Weird German Words: A Journey through 21 Strange Words (2023)

FAQs

What is the most complicated German word? ›

1. Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung (36) Officially recognised by the Duden - Germany's pre-eminent dictionary - as the longest word in German, Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung is a 36-letter, tongue-tying way of describing a rather, mundane everyday concept: motor vehicle liability insurance.

Backpfeifengesicht. This one is used to describe a face that's in need of a good punch, as in, 'good grief, he's got a right backpfeifengesicht… that face is just asking to be punched'.

The longest word in the standard German dictionary is Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung – which is the word for motor vehicle liability insurance. But at 36 letters, it's rather puny. Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften, a touch longer at 39 letters, is the language's longest non-dictionary word.

At 80 letters, the longest word ever composed in German is Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft, the "Association for Subordinate Officials of the Head Office Management of the Danube Steamboat Electrical Services".

Torschlusspanik describes the anxiety induced by the feeling that time is running out for you to act. It literally means 'gate closing panic', and particularly refers to people as they age, who worry that they have to take the opportunity now, in case they never get the chance again.

the weight a person gains during a period of overeating due to unhappiness, depression, grief, or other emotional condition: I finally got over the anguish of my divorce, but my Kummerspeck doesn't want to let go!

In German, there are several ways to express pain: the already mentioned "aua" (ow-ah), which is used mostly in children's language (perhaps for the corresponding consolation word "eia" (i-ah)); well, yes, "autsch" (ouch), also used for the expression of disapprovement; and, perhaps most commonly used, the simple "au" ...

The German letter ß is a ligature and is also called a “scharfes s” (sharp s). But it's simpler than it sounds–it actually just means “ss”. The best thing about this letter? It sounds exactly like the “s” sound in English!

What does putzy mean in German? ›

Putzi. (das) baby [österr.] (das) baby [österr.], a dog name.

A German breakfast consists of hearty Brot (breads) and Brötchen (rolls), decorated with butter, sweet jams and local honey, thinly sliced meats, cheese and even some Leberwurst.

The German consonant 'z' is pronounced in the same manner as the English 'ts' sound that is found at the end of words such as 'cats', 'lots' or 'sits'.

Ö, or ö, is a character that represents either a letter from several extended Latin alphabets, or the letter "o" modified with an umlaut or diaeresis. In many languages, the letter "ö", or the "o" modified with an umlaut, is used to denote the close- or open-mid front rounded vowels [ø] ( listen) or [œ] ( listen).

In Germany, pronounced like the English 'z'; pronounced like 's' in 'sound' when at the end of a word, after consonants (except 'l', 'm', 'n', ng') and before consonants. In Austria, pronounced like 'z' only when it appears between two vowels, pronounced like 's' otherwise.

Ficken means to f*ck, mit jemandem ficken = to f*ck someone etc. Germans use ficken only in a sexual sense. Most f-expressions in English are translated using some form of Scheiß or Arsch.

There are several levels to cursing in Swedish, and the expressions seen as less naughty are those made up by numbers. In Sweden, bad words mostly have a religious origin and in the past it was common to amplify them with numbers, such as 'sjutton' (17), 'attans' (an old word for 18), and 'tusan' (meaning 1,000).

floccinaucinihilipilification (29).

isoleucine (189, 819 letters)

What is a 190000 letter word? ›

The longest English word is also the longest word in the world, with almost 190,000 letters. It is the chemical name for titin, the largest protein known. The longest word in the English dictionary however, is the 45-letter word "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis", which refers to a lung disease.

Kummerspeck is a compound noun composed of Kummer (grief), and Speck (bacon, or lard), so translates literally as 'grief bacon'. We all have those days when we accidentally eat the whole tub of ice cream, or the second pizza, or both. It helps to assuage feelings of loneliness, sadness and melancholy.

Zweisamkeit f (genitive Zweisamkeit, plural Zweisamkeiten) (slightly informal) togetherness, intimacy between two persons, most often romantic; tête-à-tête.

Backpfeifengesicht meaning: Someone deserving of a face slap

It's not quite clear where the word came from, but it was in common use in northern Germany by the 19th century and has stuck around ever since. It's actually quite visceral, describing a slap so resounding it whistles along the cheek.

Dürfen (to be allowed, may) is used to give or refuse permission: Hier darf geraucht werden. You may smoke here. Hier darf nicht getrunken werden.

Germans have a lot of simple ways to express disgust. You can say Pfui or Bäh, or at least Igitt (pronounced “ill-get”) or Ihn. The English equivalents to these are 'pshaw', “yuck”, “eww” or “ugh”.

Use lieber just as you would use gerne (after the verb). Only use it if you are comparing two or more things! Ich lieber Deutsch als Französisch.

Once the shock of people staring a little longer than expected wears off, it becomes clear that staring in Germany is actually a sign of politeness in certain circumstances. Staring into the eyes of others is an important part of saying 'prost' (cheers) before drinking a beer or a glass of wine.

