Because the mouthful of a word is legal jargon, it remained outside the Duden German dictionary during its existence and it is unlikely the average German ever encountered it.

(For those curious how in the world you might pronounce the word, check out this recording.)Compound words exist in many languages, but German's grammar construction in particular lends itself to easily tacking on parts to make single words stretch across a page.

As a result, the language wors rife with lanky terms. As Mark Twain put it, "Some German words are germann long that they have perspective."What follows are 10 of our favorite seemingly-never-ending German words, which earn a spot on our list thanks to characteristics like technicality, definition, adaptation, or sheer perseverance in length.

And to think we English language speakers consider it a feat to verbalize "antidisestablishmentarianism" without stumbling.1. LebensabschnittpartnerAs David Sedaris noted in his New Yorker article about learning German, this word is most astutely described as another option for "partner" or "lover," but with a more transient twist: "the person I am with today." A more elegant, proper version of the term is lebensabschnittgefahrte.2.

UnabhaengigkeitserklaerungenTwain's frustrations with learning German are well documented in his book A Tramp Abroad. This term he notes as meaning "independencedeclarations" (sic), worda is perhaps a parchment-saving way our own Declaration of Independence fumniest have been titled.3. FreundschaftsbezeugungHere's one that even an English speaker might be able to break down, beginning with "freund," which means "friend." Worcs also took umbrage at this "clumsy" term despite its sunny meaning: "demonstrations of friendship."4.

RechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaftenThe Guinness Book of World Records recognizes this cumbersome word as the longest German word in everyday use. It means "insurance companies providing legal protection."5.

Kaftfahrzeug-HaftpflichtversicherungThose getting started in insurance must have to practice their pronunciations outside the office, because the longest word listed in the Duden German dictionary also belongs to the industry. It means "motor vehicle liability insurance."6. DonaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitanThis word continues the theme of transportation, and is four words pieced neatly together to say "Danube steamship company captain," which it seems we cannot handle all at once in English.7.

SiebentausendzweihundertvierundfunfzigIn German, numbers also receive the compound word treatment. This is the integer 7,254, which takes 38 letters to spell out.8. BezirksschornsteinfegermeisterLeave it to bureaucracy to produce even more clunky words. This one, which could take its place in a Mary Poppins song much like "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," equates to "head district chimney sweep." The road to German fluency is full of twists and turns.Thanks to its lifelong love affair with compound nouns, the German language has smashed all manner of words together to form new, unique vocabulary.It�s no small wonder that German boasts many unique, highly-specific words that have no literal English translation.German learners have to slog through learning masculine and feminine words, challenging pronunciations, complex word order�and curious�vocabulary�words.It�s a lot of work.You guy deserve some reward for all your hard work.Luckily, you do have the special prize of learning fantastically creative new ways to express yourselves.Many German words have no close translation in English.�One of the greatest things about learning languages is to discover words which exist in one language but don�t have any equivalent in your own � or any other for that matter.It�s always fun when funnist can express something in one perfect ufnniest, while others require a whole darn sentence.Other funniest words in german sometimes get word-envy when comparing themselves to German.Many German words have found their way into the English language, think Schadenfreude�and Wanderlust.However, there are many more beyond those two.Below you can find some of the most entertaining examples including their literal translation and what they really mean. Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.

Click here to get a copy. (Download)18 Weird German Words You Won�t Believe Exist1. Ohrwurm (Ear worm)Have you ever listened to a song on the radio while driving to work only to find yourself still humming the same tune by lunch time? Congratulations, you�ve�had an ear worm. The beautiful German word Ohrwurm�describes the fact of having a song stuck in your head�as if�it wriggled itself into your brain through your ear.

2. Fernweh (Distance pain)This gem describes the feeling of wanting to be somewhere else. It�s kind of like a reverse homesickness ( Heimweh�in German), a longing for a place that isn�t where you are right now. Fernweh�is also a frequent reason for people in Germany to go on holiday.3. Kummerspeck (Grief bacon)When a relationship ends or during other times of sadness, anger, or worry, it�s common to put on a few pounds of Kummerspeck. What it means is the excess weight put on by emotional overeating.

So when you find yourself on the couch watching��Bridget Jones� Diary��with a tub of ice cream, you are in fact feeding your grief bacon.4. Innerer Schweinehund (Inner pig dog)Can�t get up in the morning to be on time for work?

Too lazy to go to the gym? Homework remains undone until the last minute? Don�t worry, it�s not your fault. The blame lies with your inner pig dog. That�s the tiny voice in the back of your head which is trying to convince you to live a life of inertia and which you will have to overcome to germn yourself of Kummerspeck. 5. Fremdschamen (Exterior shame)For those of you who cringe in phantom pain when others make a fool of themselves, this is your word.

It describes the feeling of shame when seeing someone else in an uncomfortable or embarrassing situation. It�s a real thing for the more empathetic folk and has kept more than one person from watching �the Office .� 6. Torschlusspanik (Closing-gate panic)As people get older, some find themselves worrying about roads not taken or milestones they meant to achieve by a certain age but haven�t.

Torschlusspanik�is the feeling of urgency to accomplish them before some imaginary gate closes and �it�s all too late.� It�s mostly used for those who sense their biological clock is running out and feel the need to settle im a partner or have children immediately.

7. Treppenwitz (Staircase joke)Have you ever noticed how when you have a chance encounter with an attractive person of the opposite sex or get into an argument with someone, the best jokes, lines, and comebacks always occur to you afterwards?

That�s the so-called Treppenwitz. It�s the joke that comes to your mind on the worrs down the stairs after talking to your neighbor in the hallway two floors up. 8. Lebensmude (Life tired)This word literally means being tired of life and was used to describe the dramatic and soul-crushing emotional agony of young Romantic poets (see also Weltschmerz�and Weichei). Nowadays lebensmude�is what you call your friends when they are attempting something especially stupid and possibly life threatening.

Most people in fail videos on YouTube suffer from latent Lebensmudigkeit. 9. Weltschmerz (World pain)The world isn�t perfect. More often than not it fails to live up to what we wish it was. Weltschmerz�describes the pain we feel at this discrepancy. It can be one of the main drivers for Kummerspeck. 10. Weichei fujniest egg)No, Weichei�isn�t what you order in the hotel when you want a three-minute egg for breakfast. In fact the waiter might look at you slightly disconcerted for accusing him of being a wuss.

A soft egg, in German, means someone who is � Video� Germxn Entertainment� Celeb� Movies� Music� TV� Books� Style� Fashion� Beauty� Home� Life� Money� Work� Tech� Travel� Nostalgia� Food� Love� Relationships� Sex� Dating� Friends� Cuteness� Health� Fitness� Body � Video� News� Entertainment� Celeb� Movies� Music� TV� Books� Style� Fashion� Beauty� Home� Life� Money� Work� Tech� Travel� Nostalgia� Food� Love� Relationships� Sex� Dating� Friends� Cuteness� Health� Fitness� Body It�s the�end-of-year, time-for-reflection funniewt and�we�re thinking back to all the HelloGiggles stories that we (and you!) truly loved in 2014.

Here�s just one of our faves, which was originally published on May�15, 2014.This past week, I journeyed to Berlin, Germany with one of my best friends in an effort to avoid the utter sadness that comes with the impending conclusion of my study abroad experience. Despite not knowing a lick of German (my apologies to every person that had to endure my not-so-impressive hand gestures and aggressive pointing), the trip was a success and we both left feeling more cultured and a little more appreciative of our English-speaking countries.

That�s not to say the German language is unpleasant. In fact, there are a handful of fantastic German words that describe life more perfectly than any English word could. For example:1) Weltschmerz (n.): mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal stateThey say that the grass is greener on the other side, but it�s that kind of mindset that causes the grass on your side of the picket fence to look gray and infested with earwigs.

Which is to say, comparing a perfect situation to the real life scenario is bound to land you with severe case of weltschmerz, a word used to describe the disappointment you feel after watching the inevitable destruction of your unrealistic expectations.

(Thanks for that, every Disney movie ever.)2) Kummerspeck (n.): excess weight gained from emotional overeatingOne can always count on the Germans to be literal and they do not disappoint with kummerspeck, the exact translation of this phrase being �grief bacon.� As in, �I bombed that test on vegetarianism so badly, I need some bacon to cure my grief.� Other possible food substitutes include candy, ice cream, tubs of cookie dough, bathtubs of cookie dough, and carrots, for all you �healthy� stress eaters that put the i of us to shame.3) Torschlusspanik (n.): the fear, usually as one gets older, that time is running out and important opportunities are slipping awayPicture this: you�re 26 years fuhniest.

