What was unusual about the word Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz?

It was a 63-letter law name that vanished when the law was repealed

It was the shortest German word

German Compound Words Quiz: Long Words, Clear Meanings

German builds new words by stacking old ones, which is why a vacuum cleaner is a dust sucker, and this German compound words quiz shows how the system works. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on Handschuh, Kühlschrank, Krankenhaus, Flugzeug, Kindergarten, Schadenfreude, linking letters, gender rules and a famous 63-letter law name.

Start German Compound Words Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Glove
What does Handschuh, glove, literally mean?
TV
What does Fernseher, television, literally mean?
Fridge
What does Kühlschrank literally mean?
Hospital
What does Krankenhaus literally mean?
Plane
What does Flugzeug literally mean?
Vacuum
What does Staubsauger, vacuum cleaner, literally mean?
Gender
Which part of a compound decides its grammatical gender?
Linking
What is the extra s in Arbeitszeit, working time, called?
Law
What was unusual about the word Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz?
Borrowed
Which German compound did English borrow for a type of early school?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What does Handschuh, glove, literally mean?
Answer: Hand shoe
Hand plus Schuh, shoe.
Q2: What does Fernseher, television, literally mean?
Answer: Far seer
Fern means far and Seher means seer.
Q3: What does Kühlschrank literally mean?
Answer: Cool cupboard
Kühl means cool and Schrank means cupboard.
Q4: What does Krankenhaus literally mean?
Answer: Sick house
Kranken means of the sick and Haus means house.
Q5: What does Flugzeug literally mean?
Answer: Flight thing
Zeug means stuff or thing.
Q6: What does Staubsauger, vacuum cleaner, literally mean?
Answer: Dust sucker
Staub is dust and Sauger is sucker.
Q7: Which part of a compound decides its grammatical gender?
Answer: The last word
Das Haus makes das Krankenhaus neuter.
Q8: What is the extra s in Arbeitszeit, working time, called?
Answer: A linking element, or Fugen-s
Linking sounds join some compound parts.
Q9: What was unusual about the word Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz?
Answer: It was a 63-letter law name that vanished when the law was repealed
The beef labeling law was repealed in 2013.
Q10: Which German compound did English borrow for a type of early school?
Answer: Kindergarten
It means children's garden.

German Compound Words Quiz – Building Words Like Blocks

German creates new words by joining existing ones into compounds. Handschuh, a glove, is a hand shoe, Fernseher, a television, is a far seer and Staubsauger, a vacuum cleaner, is a dust sucker.

The final word in a compound decides its gender and basic meaning, so das Haus makes das Krankenhaus, hospital, neuter. Linking elements such as the Fugen-s in Arbeitszeit make compounds easier to say.

Compounds can become very long, such as the 63-letter name of a beef labeling law repealed in 2013. English has borrowed compounds like Kindergarten, Schadenfreude and Wanderlust.

What This Quiz Teaches

Language learners will enjoy these questions.

How German compounds work
What common words mean literally
Which part decides gender
What linking letters do
Which words English borrowed

Did You Know?

Schadenfreude means pleasure at another's misfortune.
German nouns are always capitalized.
Compounds can be split to understand them.
Dictionaries cannot list every possible compound.
Handy is the German word for a mobile phone.