Which to use
“lebenslang” and “lebenslanger” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,972
- “lebenslang” frequency rank
- #29,674
- “lebenslanger” frequency rank
- 47646
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lebenslang | lebenslanger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | für die gesamte (restliche) Lebensdauer; für die Dauer eines ganzen Lebens | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs lebenslang |
Where the eye mixes lebenslang and lebenslanger
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. lebenslang runs 10 letters (CVCVCCCVCC) against lebenslanger's 12 (CVCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses lebenslang with lebenslanger
A purely visual mix-up. lebenslang ([ˈleːbn̩sˌlaŋ]) and lebenslanger ([ˈleːbn̩sˌlaŋɐ]) 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 “lebenslanger”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47646, 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]. lebenslanger is at rank #29,674, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈleːbn̩sˌlaŋɐ].
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 47646, this pair ranks #1,277,010 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lebenslang vs lebenslanger
Shared letters: abeglns. Private to "lebenslang": -. Private to "lebenslanger": r.
"lebenslang" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCC · "lebenslanger" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lebenslang ← elbenslang · lbeenslang · lebbenslang · lebenlsang · lebennslang · lebensalng · lebenslagn · lebenslangg
- lebenslanger ← elbenslanger · lbeenslanger · lebbenslanger · lebenlsanger · lebennslanger · lebensalnger · lebenslagner · lebenslanegr
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lebenslang" and "lebenslanger" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lebenslang" or "lebenslanger"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "lebenslang" and "lebenslanger" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lebenslang" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lebenslanger" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,277,010 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lebenslang" and "lebenslanger" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lebenslanger 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 #1,277,010 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.