1: “Ich kriege so eine Krawatte”

And it comes from the pressure you feel in your throat when you get so angry you could scream. Germans use this saying when they find something makes them really angry.

What is the Ü symbol called? ›

U-umlaut. A glyph, U with umlaut, appears in the German alphabet. It represents the umlauted form of u, which results in [yː] when long and [ʏ] when short. The letter is collated together with U, or as UE.

The last umlaut in the German language is the Ü. Similar to the Ö, there is no sound in the English language which is the equivalent of this umlaut.

Most likely, the German abbreviation “z.B.” will cross your way very often. It stands for “zum Beispiel” which means “for example” in English.

Klabusterbeere f (genitive Klabusterbeere, plural Klabusterbeeren, diminutive Klabusterbeerchen n ) (slang) dingleberry (US English) / clingon (British English) (dried fecal matter adhering to anal hair)

In the literal sense, Mensch translates to mean 'Human'. However; it is not always used in this way alone. It can also be an interjection in conversation, especially when something catches you off guard. It has also been adopted in day-to-day speech as a way of expressing surprise at a situation, positive or negative.

(mein) Schnuckiputzi / Schnucki. (my) sweetie pie, darling.

Dinner time in Germany

Ever practical, the Germans sit down to dinner between 6-7pm, but don't worry if you miss a meal – there's an abundance of after hour food options in Germany, including the ubiquitous and satisfying kebab stores.

Dinner. In Germany, the evening meal is called Abendessen or Abendbrot – the latter is actually more like a supper, and literally translates to 'evening bread'. Following a hearty lunch, Germans traditionally enjoy a lighter dinner, with breads, hams, sausages, cheeses, and pickles all being very common.

Sauerbraten is a traditional German roast of heavily marinated meat. It is regarded as a national dish of Germany, and is frequently served in German-style restaurants internationally. It can be prepared from a variety of meats, most often from beef, but also from venison, lamb and mutton, pork and horse.

German has four special letters; three are vowels accented with an umlaut sign (⟨ä, ö, ü⟩) and one is derived from a ligature of ⟨ſ⟩ (long s) and ⟨z⟩ (⟨ß⟩; called Eszett "ess-zed/zee" or scharfes S "sharp s"), all of which are officially considered distinct letters of the alphabet, and have their own names separate ...

Why do Germans pronounce J as Y? ›

The spelling of the German word Majonäse was Germanified as part of the recent spelling reforms in the German-speaking countries. The proximity of German 'j' to English 'y' can be seen by the fact that many words imported from English that originally began with a 'y' are spelled in German with an initial 'j'.

V is pronounced as “f”, with the letter itself rhyming with "cow". This can be seen in words like vor, verkehren, and Verlust. W, meanwhile, takes the pronunciation of an English V — hence the confusion. The letter W is pronounced as “veh” and can be seen in words like Wetter, Woche, and warten.

SS, abbreviation of Schutzstaffel (German: “Protective Echelon”), the black-uniformed elite corps and self-described “political soldiers” of the Nazi Party.

Ø (or minuscule: ø) is a letter used in the Danish, Norwegian, Faroese, and Southern Sámi languages. It is mostly used as a representation of mid front rounded vowels, such as [ø] ( listen) and [œ] ( listen), except for Southern Sámi where it is used as an [oe] diphthong.

Ethel (Œ, œ)

The letter Ethel is probably more recognizable in modern-day as a woman's name, but it's actually based on the Futhark rune of Odal, transcribed as œ. Very similar to ash, it possesses a long e sound, such as in the word subpœna.

ß is just a “ss” sound. j sounds like the English y. w sounds like the English v. v sounds like the English f.

It represents the voiced alveolar affricate ([d͡z]) sound. In the Emiliano-Romagnolo alphabet, it is used to represent the voiced dental fricative ([ð]) sound. Depending on the various dialects, the pronunciation can be [ðz], or, under Italian influence, [dz], but the most common pronunciation is [ð].

– “ö” as in blöd is like an English person saying “burn” Make the sound “a” as in the word “may” and then make your lips into an “o” shape.

The German word Kummerspeck translates literally to “grief bacon,” and actually means “the excess weight gained from sorrow.” The phrase has a sort of perfect black humor to it, the words grief and bacon functioning with the perfect formal efficiency of a well-told joke: Grief, in all its heavy and self-serious pathos, ...

What is the most difficult word in the world? ›

Kuddelmuddel in German means basically what the word sounds like: chaos. There is no direct English equivalent, but chaos, mess or medley is probably a good way to start.

(mein) Schnuckiputzi / Schnucki. (my) sweetie pie, darling.

5 answers from our tutors

Kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung So the longest word to be found in the German dictionary is Kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung – "motor vehicle indemnity insurance".

In both June and October of 2022, the editors of the tome have released their own lists of the most mispronounced words in the English language, which include such whoppers as “victuals,” “awry,” “epitome” and, yes, “acai.”