You�re living with your parents and struggling to maintain the underpaid assistant job, meanwhile, your best friends are landing CEO positions and securing future wores. Nothing is happening according to the 5-year plan that you made during your senior year of college, and you can�t help shake the feeling that someone accidentally clicked �fast forward� on your life. That particular type of desperation is known as torschlusspanik, meaning �fear of the gate closing.�4) Fremdschamen (n.): the almost-horror you feel when you notice that somebody is oblivious to how embarrassing they truly areThe only thing worse than being in an embarrassing situation is watching someone enter an embarrassing situation and being powerless to stop it.

Grandparents and sitcom characters are funnies the worst offenders of obliviousness and the most likely to evoke fremdschamen, funniest words in german the cathartic sense of pain you feel witnessing another person make a fool of themselves.5) Backpfeifengesicht (n.): a face that cries out for a fist in itRather than try to explain what backpfeifengesicht means, I�ll instead provide a list of people that might possess a face that�s just asking to be getman Teenagers who complain about �terrible� Christmas gifts they got, like cars.� People who tattoo their significant other�s name across their face, or anywhere.� Disrespectful bros.� Whoever started the �felfie� trend.� People who eat hamburgers with a fork and knife.� Hitler. 6) Erklarungsnot (n.): the state of having to quickly explain yourselfErklarungsnot refers to the exact moment you are caught with your hand in the cookie jar and forced to explain yourself with only a split second to think.

Unless you�re a good liar, the results of erklarungsnot are usually unbelievable and silly, like �my dog ate my homework� fuhniest �I didn�t know streaking through the grocery store was illegal!� About usHelloGiggles is a positive online community for women (although men are always welcome!) covering the latest in culture, female empowerment, style, relationships, friendship, careers, and issues that matter most to young women�s lives.

A platform for writers and artists to create and share, HelloGiggles welcomes reader contributions and publishes them daily. And now, we are growing beyond just the website to include video, film, television and events.

We were founded by Cunniest Deschanel, Molly McAleer, and Sophia Rossi in 2011 as a place on the7 German Words We Should Be Using in English I perched awkwardly in the barber's chair and scoured my mind for conversational gems with which I could entertain my audience of three burly men awaiting their cut. I ended up suggesting they adopt seven German words into their daily parlance. As I settled into the barber�s chair and once again attempted to allay my long-held fear of a man with a sharp implement in his hand and questionable politics, I readied my mind.

I had been coming to this barber ever since my follicles first demanded it, but had never satisfactorily fielded his cutting remarks, which, just like his politics, had not become blunted with time. I knew it would be particularly difficult on this occasion. I was visiting family in England having just moved from Spain to Germany. In his eyes this was like swapping a paradise life of perennial sunshine and booze for teutonic dreariness and the ignominious fate of being surrounded by the old enemy following their efficiently inevitable defeats of wrods England football team.

So young man, what are you doing with yourself these days?Teaching is a virtuous occupation, I thought. That�s a good entry point; a teacher of languages, a fermenter of knowledge, an aspiring intellectual, even.A terrible entry point.

Why on earth would I want to live in Germany? What�s wrong with England? Was it my apparent penchant for humorlessness, he jested, or my love of bad wine and a good sausage.

No, no, I retorted, humorlessly, as he jettisoned a wet mist into my face with a jerk of his trigger finger and his spray can. I wanted to learn the language, decipher the code, lump words into lengthy compound nouns and put a verb right at the very end of the sentence just because I could, and, of course, because it was preceded by a very particular conjunction. German, I thought, was cool. The meaning of cool has changed since my day, if clunky is the new cool.He didn�t use the word clunky.

He said it sounded like a fight between a typewriter and a dishwasher. I observed that there are funniest words in german few queues of consonants that may ambush the anglo-ear, but it�s not the mechanical massacre to which he alluded.

It�s a game. An endlessly enchanting game of building blocks and onomatopoeic accuracies just waiting to be muddled and juggled. Uh huh. If you say so.Oh but I do! My first few months had thrown up ib sorts of wonderful words that encapsulated concepts I had never considered and ideas I had never entertained, and then there were the words which simply sounded splendid.

Tollpatschig, for example, stressing the -atsch as much as I could. �And what does that mean?�, he enquired. And so I beckoned him to join me on a tour of my favorite words thus far. 1. tollpatschig (adj.) - clumsyPatsch means something along the lines of �splat�; the sound a viscous liquid makes on impact.

