Komposita Splitter · Right-to-Left Gender Rule

German Compound Word Deconstructor

Paste any long German compound word (Kompositum) to split it into individual stems, inspect linking letters (Fugenelemente like -s-, -n-, -er-), and see why the final noun sets the gender.

Try:

das · neuterexact

das Krankenhaus

Meaning: hospitalLiteral: sick / patient + housePlural: die Krankenhäuser

Check Base Noun Cases

Building Blocks (Left modifier → Right head noun)

Modifieradj

krank

sick / patient

Head (Grundwort)noun

das Haus

house

Gender & Structure Rule

The final element (Grundwort) "das Haus" determines the compound's gender (neuter → das) and plural, while "krank" narrows the meaning.

German Linking Elements (Fugenelemente) Guide

-s-

Linking -s- (Fugen-s)

Very common after feminine suffixes (-ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -tion, -tät) and many masculine/neuter nouns.

-es-

Linking -es-

Genitive-style linker used mainly after short one-syllable masculine/neuter stems for smoother rhythm.

-n- / -en-

Linking -n- / -en-

Often appears after feminine nouns ending in -e or weak/plural noun stems.

-er-

Plural-stem -er- (often with umlaut)

Connects plural-form modifiers such as Wörter, Bücher, Kinder, Häuser to the head noun.

-ns-

Mixed-declension -ns-

Inherited from mixed/weak genitives such as Herzens, Namens, Friedens.

∅ (direct join)

Direct join (no linking element)

The two stems join directly without an extra sound, sometimes dropping a final -e (Schule → Schulbuch).

Curated Compound Examples

German Compounds FAQ

How do you know whether a German compound noun uses der, die, or das?

In German, compound nouns always read from right to left for grammar. The very last noun (das Grundwort / head noun) decides the article, grammatical gender, and plural form of the entire word: der Schuh + die Größe = die Schuhgröße; die Woche + das Ende = das Wochenende.

What are Fugenelemente (-s-, -n-, -en-, -es-, -er-)?

Fugenelemente (linking sounds) are small consonants or syllables inserted between compound stems to help pronunciation flow — similar to "sportsman" in English. Common German linkers are -s- (Arbeitsplatz, Geburtstag), -n-/-en- (Straßenbahn, Wochenende), and -er- (Wörterbuch).

Can you stack three or four nouns into one German word?

Yes! German freely builds multi-part compounds such as Haustürschlüssel (Haus + Tür + Schlüssel) or Straßenbahnhaltestelle (Straßen + Bahn + Halte + Stelle). Everything before the final noun narrows down the meaning like stacked adjectives or prepositional phrases in English.

Are compound nouns always written as one solid word without spaces?

Yes. Unlike English ("train station", "bus stop"), standard German writes closed compounds as one capitalized word (Bahnhof, Bushaltestelle). Hyphens are only added when spelling clarity is needed (E-Mail, Kaffee-Ersatz) or with abbreviations and numbers (U-Bahn, 2-Zimmer-Wohnung).