Which to use
“lebenslang” is an adjective and “Lebenslauf” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,972
- “lebenslang” frequency rank
- #7,083
- “Lebenslauf” frequency rank
- 25055
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lebenslang | Lebenslauf |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | für die gesamte (restliche) Lebensdauer; für die Dauer eines ganzen Lebens | Abfolge dessen, was sich im Verlauf des Lebens von jemandem ereignet hat |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lebenslang and Lebenslauf apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
lebenslang and Lebenslauf form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25055, 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]. Lebenslauf is at rank #7,083, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈleːbn̩sˌlaʊ̯f].
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 25055, this pair ranks #1,838,812 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lebenslang" and "Lebenslauf" be used interchangeably?
Remembering lebenslang vs Lebenslauf
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “lebenslang”; for a noun, it's “Lebenslauf”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lebenslang” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable