “s”-sounds added for flow:

German	Rinder	Kennzeichnung -s-	Fleisch	Etikettierung -s-	Überwachung -s-	Aufgaben	Übertragung -s-	Gesetz
IPA	‘ʁɪndɐ	‘kɛnt͡saɪ̯çnʊŋ -s-	flaɪ̯ʃ	ɛtɪ’kəti:ʁʊŋ -s-	‘y:bɐvaxʊŋ -s-	‘aʊ̯fga:bən	‘y:bɐtʁa:gʊŋ s-	gə’zɛt͡s
Phonetic spelling	rin-dare	can-tsighch-noongs	flysh	eh-teak-cat-tier-roongs	ue-bear-wuch-oongs	ouf-gub-en	ue-bear-trug-oongs	geh-sats
English	Cattle	Tagging	Meat	Labeling	Monitoring	Tasks	Delegation	Law

Now that you know the longest word in German, invest some time in learning its pronunciation. There are some other words in German that are long enough to scare a reader. In the following section of this guide, we will share some of those German words along with their English translation.

15 long German words

Although we have discussed the top three longest words in German, there are some other words that can be considered long and tricky to learn.

1.    Streichholzschächtelchen

IPA: [ʃtʁaɪ̯çhɔlt͡sʃɛçtɛlçən]

Meaning: Matchbox.

2.    Lebensabschnittsgefährte

IPA: [le:bənsapʃnɪtsgəfɛ:ɐ̯tə]

Meaning: Domestic partner.

3.    Freundschaftsbeziehungen

IPA: [fʁɔʏ̯ntʃaftsbət͡si:ʊŋən]

Meaning: Friendship relationships.

4.     Unabhängigkeitserklärungen

IPA: [ʊnaphɛŋɪçkaɪ̯tsɛɐ̯klɛ:ʁʊŋən]

Meaning: Declarations of Independence.

5.     Nahrungsmittelunverträglichkeit

IPA: [ˈnaːʁʊŋsˌmɪtl̩ˈʊnfɛɐ̯ˌtʁɛːklɪçkaɪ̯t]

Meaning: Food intolerance.

6.     Arbeiterunfallverischerungsgesetz

IPA: [aɐ̯baɪ̯təʁʊnfalfɛʁɪʃəʁʊŋsgəzɛt͡s]

Meaning: Workers’ Compensation Act.

7.    Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften

IPA: [ˈʁɛçt͡sʃʊt͡sfɛɐ̯ˌzɪçəʁʊŋsɡəˈzɛlʃaftn]

Meaning: Legal expenses insurance companies.

8.     Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän

IPA: [do:naʊ̯damp͡fʃɪfa:ɐ̯tsgəzɛlʃaftskapi:tɛ:n]

Meaning: Danube Steamship Company Captain.

9.    Betäubungsmittelverschreibungsverordnung

IPA: [bətɔʏ̯bʊŋsmɪtəlfɛɐ̯ʃʁaɪ̯bʊŋsfɛɐ̯ɔɐ̯dnʊŋ]

Meaning: Narcotics Prescription Ordinance.

10.  Massenkommunikationsdienstleistungsunternehmen

IPA: [masənkɔmu:nɪkat͡sjo:nsdi:nstlaɪ̯stʊŋsʊntɐne:mən]

Meaning: Mass Communications Services Company.

11. Neunhundertneunundneunzigtausendneunhundertneunundneunzig

IPA: [ˈnɔɪ̯nˌhʊndɐt ˈnɔɪ̯nʔʊntˈnɔɪ̯nt͡sɪç ˈtaʊ̯zn̩t ˈnɔɪ̯nˌhʊndɐt ˈnɔɪ̯nʔʊntˈnɔɪ̯nt͡sɪç]

Meaning: Nine hundred and ninety nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine.

12.  Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

IPA: [ʁɪntflaɪ̯ʃe:tɪkəti:ʁʊnŋsy:bɐvaxʊŋsaʊ̯fga:bəny:bɐtʁa:gʊŋsgəzɛt͡]

Meaning: Delegation transfer law for the labeling of beef in order to monitor task transfers.

13.  Grundstücksverkehrsgenehmigungszuständigkeitsübertragungsverordnung

IPA: [gʁʊntʃtʏksfɛɐ̯ke:ɐ̯sgəne:mɪgʊŋstsu:ʃtɛndɪçkaɪ̯tzy:bɐtʁa:gʊŋsfɛɐ̯ɔɐ̯dnʊŋ]

Meaning: Regulation on the delegation of authority concerning land conveyance permissions.

14. Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft

IPA: [do:naʊ̯damp͡fʃɪfa:ɐ̯tzəlɛktʁi:tstɛ:tənhaʊ̯ptbətʁi:psvɛɐ̯kbaʊ̯ntɐɐbəamtəngəzɛlʃaft]

Meaning: Danube Steamship Electricity Main Plant Construction Suboffice Company.

15. Rinderkennzeichnungsfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

IPA: [ʁɪndɐkɛnt͡saɪ̯çnʊŋsflaɪ̯ʃe:tɪkəti:ʁʊnŋsy:bɐvaxʊŋsaʊ̯fga:bəny:bɐtʁa:gʊŋsgəzɛt͡s]

Meaning: Delegation transfer law for cattle labeling and beef labeling supervision duties.

What is the longest one-syllable German word?

As you can see, most long German words are also very meaningful. Long words with a single meaning are rare in German, but they do exist. Here are a few examples of technically short words with a lot of letters:

German	IPA	Letters	English meaning
Krampf	[kʁamp͡f]	6	Cramp
Kriegst	[kʁiːkst]	7	You get
Pflicht	[pflɪçt]	7	Obligation
Schlumpf	[ʃlʊmp͡f]	8	Smurf
Schmacht	[ʃmaxt]	8	Craving
Schnaufst	[ʃnaʊ̯fst]	9	You sigh
Schleichst	[ʃlaɪ̯çst]	10	You sneak

Learning long words, German abbreviations, and contextual use of particular words play a significant role in making you sound like native German speaker. Try looking for the meaning of the words as it will make your learning journey easier and more convenient.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What is the longest German word without vowels?

A. Some languages appear to be even more difficult to pronounce because they have long words without vowels, such as the Czech word “scvrnkls.” It is made up of eight letters, all of which are consonants. However, that is not how the German language works. There are no German words without vowels.

Q. What is the longest palindrome word in German?

A. A palindrome is a word that reads the same backward as it does forward, such as “kayak.” The longest German palindrome is:

– Reliefpfeiler (Pilaster) – with an impressive 13 characters.

– It’s followed by “Sereneres”, meaning “more serene” (9 characters); and

– “Leseesel” meaning “reading room” (8 characters).

Conclusion

German is not as strict as its rules and regulations suggest. In fact, one of the most appealing aspects of the German language is how simple it is to form new words. You can be very creative when expressing yourself in German. There are several German words in English that can make it easier for you. Such words bring a moment of relief for English speakers learning German as a second language.

Be patient while learning German words and their contextual use. Learning a second language is a time-consuming process and requires a lot of hard work and consistency. Also, learn German verb conjugation as it will help you design German sentences and their structure.