längerenvslängstenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“längeren” and “längsten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#5,009
“längeren” frequency rank
#12,123
“längsten” frequency rank
17132
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature längeren längsten
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Komparativs des Adjektivs lang Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs lang

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set längeren and längsten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
längeren
8 ch
längsten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. längeren ([ˈlɛŋəʁən]) and längsten ([ˈlɛŋstn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17132, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

längeren is recorded at frequency rank #5,009, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlɛŋəʁən]. längsten is at rank #12,123, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlɛŋstn̩].

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 17132, this pair ranks #1,930,093 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of längeren vs längsten

Shared letters: eglnä. Private to "längeren": r. Private to "längsten": st.

"längeren" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "längsten" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC

Frequency comparison

längeren#5,009
längsten#12,123

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "längeren" and "längsten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlɛŋəʁən] versus [ˈlɛŋstn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "längeren" or "längsten"?
"längeren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,009 in our German list, against #12,123 for "längsten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering längeren vs längsten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “längeren” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list