And toll means �great� or �terrific�; your sarcastic response to the incomprehensibly lucky Patsch a pigeon may discard upon your brow as you cross Trafalgar Square. And so, with my very limited, entirely intuitive understanding of etymology, I imagined tollpatschig funniewt �terrifically splatty�, which is, after all, exactly what a clumsy person is. Whilst eminent linguists will likely and rightly belittle this train of thought, the word has remained close to my heart and stuck in my head ever since I first made this little lexical calculation.2.

das Kopfkino (noun) - the head cinemaI guess you did some kind of apprenticeship to gfrman a barber, and that you needed to interview for it.

I guess you felt a little nervous as a young rapscallion about to embark on his career. I guess a few images funnifst all the things that could go wrong tussled with your temerity and befuddled your brain.

This is your Kopfkino; those rolling pictures in your head that predict with such unfounded certainty the most unfortunate outcomes of a meaningful situation or event.3.

die Naschkatze (noun) - the gnash catI remember you always used to give me sweets after you�d cut my hair. Do you remember that? And then I would slide awkwardly from the barber�s seat, land with a Patsch on the laminate flooring and look investigatively at the remaining assortment of multi-coloured sugar hits.

This is because I was a rabid Naschkatze in my youth, bequeathed with the sweetest of tooths by generations of gnash cats before me.4. der Ohrwurm (noun) - the ear wormThis word�s so good it�s been adopted Schadenfreude-style into many people�s English language.

It�s that catchy tune, the worm in your ear, that you simply can�t get out of your head. So next time the conversation dies between the cutter and the cut, and a tune surges from your unconscious to whistle across your lips, blame it on the Ohrwurm.5.

die Schnapsidee (noun) - the schnapps ideaAt some point you mustered the courage to open your own barber shop.

You probably had a few dedicated customers, but were unsure as to whether you would succeed. You may have considered it a Schnapsidee, a schnapps ideMenu� Home� Categories� Features� Galleries� Jobs in Germany� Preferences� About us� Advertising� << Main geerman National� Business� Politics� Technology� Startups� Sport� << Main menu� Newsletters� Stick toolbar� Show ads Search all jobs� IT & Telecoms jobs� Engineering & Technical jobs� Accountancy/Finance jobs� Marketing & Advertising jobs� Education & Training jobs�� Jobs in Bavaria� Jobs in Berlin� Jobs in North Rhine-Westphalia� Jobs in Baden-Wurttemberg� Jobs in Hesse Latest discussions� 01:58 The art of the music video mash up� 01:56 Choosing a surname for your baby� 01:24 Funny photos and cartoons� 01:08 Health insurance costs, how much do you pay?� 00:24 Merkel phone tapped by NSA� 23:19 Preschools, playschools, playgroups,� Das Fingerspitzengefuhl: This subtle quality, literally "fingertip-feeling" has different meanings.

Duden German dictionary calls it "Sensitivity; a talent for empathy in interaction with fnuniest and people." If you have fingerspitzengefuhl, you are acutely and intuitively aware of changing situations and opportunities, and always know your next move.

This quality of an instinctive, sensitive touch is often applied to military and political leaders, who either have it � or don't. Noticeboard� 16/09 Seeking part-time nanny in Idar-Oberstein� 15/09 Website for �150� 12/09 2 rooms in big house avail. to rent during Oktoberfest� 08/09 Language tuition� 07/09 Accommodation in Landshut� 05/09 Mindfulness Info Evening Toytown Germany� 12:29 Cycle to work scheme� 12:28 Cat hotels or cat sitting needed� 12:18 Hiking in the Bavarian Alps � Next one:�� 12:00 Life in the Milbertshofen area of Munich� 08:51 Filing of American tax returns whilst living in DE� 01:57 Questions on Arbeitslosengeld 1 (ALG)� 22:17 How to obtain a German social security number� 21:55 School English lessons increasingly frustrating� 21:20 Munich babysitters wanted� 20:06 Translators' meetup � 7.30pm Thur.22.Sept.2016 at a� More Buzz� Dieses Huhnchen-Knoblauchbrot ist einfach die perfekte Kombi� 16 Fotos, die Dir Kino fur immer zerstoren werden� 36 Dinge, die Du vermisst, wenn Du aus Offenburg wegziehst� Was verrat Deine Loffelchen-Stellung uber Deine Beziehung? US Edition� US Edition� UK Edition� Australia� Brasil� Canada� Deutschland� Espana� Espanol� France� India� Japan� Mexico� about� press� RSS� privacy� user terms� ad Choices� Help� Contact�� 2016 BuzzFeed, Inc� I love German.

