30+ ridiculously long German words and their meanings in English

German is spoken by more than 90 million people worldwide and is, quite frankly, a fascinating language. The language is known for its numerous nouns that describe several aspects of the human experience. For example, the term Waldeinsamkeit is used to describe a person's feeling when they are alone in the forest. Unsurprisingly, there are also some ridiculously long German words that are quite a mouthful.

Most languages have some long words that can be somewhat tricky to pronounce. Still, very few languages can come close to German in this regard.

What are some long German words, and what do they mean?

Here is a look at the longest German words in the modern-day.

Funny-sounding hard German words

Besides the difficulty in spelling and pronunciation, some long German words are outright funny sounding. Here is a look at some hilarious-sounding ones.

• Massenkommunikationsdienstleistungsunternehmen: A considerable number of the most difficult German terms have to do with companies. This one, for example, means 'mass communication service company.'
• Arbeiterunfallversicherungsgesetz: This 33-letter term means 'worker accident insurance act.'
• Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz: This word referred to 'the law for the delegation of monitoring beef labeling.' At 63 characters long, it was among the longest German words. However, the term is now out of use since the regional parliament that created the legislative measure in 1999 later repealed it.
• Mullautohintendraufsteher: This one means 'garbage collector at the back of a truck.'
• Siebenhundertsiebenundsiebzigtausendsiebenhundertsiebenundsiebzig: This one is the number 777,777 spelt. It is worth noting that in German, numbers are typically written as single words.
• Mutterseelenallein: This one is a bit hard to translate in English. It loosely translates to 'mother soul alone' and is used to refer to a person's very deep loneliness.
• Nahrungsmittelunverträglichkeit: At 33 characters, this lengthy term is among the hardest ones to pronounce, especially for non-German speakers. It means 'food intolerance.'
• Frauenfussballeuropameisterschaftsschiedsrichterin: Disregarding the pronunciation difficulty here, this one certainly looks like one of the unbelievably funny German words. it means 'European women's football championship referee.'
• Hochleistungsflüssigkeitschromatographie: When it comes to some of the hardest German words, the sciences have not been left behind. This term means 'high performance liquid chromatography.'
• Elektrizitätswirtschaftsorganizationsgesetz: Another lengthy term strongly associated with legislative measures. This one translates to the 'Electricity Industry Organization Act.'

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Meaningful long words in German

Here are some lengthy German words that have useful meanings.

• Betäubungsmittelverschreibungsverordnung: This is a compound word that translates to 'narcotics prescription ordinance' in English. The term basically refers to a regulation that governs prescriptions for anaesthetics.
• Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften: At 42 characters, this is one of the longest standard words of the German language. The term means 'insurance companies providing legal protection.' Clearly, something that might come up in a normal health-related conversation.
• Verkehrsinfrastrukturfinanzierungsgesellschaft: As earlier mentioned, some of the longest words in German are associated with companies. This one means 'Transport infrastructure finance company.'
• Steuervergünstigungsabbaugesetz: Another long term from the country's legislative environment. This one means 'Tax Preference Relief Act.'
• Bezirksschornsteinfegermeister: This one stands for 'head district chimney sweep.'
• Lebensabschnittspartner: This one is used to describe a person's partner or lover. However, it is often used with an additional twist and loosely translates to 'the person one is with today.'
• Backpfeifengesicht: This is among the shortest words on this list but still quite a mouthful. It means 'a face in need of a fist'. It sounds like a fitting term for the beginning of a fight!
• Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän: This 45-character term means ‘Danube steamship company captain’. It is also one of the most common lengthy German words to come across.
• Torschlusspanik: This one means 'last minute panic.' It sounds like a word that would come in handy in numerous situations.
• Kaftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung: When looking for car insurance services in Germany, one occasionally comes across this difficult word. It means 'motor vehicle liability insurance.'

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Tongue twisting long German words

Here are some ridiculously long German words that look like a mouthful right from the go.

• Freundschaftsbezeugung: Loosely translates to 'a demonstration of friendship.'
• SiebentausendzweihundertvierundfünfzigIn: This 43-letter term is the number 7,254 spelt out. Not quite surprising considering the one-word integer naming system found in German.
• Verkehrswegeplanungsbeschleunigungsgesetz: In English, this one translates to 'Traffic Route Planning Acceleration Act.'
• Braunkohlekraftwerkstandortssicherheitsbestimmungen: This word means 'safety regulations for a coal-fired power plant branch.'
• Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft: This is the longest non-standard word in German. Its meaning in English is equally as long; 'association of subordinate officials of the head office management of the Danube steamboat electrical services.' The term is, however a combination of words done more out of sheer fun than any useful necessity.
• Gleichgewichtsdichtegradientenzentrifugation: Translates to ‘Equilibrium density gradient centrifugation.’
• Lebensversicherungsgesellschaft: Another lengthy term from the country's insurance industry. This one translates to 'life insurance company.'
• Streichholzschächtelchen: What does Streichholzschächtelchen mean? One might think that such a long word refers to something major. Well, this one simply means 'matchbox.'
• Unabhaengigkeitserklaerungen: This term is the equivalent of the American' declaration of independence.'
• Kugelschreiberzusammenbauanleitungshotmailservicenummer: a 56-character tongue twister referring to 'ballpoint pen assembly instructions Hotmail service number.'
• Telekommunikationsüberwachungsverordnung: Another lengthy word from the legislative body. It means 'Corporate Tax Development Act.'

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What is the longest German word?

At 79 characters long, Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft is the longest word in German. While it is spoken in casual conversations, it does not exist in the German dictionary.

German is among the widely spoken languages worldwide. It is widely used in nations such as Germany, Austria, and Belgium. Like with some other languages, there are some ridiculously long German words with varying meanings.

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Source: Legit.ng