{"id":374,"date":"2026-11-08T22:10:14","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T22:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/?p=374"},"modified":"2026-11-08T22:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T22:10:14","slug":"german-compound-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/german-compound-words\/","title":{"rendered":"German Compound Words (Komposita): How They Work, How to Read Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">German compound words join two or more words into one, and the last word decides everything grammatical: gender, plural and basic meaning. <em>Das Haus<\/em> + <em>die T\u00fcr<\/em> = <em>die Haust\u00fcr<\/em> (the front door), plural <em>die Haust\u00fcren<\/em>. To read a long compound, split it from the end: the last part tells you what the thing is.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That single rule makes long German words much less scary. <em>Der K\u00fchlschrank<\/em> is a kind of <em>Schrank<\/em> (cupboard), <em>der Handschuh<\/em> is a kind of <em>Schuh<\/em> (shoe, here: a &#8220;shoe for the hand&#8221;, a glove), and <em>die Krankenversicherungskarte<\/em> is a kind of <em>Karte<\/em> (card). Below: how compounds are built, the linking letters, a method for reading long words, 20 everyday compounds, 10 famous long or funny ones, and an exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How German compound words are built<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A compound (<em>Kompositum<\/em>, plural <em>Komposita<\/em>) has two roles:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>the <strong>Grundwort<\/strong> (base word): the last part. It decides the gender, the plural and what the thing basically is.<\/li>\n\n<li>the <strong>Bestimmungswort<\/strong> (modifier): everything before it. It narrows the meaning down.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Bestimmungswort<\/th><th>+ Grundwort<\/th><th>= Compound<\/th><th>Meaning<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>das Haus<\/td><td>die T\u00fcr<\/td><td><strong>die<\/strong> Haust\u00fcr<\/td><td>front door<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>der Zahn<\/td><td>der Arzt<\/td><td><strong>der<\/strong> Zahnarzt<\/td><td>dentist<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>die Hand<\/td><td>der Schuh<\/td><td><strong>der<\/strong> Handschuh<\/td><td>glove<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>das Kind<\/td><td>der Garten<\/td><td><strong>der<\/strong> Kindergarten<\/td><td>kindergarten<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>der Apfel<\/td><td>der Saft<\/td><td><strong>der<\/strong> Apfelsaft<\/td><td>apple juice<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>die Stadt<\/td><td>der Plan<\/td><td><strong>der<\/strong> Stadtplan<\/td><td>city map<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Order changes meaning: <em>die Gartenblume<\/em> is a flower (from the garden), <em>der Blumengarten<\/em> is a garden (full of flowers). The last word is what the thing is, and it brings its article with it.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which word decides the gender?<\/h3>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Almost always the last one (a rare exception is <em>der Mittwoch<\/em>, although it ends in <em>die Woche<\/em>). This is the most useful rule for gender learning, because it means you only have to know the articles of the base words. <em>Der Tisch<\/em> gives <em>der Schreibtisch, der K\u00fcchentisch, der Esstisch<\/em>. <em>Die Karte<\/em> gives <em>die Speisekarte, die Fahrkarte, die Postkarte<\/em>. For more patterns, see <a href=\"\/blog\/der-die-das-rules\/\">der, die, das rules<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The plural also comes only from the last part: <em>das Krankenhaus<\/em>, <em>die Krankenh\u00e4user<\/em>; <em>der Fahrradhelm<\/em>, <em>die Fahrradhelme<\/em>. The first part never changes. Plural endings themselves are covered in <a href=\"\/blog\/german-plural-nouns\/\">German plural nouns<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Not only noun + noun<\/h3>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Type<\/th><th>Examples<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>noun + noun<\/td><td><em>der Zahnarzt, die Haust\u00fcr, der Apfelsaft<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>verb stem + noun<\/td><td><em>der Schreibtisch<\/em> (schreiben), <em>die Waschmaschine<\/em> (waschen), <em>das Wartezimmer<\/em> (warten)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>adjective + noun<\/td><td><em>die Gro\u00dfstadt, das Kleingeld, der Rotwein<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>preposition + noun<\/td><td><em>der Vorname, der Nachname, der Umweg<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>compound adjectives<\/td><td><em>eiskalt<\/em> (ice cold), <em>hellblau<\/em> (light blue), <em>todm\u00fcde<\/em> (dead tired)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Verb compounds use the verb stem, sometimes with an <em>-e<\/em>: <em>schreiben<\/em> \u2192 <em>Schreib-<\/em>, <em>warten<\/em> \u2192 <em>Warte-<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Linking letters: Fugen-s, -n, -es and others<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Often a small linking element (<em>Fugenelement<\/em>) sits between the parts. It has no meaning; it just makes the word easier to say.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Linking element<\/th><th>Examples<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>-s-<\/td><td><em>die Arbeitszeit, der Geburtstag, die Aufenthaltserlaubnis<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>-es-<\/td><td><em>das Bundesland, das Tageslicht<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>-n-<\/td><td><em>die Sonnenbrille, die Stra\u00dfenbahn<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>-en-<\/td><td><em>der Frauenarzt, die Patientenakte<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>-er-<\/td><td><em>das Kinderzimmer, das Bilderbuch<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>-e-<\/td><td><em>die Hundeleine<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>none<\/td><td><em>die Haust\u00fcr, der Handschuh, der Apfelsaft<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>final -e dropped<\/td><td><em>das Schulbuch<\/em> (Schule), <em>die Endstation<\/em> (Ende)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is one reliable rule: after the endings <em>-ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ion, -t\u00e4t<\/em>, a Fugen-s almost always follows:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>die Wohnung<\/em> \u2192 <em>der Wohnungsschl\u00fcssel<\/em><\/li>\n\n<li><em>die Gesundheit<\/em> \u2192 <em>das Gesundheitsamt<\/em><\/li>\n\n<li><em>die Wirtschaft<\/em> \u2192 <em>die Wirtschaftskrise<\/em><\/li>\n\n<li><em>die Information<\/em> \u2192 <em>das Informationsblatt<\/em><\/li>\n\n<li><em>die Universit\u00e4t<\/em> \u2192 <em>die Universit\u00e4tsklinik<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For everything else there is no rule you can rely on, so learn the linking letter together with the word. Some even differ by region: most Germans say <em>der Schweinebraten<\/em>, while in Austria and Bavaria you usually hear <em>der Schweinsbraten<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to read a long German word in 3 steps<\/h2>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Find the last part.<\/strong> That is the thing itself and gives you the article.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Go backwards<\/strong> and peel off one part at a time. Linking letters (<em>-s-<\/em>, <em>-n-<\/em>, <em>-es-<\/em>) usually sit at the joints.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Rebuild the meaning from the end:<\/strong> &#8220;a [last part] for\/of [the part before]&#8221;.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example 1: <em>die Krankenversicherungskarte<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Step<\/th><th>Part<\/th><th>Meaning<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>last<\/td><td><em>Karte<\/em><\/td><td>card<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>before<\/td><td><em>Versicherung(s)<\/em><\/td><td>insurance<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>first<\/td><td><em>Kranken<\/em><\/td><td>sick people \/ health<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>result<\/td><td><strong>die<\/strong> Krankenversicherungskarte<\/td><td>health insurance card<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example 2: <em>die Arbeitsunf\u00e4higkeitsbescheinigung<\/em>, the sick note every employee in Germany needs to know: <em>Bescheinigung<\/em> (certificate) of <em>Unf\u00e4higkeit<\/em> (inability) for <em>Arbeit<\/em> (work). Most people just say <em>die AU<\/em> or <em>die Krankmeldung<\/em>; more in <a href=\"\/blog\/calling-in-sick-germany-krankmeldung\/\">calling in sick in Germany<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example 3: <em>der Hauptbahnhof<\/em> = <em>Bahnhof<\/em> (station, itself <em>Bahn<\/em> + <em>Hof<\/em>) + <em>Haupt<\/em> (main): the central station, shortened to <em>Hbf<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pronunciation: stress the first part<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In most German compound words, the main stress falls on the first part: <em>HAUSt\u00fcr, KRANkenhaus, K\u00dcHLschrank, FAHRrad<\/em>. With three or more parts, the first part usually still carries the main stress, and the others get a lighter one.