langjährigvslangjährigeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,419
“langjährig” frequency rank
#7,640
“langjährige” frequency rank
53059
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature langjährig langjährige
Definition viele Jahre bestehend, dauernd Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs langjährig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set langjährig and langjährige apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
langjährig
11 ch
langjährige

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. langjährig ([ˈlaŋˌjɛːʁɪç]) and langjährige ([ˈlaŋˌjɛːʁɪɡə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “langjährig” sits inside “langjährige”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53059, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

langjährig is recorded at frequency rank #45,419, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlaŋˌjɛːʁɪç]. langjährige is at rank #7,640, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlaŋˌjɛːʁɪɡə].

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 53059, this pair ranks #1,072,680 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of langjährig vs langjährige

Shared letters: aghijlnrä. Private to "langjährig": -. Private to "langjährige": e.

"langjährig" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC  ·  "langjährige" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVCV

Frequency comparison

langjährig#45,419
langjährige#7,640

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "langjährig" and "langjährige" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlaŋˌjɛːʁɪç] versus [ˈlaŋˌjɛːʁɪɡə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "langjährig" or "langjährige"?
"langjährige" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,640 in our German list, against #45,419 for "langjährig". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering langjährig vs langjährige

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 “langjährig” 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