Which to use
“längst” is an adverb and “längste” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,520
- “längst” frequency rank
- #11,926
- “längste” frequency rank
- 13446
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | längst | längste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schon lange, seit langem, seit langer/längerer Zeit | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs lang |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set längst and längste apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: längst is [lɛŋst] while längste is [ˈlɛŋstə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “längst” sits inside “längste”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13446, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
längst is recorded at frequency rank #1,520, classified as anadv, pronounced [lɛŋst]. längste is at rank #11,926, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlɛŋstə].
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 13446, this pair ranks #1,957,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of längst vs längste
Shared letters: glnstä. Private to "längst": -. Private to "längste": e.
"längst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC · "längste" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "längst" and "längste" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "längst" or "längste"?
Remembering längst vs längste
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “längst”; for an adjective, it's “längste”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “längst” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable