LangeweilevslangweileWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Langeweile is a noun, langweile is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Langeweile” is a noun and “langweile” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#9,401
“Langeweile” frequency rank
#31,149
“langweile” frequency rank
40550
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Langeweile langweile
Definition Gefühl der Untätigkeit, der Eintönigkeit 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs langweilen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Langeweile and langweile apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
Langeweile
9 ch
langweile

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Langeweile is [ˈlaŋəˌvaɪ̯lə] while langweile is [ˈlaŋˌvaɪ̯lə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40550, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Langeweile is recorded at frequency rank #9,401, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaŋəˌvaɪ̯lə]. langweile is at rank #31,149, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlaŋˌvaɪ̯lə].

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 40550, this pair ranks #1,505,199 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Langeweile vs langweile

Shared letters: aegilnw. Private to "Langeweile": -. Private to "langweile": -.

"Langeweile" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVVCV  ·  "langweile" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Langeweilealngeweile · lagneweile · lanegweile · langeewile · langeweiel · langeweille · langewelie · langewiele
  • langweilealngweile · lagnweile · langewile · langgweile · langweiel · langweille · langwelie · langwiele

Frequency comparison

Langeweile#9,401
langweile#31,149

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Langeweile" and "langweile" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Langeweile" is a noun and "langweile" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Langeweile" or "langweile"?
"Langeweile" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,401 in our German list, against #31,149 for "langweile". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Langeweile vs langweile

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Langeweile”; for a verb, it's “langweile”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Langeweile” 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