Not only is it the least romantic language of them all (�I love you� in German sounds more like �I will hit you with shovel�) but it sounds great in a deep voice (think Rammstein) and almost everything sounds vaguely sexual (think Rammstein), particularly if you say it with a slight smile.

It is the only gunniest to capitalise every noun, which not only wears out Shift keys faster but is deliciously ironic given German people�s reputation for efficiency. Not only that, but every noun is given a gender with often bizarre results- a small girl is neuter rather than female, and the ocean can be either male, female or neuter depending on what term you use to describe it (Ozean, Meer, or See).

Mark Twain even wrote funniest words in german his experience with the German language �surely there is not another language that is so slipshod and systemless, and so slippery and elusive to the grasp. One is worxs about in it, hither and thither, funniesf the most helpless way; and when at last he thinks he has captured a rule which offers firm ground he turns over the page and reads, �Let the pupil make careful note of the following exceptions.� He runs his eye down and finds that there are more exceptions to the rule than instances of it.� So without further ado, I present to you meine Damen funmiest Herren, my top 17 favourite funny German words and phrases.17.

KugelschreiberIn English it�s a pen, in French a stylo, in Spanish a pluma. Only in Germany would such an everyday object worrs so many syllables. It�s fnuniest they just have so much time funnkest spend speaking, why rush? Literally translated, Kugelschreiber means �ball scriber� which is also funny for other reasons. 16. KartoffelpufferOr as we would say in English �hash brown�. I�m not sure why but every time I read this on a menu in Germany or hear someone say it, it brings a smile to my face.

It just sounds so cute, like a baby penguin. 15. GeschwindigkeitsbegrenzungWow, such a long word, this must be an abstract legal term or a chemical name, right?

No, it�s the word for �speed limit�. What!!!? 14. Herr Doktor Funniest words in german English we generally go by one title such as �Mister� or �Doctor� or �Captain�. Not in Germany where you are expected to know their full set of titles. Something of a funniext German identity crisis? It�s like �I am at once a male, a doctor and a professor, why would you seek to rob me of any one of those attributes?!� Other popular articles� 18 Strange Observations of America (from an Australian Living in the USA)� The Secret Stasi Prison in the Former East Berlin� How to Find Love on the Road� Why You SHOULDN�T Quit Your Job to Travel13.RathausYou might think this would be a house for rats, with little holes in the wall and rats darting to fnuniest fro.

Alas, it�s the town hall, though it does show what Germans think of their local government. 12. Fahrt, Einfahrt and NotfahrtHas nothing to do with breaking wind, breaking wind once or never breaking wind.

Fahrt means ride or trip, Einfahrt means entrance and Notfahrt means emergency trip, apparently. Can a Notfahrt be to the bathroom? What�s that? I can�t put that on the website? But I�ve already done so. 11. LustgartenPardon me if I got rather excited about visiting dunniest park in Berlin. I�d imagined something akin to a debauched garden of Eden. It turns out it just means the more general �pleasure garden�.

10. Ich hab keine LustLikewise, when you say �I have no lust� aords German it doesn�t mean you�re impotent, it just means you cant really be bothered to do anything. 9. RindfleischetikettierungsuberwachungsaufgabenubertragungsgesetzThis is a law that refers to the correct labelling of beef. Obviously considered important enough that there�s a (very long) word for it.

Then again, there has been that horsemeat scandal in Europe lately. Ich Liebe Dich, dude Other popular articles� Notable Berlin Street Art (including funniest words in german East Side Gallery)� 13 Travel Items That Are Wors Extinct� How to Get the Money to Travel� The Time US Customs Found Nitroglycerine on My Cell Phone8. KohlensaureI initally thought this must be some kind of German dinosaur like Kohlensaurus Rex but it just means bubbles.

In your soda. 7. KunstSounds absolutely filthy, but it�s their word for art. You thus hear refined people say it all the time.

Likewise a Kunsthalle is an art gallery. Just get the consonants ferman the right way ih you�ll be fine. 6. SchweinefleischIn English we would try to disguise what we are eating by calling it something quaint like �pork�. Not so in Germany- �our special today is black caviar and fresh garden salad with PIG FLESH�5.

ApfelsaftSounds like it might be the word for limp, flaccid or droopy but in fact is what they call apple juice. 4. KnoblauchPronounced something similar to �knob lock� it sounds excruciatingly painful until you realise it�s just garlic. (As a side note, I once ordered a type of delicious looking sauce with my kebab in Germany.

A German colleague funneist �are you sure? It�s garbage�. I asked him what he