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are exceptions you will meet early, for example <em>Jahrhundert<\/em> (jahr-HUN-dert) and <em>Jahrzehnt<\/em> (jahr-ZEHNT). Long compounds are also where umlauts and the <em>\u00df<\/em> trip people up when speaking fast; <a href=\"\/blog\/pronounce-umlauts-german\/\">pronouncing umlauts<\/a> has drills for that.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reading a compound is one skill; saying <em>Krankenversicherungskarte<\/em> at the doctor&#8217;s reception without stopping is another. In SipLingo you speak in real scenarios (the doctor, renting a flat, the bakery), you can tap any word to hear its pronunciation and translation, and you get a score for word accuracy and intonation. <a href=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/download?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=german-compound-words&amp;utm_content=inline\">Practise long words in real conversations<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"siplingo-store-badges\" style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center;align-items:center;gap:12px;margin:24px 0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/app\/id6783970183\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/app_store.png\" alt=\"Download SipLingo on the App Store\" style=\"height:52px;width:auto;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=ch.zgdevelopment.siplingo&amp;referrer=utm_source%3Dblog%26utm_medium%3Dpost%26utm_campaign%3Dgerman-compound-words%26utm_content%3Dbadge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/play_store.png\" alt=\"Get SipLingo on Google Play\" style=\"height:52px;width:auto;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">20 everyday compounds you need<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Compound<\/th><th>Parts<\/th><th>Literal<\/th><th>Meaning<\/th><th>Plural<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>das Krankenhaus<\/td><td>Kranke(n) + Haus<\/td><td>sick-house<\/td><td>hospital<\/td><td>die Krankenh\u00e4user<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>der F\u00fchrerschein<\/td><td>F\u00fchrer + Schein<\/td><td>driver&#8217;s certificate<\/td><td>driving licence<\/td><td>die F\u00fchrerscheine<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>der K\u00fchlschrank<\/td><td>k\u00fchl + Schrank<\/td><td>cool cupboard<\/td><td>fridge<\/td><td>die K\u00fchlschr\u00e4nke<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>der Handschuh<\/td><td>Hand + Schuh<\/td><td>hand shoe<\/td><td>glove<\/td><td>die Handschuhe<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>der Staubsauger<\/td><td>Staub + Sauger<\/td><td>dust sucker<\/td><td>vacuum cleaner<\/td><td>die Staubsauger<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>die Haust\u00fcr<\/td><td>Haus + T\u00fcr<\/td><td>house door<\/td><td>front door<\/td><td>die Haust\u00fcren<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>der Hauptbahnhof<\/td><td>Haupt + Bahnhof<\/td><td>main station<\/td><td>central station<\/td><td>die Hauptbahnh\u00f6fe<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>das Wartezimmer<\/td><td>warten + Zimmer<\/td><td>wait room<\/td><td>waiting room<\/td><td>die Wartezimmer<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>die Krankenkasse<\/td><td>Kranke(n) + Kasse<\/td><td>sick fund<\/td><td>health insurance fund<\/td><td>die Krankenkassen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>die Waschmaschine<\/td><td>waschen + Maschine<\/td><td>wash machine<\/td><td>washing machine<\/td><td>die Waschmaschinen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>der Geburtstag<\/td><td>Geburt + s + Tag<\/td><td>birth day<\/td><td>birthday<\/td><td>die Geburtstage<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>die Sonnenbrille<\/td><td>Sonne + n + Brille<\/td><td>sun glasses<\/td><td>sunglasses<\/td><td>die Sonnenbrillen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>das Kinderzimmer<\/td><td>Kind + er + Zimmer<\/td><td>children room<\/td><td>children&#8217;s room<\/td><td>die Kinderzimmer<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>der Schreibtisch<\/td><td>schreiben + Tisch<\/td><td>write table<\/td><td>desk<\/td><td>die Schreibtische<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>der Reisepass<\/td><td>Reise + Pass<\/td><td>travel pass<\/td><td>passport<\/td><td>die Reisep\u00e4sse<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>die Haltestelle<\/td><td>halten + Stelle<\/td><td>stop place<\/td><td>bus\/tram stop<\/td><td>die Haltestellen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>der Arbeitsvertrag<\/td><td>Arbeit + s + Vertrag<\/td><td>work contract<\/td><td>employment contract<\/td><td>die Arbeitsvertr\u00e4ge<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>das Fahrrad<\/td><td>fahren + Rad<\/td><td>ride wheel<\/td><td>bicycle<\/td><td>die Fahrr\u00e4der<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>der Zahnarzt<\/td><td>Zahn + Arzt<\/td><td>tooth doctor<\/td><td>dentist<\/td><td>die Zahn\u00e4rzte<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>die Speisekarte<\/td><td>Speise + Karte<\/td><td>dish card<\/td><td>menu<\/td><td>die Speisekarten<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notice that every article in the first column matches the last part: <em>der Schrank, der Schuh, die T\u00fcr, das Zimmer, die Karte<\/em>. If you need more high-frequency vocabulary, see <a href=\"\/blog\/words-needed-for-b1-german\/\">how many words you need for B1<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10 famous long and funny German compound words<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Word<\/th><th>Literal<\/th><th>What it means<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><em>der Kummerspeck<\/em><\/td><td>grief bacon<\/td><td>weight you put on from comfort eating when you are sad<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>das Backpfeifengesicht<\/em><\/td><td>slap face<\/td><td>a face that &#8220;asks&#8221; to be slapped (insulting)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>das Fernweh<\/em><\/td><td>far-ache<\/td><td>longing for faraway places; the opposite of <em>Heimweh<\/em> (homesickness)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>die Torschlusspanik<\/em><\/td><td>gate-closing panic<\/td><td>fear of missing something decisive, often of being too late to find a partner<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>die Schnapsidee<\/em><\/td><td>schnapps idea<\/td><td>a crazy idea, as if you had drunk too much<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>der Ohrwurm<\/em><\/td><td>ear worm<\/td><td>a song stuck in your head (also the German word for the earwig insect)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>der Drahtesel<\/em><\/td><td>wire donkey<\/td><td>humorous word for a bicycle<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>die Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung<\/em><\/td><td>motor vehicle liability insurance<\/td><td>compulsory car insurance; 36 letters<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>der Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapit\u00e4n<\/em><\/td><td>Danube steamship company captain<\/td><td>a word-game classic; 42 letters<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>das Rindfleischetikettierungs\u00fcberwachungsaufgaben\u00fcbertragungsgesetz<\/em><\/td><td>beef labelling supervision duties delegation law<\/td><td>a real state law; 63 letters<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A note on the last three. <em>Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung<\/em> (36 letters) has been widely reported as the longest word in the Duden dictionary, though dictionary editions change. <em>Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapit\u00e4n<\/em> is the word German children love to stretch further (<em>&#8230;kapit\u00e4nswitwe<\/em>, the captain&#8217;s widow, makes it 48 letters); it is a word game, not a dictionary entry. It also shows the post-1996 spelling: <em>Schifffahrt<\/em> keeps all three f&#8217;s.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Rindfleischetikettierungs\u00fcberwachungsaufgaben\u00fcbertragungsgesetz<\/em> was the short title of a law in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, passed in 1999 to organise the monitoring of beef labelling after the BSE crisis. It became famous worldwide when it was repealed in 2013. Even this word is not &#8220;the longest German word&#8221;: because compounds can be built freely, there is no official longest word. Any claim of a record is about the longest word found in a dictionary, a law or a text corpus, never about the language itself.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why German has so many compounds<\/h3>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">German writes compounds as one word where English uses spaces: <em>Apfelsaft<\/em> vs &#8220;apple juice&#8221;. English builds the same structures; it just does not glue them together. That is also why some German compounds look like English words but mean something else; see <a href=\"\/blog\/german-false-friends-english\/\">German false friends<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Exercise: split the compound and give the article<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Split each compound into its parts and write the correct article. One tip: look only at the last part.