lebenslangevsLebensläufeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lebenslange is a adjective, Lebensläufe is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lebenslange” is an adjective and “Lebensläufe” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,353
“lebenslange” frequency rank
#41,313
“Lebensläufe” frequency rank
58666
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lebenslange Lebensläufe
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs lebenslang Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Lebenslauf

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lebenslange and Lebensläufe apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
lebenslange
11 ch
Lebensläufe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

lebenslange and Lebensläufe 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 3 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58666, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lebenslange is recorded at frequency rank #17,353, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈleːbn̩sˌlaŋə]. Lebensläufe is at rank #41,313, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈleːbn̩sˌlɔɪ̯fə].

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 58666, this pair ranks #853,932 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

lebenslange#17,353
Lebensläufe#41,313

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lebenslange" and "Lebensläufe" be used interchangeably?
No, "lebenslange" and "Lebensläufe" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering lebenslange vs Lebensläufe

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “lebenslange”; for a noun, it's “Lebensläufe”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lebenslange” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list