Long German Words German Learners Should Know

Just like the last two minutes of a football game, film credits, or waiting for a doctor, German words can sometimes last for longer than expected. The language is well-known for its notoriously long words. In fact, the longest German words exceed those found in most other spoken languages. 
But why are German words so long? What unique language characteristics necessitate 20, 30, or even 40-letter words? What are some long compound German words? Pimsleur has the answers. But prepare yourself – by its very nature, the explanation may be a bit long-winded.

Why Are German Words So Long?

Aside from the language’s built-in mechanisms to combine simple (even monosyllable) sounds into more complex words, German has the unique linguistic ability to combine multiple, whole, complex words into some of the longest words you’ll ever see. Rather than using noun clusters like in English, the German language goes for efficiency by combining several nouns into single – albeit lengthy – words.

The German language’s tendency to have extra-long words actually starts with the smallest element of any language that conveys meaning. These elements are called morphemes. 

Take the word “hopelessness,” for example. This word has three morphemes:

• The word “hope.”
• The suffix “less,” meaning lacking or absence.
• The suffix “ness,” meaning the quality of.

So, “hopelessness,” expressed by its three morphemes, means the “quality of the absence of hope.”

The process of combining morphemes is called agglutination. Most languages, like English, agglutinate prefixes and suffixes to form longer words. But some languages, like German, can agglutinate more than just a predetermined collection of prefixes and suffixes. These languages – German in particular – have the ability to combine nouns and other words to form longer words.

As we’ll see, the key with German agglutination is figuring out which smaller words and meanings – the morphemes – are put together in a way only German and a few other languages are able to do.

Examples of the Longest German Words

To get a better sense of this practice, let’s look at some of the longest words in German.

“Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän.” That’s not a typo.

Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän is actually the longest German word, and it is a giant with forty-two characters, and which translates to “Danube steamship company captain.” When jokes are made about the German language, the punch line usually revolves around the multiple syllables and lengths of some German words.

Legendary writer Mark Twain once said, “Some German words are so long that they have perspective.” Yet despite all the jokes and conceptions about its lengthy wordiness, German is the most commonly spoken language throughout Europe and one of the world’s top ten most spoken languages. There are many reasons why German is so popular today, and for those who are thinking about learning a foreign language, taking German language courses will undoubtedly provide rewards.

Some other notable long German words include: 

• Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften: legal protection provided by insurance companies
• Nahrungsmittelunverträglichkeit: food intolerance
• Bezirksschornsteinfegermeister: chimney sweep authority
• Betäubungsmittelverschreibungsverordnung: anesthetic prescriptions requiring regulation or compliance

Note: If you’re just beginning to learn the German language, you won’t have to deal with these letter-heavy behemoths. These long words in German are only useful once you end up mastering the language.

Learning and Using Long German Words

Compound words exist in many languages. German, however, forms words by merging the parts and adding prefixes and suffixes. The construction of German lends itself well to compounding parts to make single words that stretch across a page.

This concept is fascinating to language enthusiasts, making learning German a challenge. German language courses will help beginners reach advanced stages and try to understand German words such as unabhaengigkeitserklaerungen. The word means “independence declarations” and was a source of Mr. Twain’s frustrations with the language, as he wrote in A Tramp Abroad.

Looking at the longest German word, donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän, or even the old and now defunct longest word,  rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz, which means “beef labeling supervision duties delegation law,” it is clear that the German language is intriguing and unique. Whether trying to take your career to new heights or looking for a personal activity, taking a German language course will certainly be captivating.

Whatever your ultimate goals are with speaking German, Pimsleur can help you learn to speak the language conversationally. Even in conversations with those famously long German words. Sign up today to start your learning journey!