Which to use
“lebenslang” and “lebenslanges” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,972
- “lebenslang” frequency rank
- #39,503
- “lebenslanges” frequency rank
- 57475
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lebenslang | lebenslanges |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | für die gesamte (restliche) Lebensdauer; für die Dauer eines ganzen Lebens | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs lebenslang |
Where the eye mixes lebenslang and lebenslanges
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. lebenslang runs 10 letters (CVCVCCCVCC) against lebenslanges's 12 (CVCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: lebenslang vs lebenslanges
A purely visual mix-up. lebenslang ([ˈleːbn̩sˌlaŋ]) and lebenslanges ([ˈleːbn̩sˌlaŋəs]) 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 “lebenslanges”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57475, 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]. lebenslanges is at rank #39,503, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈleːbn̩sˌlaŋəs].
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 57475, this pair ranks #899,924 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lebenslang vs lebenslanges
Shared letters: abeglns. Private to "lebenslang": -. Private to "lebenslanges": -.
"lebenslang" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCC · "lebenslanges" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lebenslang ← elbenslang · lbeenslang · lebbenslang · lebenlsang · lebennslang · lebensalng · lebenslagn · lebenslangg
- lebenslanges ← elbenslanges · lbeenslanges · lebbenslanges · lebenlsanges · lebennslanges · lebensalnges · lebenslagnes · lebenslanegs
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lebenslang" and "lebenslanges" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "lebenslang" or "lebenslanges" show up more?
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 "lebenslanges" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #899,924 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lebenslang" and "lebenslanges" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lebenslagen 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 #899,924 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.