lebenslangvslebenslangenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,972
“lebenslang” frequency rank
#29,216
“lebenslangen” frequency rank
47188
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lebenslang lebenslangen
Definition für die gesamte (restliche) Lebensdauer; für die Dauer eines ganzen Lebens Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs lebenslang

Where the eye mixes lebenslang and lebenslangen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence.

10 ch
lebenslang
12 ch
lebenslangen

Look-alike desk: lebenslang vs lebenslangen

A purely visual mix-up. lebenslang ([ˈleːbn̩sˌlaŋ]) and lebenslangen ([ˈleːbn̩sˌlaŋən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “lebenslang” sits inside “lebenslangen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47188, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lebenslang is recorded at frequency rank #17,972, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈleːbn̩sˌlaŋ]. lebenslangen is at rank #29,216, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈleːbn̩sˌlaŋən].

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 47188, this pair ranks #1,293,203 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lebenslang vs lebenslangen

Shared letters: abeglns. Private to "lebenslang": -. Private to "lebenslangen": -.

"lebenslang" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCC  ·  "lebenslangen" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lebenslangelbenslang · lbeenslang · lebbenslang · lebenlsang · lebennslang · lebensalng · lebenslagn · lebenslangg
  • lebenslangenelbenslangen · lbeenslangen · lebbenslangen · lebenlsangen · lebennslangen · lebensalngen · lebenslagnen · lebenslanegn

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "lebenslang" and "lebenslangen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈleːbn̩sˌlaŋ] versus [ˈleːbn̩sˌlaŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lebenslang" or "lebenslangen"?
"lebenslang" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,972 in our German list, against #29,216 for "lebenslangen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lebenslang" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lebenslangen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,293,203 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lebenslang" and "lebenslangen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lebenslangen vs lebenslanges". 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 #1,293,203 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list