Which to use
“langen” is a verb and “längst” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,204
- “langen” frequency rank
- #1,520
- “längst” frequency rank
- 2724
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | langen | längst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich einem Gegenstand entgegen strecken, um ihn zu ergreifen | schon lange, seit langem, seit langer/längerer Zeit |
Where the eye mixes langen and längst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. langen (CVCCVC) and längst (CVCCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses langen with längst
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: langen is [ˈlaŋən] while längst is [lɛŋst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2724, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
langen is recorded at frequency rank #1,204, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaŋən]. längst is at rank #1,520, tagged as anadv, pronounced [lɛŋst].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 2724, this pair ranks #2,001,727 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of langen vs längst
Shared letters: gln. Private to "langen": ae. Private to "längst": stä.
"langen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "längst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- langen ← alngen · lagnen · lanegn · langenn · langgen · langne · lanngen · llangen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "langen" and "längst" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "langen" vs "längst" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "langen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "längst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,001,727 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "langen" and "längst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "langen vs lenzen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #2,001,727 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.