<\/p>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>____ Fahrkarte<\/li>\n\n<li>____ Kinderarzt<\/li>\n\n<li>____ Schlafzimmer<\/li>\n\n<li>____ Handtasche<\/li>\n\n<li>____ Briefkasten<\/li>\n\n<li>____ Mietvertrag<\/li>\n\n<li>____ Wochenende<\/li>\n\n<li>____ Kaffeetasse<\/li>\n\n<li>____ Fu\u00dfball<\/li>\n\n<li>____ Bushaltestelle<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Answers:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>die Fahrkarte (fahren + die Karte) \u2013 ticket<\/li>\n\n<li>der Kinderarzt (das Kind + er + der Arzt) \u2013 paediatrician<\/li>\n\n<li>das Schlafzimmer (schlafen + das Zimmer) \u2013 bedroom<\/li>\n\n<li>die Handtasche (die Hand + die Tasche) \u2013 handbag<\/li>\n\n<li>der Briefkasten (der Brief + der Kasten) \u2013 letterbox<\/li>\n\n<li>der Mietvertrag (die Miete + der Vertrag) \u2013 rental contract<\/li>\n\n<li>das Wochenende (die Woche + n + das Ende) \u2013 weekend<\/li>\n\n<li>die Kaffeetasse (der Kaffee + die Tasse) \u2013 coffee cup<\/li>\n\n<li>der Fu\u00dfball (der Fu\u00df + der Ball) \u2013 football<\/li>\n\n<li>die Bushaltestelle (der Bus + die Haltestelle) \u2013 bus stop<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Word meanings checked in October 2026 against Duden; the law and Duden record details against press reports from 2013 and 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Official sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the official details and the latest updates, see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/grammis.ids-mannheim.de\/fragen\/3038\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IDS Mannheim (grammis): grammis: rules for the linking -s in compounds<\/a> \u2013 When compounds take a Fugen-s (e.g. -ung, -heit, -keit words)<\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.duden.de\/sprachwissen\/rechtschreibregeln\/bindestrich\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Duden: Duden: hyphens in compound words<\/a> \u2013 When German compounds may or must take a hyphen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How do German compound words work?<\/strong><br\/>\nTwo or more words are joined into one, sometimes with a linking letter like <em>-s-<\/em> or <em>-n-<\/em>. The last word is the base and decides the gender, plural and basic meaning; the words before it describe it.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is the longest German word?<\/strong><br\/>\nThere is no official longest word, because compounds can be built without limit. A famous record is <em>Rindfleischetikettierungs\u00fcberwachungsaufgaben\u00fcbertragungsgesetz<\/em> (63 letters), a law repealed in 2013; <em>Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung<\/em> (36 letters) has been reported as the longest in the Duden.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What are some funny German words?<\/strong><br\/><em>Kummerspeck<\/em> (grief bacon, weight from comfort eating), <em>Backpfeifengesicht<\/em> (a face that begs to be slapped), <em>Schnapsidee<\/em> (a crazy idea) and <em>Drahtesel<\/em> (wire donkey, a bicycle) are among the favourites.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Which word decides the gender of a compound noun?<\/strong><br\/>\nThe last word: <em>das Haus<\/em> + <em>die T\u00fcr<\/em> = <em>die Haust\u00fcr<\/em>. Exceptions are very rare (<em>der Mittwoch<\/em>, from <em>die Woche<\/em>), so in practice you only need the article of the final part.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What are cool German compound words?<\/strong><br\/><em>Fernweh<\/em> (longing for faraway places), <em>Ohrwurm<\/em> (a song stuck in your head) and <em>Torschlusspanik<\/em> (fear of being too late for something important) are popular because English has no single word for them.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Learn long German words by saying them, not just reading them.<\/strong> SipLingo gives you real voice conversations, scores for word accuracy and intonation, and instant corrections in your own language.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/download?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=german-compound-words&amp;utm_content=footer\">Start free \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>German compound words take the gender and plural of the LAST word: das Haus + die T\u00fcr = die Haust\u00fcr. 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