100 German Words Ending in -ung with English Meanings

If you want maximum vocabulary for minimum memorization, german words ending in ung are the best deal in the language. Every single one is feminine — die, no exceptions — every plural adds -en, and most are built from verbs you already know (bestellen → die Bestellung). Learn the 100 below and you’ve effectively learned 100 articles, 100 plurals, and dozens of verb connections for free.

This list groups the words by theme so you can learn them in useful clusters. For the grammar behind the pattern — how -ung attaches to verbs, the spelling rules, and which verbs resist it — see German -ung Endings Explained: Grammar Rules and Usage. And for the feminine-suffix shortcut that covers -heit, -keit, and -schaft too, see Why German Noun Endings Are Always Feminine: -ung Rule.

German Words Ending in -ung: Daily Life (1–25)

1. die Wohnung — apartment, flat. Die Wohnungssuche (apartment hunt) is a rite of passage in German cities.
2. die Zeitung — newspaper. Die Tageszeitung is the daily paper; die Bild-Zeitung needs no translation.
3. die Übung — exercise, practice. Both the school exercise and the workout.
4. die Rechnung — bill, invoice. Die Rechnung, bitte! — the check, please.
5. die Bestellung — order. Restaurant orders and online orders alike.
6. die Buchung — booking, reservation. Flights, hotels, appointments.
7. die Heizung — heating, radiator. Essential vocabulary from October to April.
8. die Kleidung — clothing. Uncountable in German — no plural in normal use.
9. die Nahrung — nourishment, food. More formal than das Essen.
10. die Reinigung — cleaning; also dry cleaner (die chemische Reinigung).
11. die Lieferung — delivery. Die Lieferung erfolgt morgen.
12. die Sendung — broadcast; shipment. TV programs and parcels share the word.
13. die Zahlung — payment. Die Zahlung ist fällig — payment is due.
14. die Mahnung — reminder; dunning letter. The polite word before die Inkasso.
15. die Kündigung — cancellation, termination. Contracts, leases, jobs.
16. die Meldung — notification, report. News tickers run on Meldungen.
17. die Mitteilung — announcement, message. Slightly formal.
18. die Anmeldung — registration. Courses, cars, residents — Germany loves registering things.
19. die Packung — pack, packaging. Eine Packung Milch — a carton of milk.
20. die Mischung — mixture, mix. Eine bunte Mischung — a colorful mix.
21. die Ladung — load, cargo. Also an electric charge.
22. die Füllung — filling. Teeth, dumplings, cushions.
23. die Würzung — seasoning. The act and art of spicing food.
24. die Ordnung — order, tidiness. Ordnung muss sein — there must be order.
25. die Öffnung — opening. Doors, stores, and die Öffnungszeiten (opening hours).

German Words Ending in -ung: Work and Business (26–50)

1. die Lösung — solution. Problems, puzzles, chemistry — one word.
2. die Vorbereitung — preparation. Die Vorbereitung läuft — preparations are underway.
3. die Entscheidung — decision. Eine schwere Entscheidung — a tough call.
4. die Erklärung — explanation. Also declaration (die Steuererklärung — tax return).
5. die Entwicklung — development. Software, economies, children.
6. die Versammlung — assembly, meeting. Formal gatherings.
7. die Verbindung — connection. Trains, flights, internet, relationships.
8. die Besprechung — discussion, meeting. The everyday office meeting.
9. die Sitzung — meeting, session. More formal — parliament sits in Sitzungen.
10. die Verhandlung — negotiation; trial. Business deals and courtrooms.
11. die Vereinbarung — agreement. Eine Vereinbarung treffen — to reach an agreement.
12. die Bewerbung — application. Job applications live and die by this word.
13. die Einstellung — hiring; attitude. Die Einstellung (mindset) vs. die Anstellung below.
14. die Anstellung — employment, position. Eine feste Anstellung — a permanent job.
15. die Schulung — training. Workplace training sessions.
16. die Prüfung — exam. Die Prüfung bestehen — to pass the exam.
17. die Leistung — performance, achievement. Also benefits (Sozialleistungen).
18. die Steuerung — control, steering. Machines, projects, economies.
19. die Verwaltung — administration. The dreaded and necessary Verwaltung.
20. die Vergütung — remuneration, compensation. Formal word for pay.
21. die Abrechnung — billing, settlement. Invoices itemized.
22. die Buchhaltung — bookkeeping, accounting department.
23. die Fortbildung — continuing education. Professional development courses.
24. die Ausbildung — apprenticeship, vocational training. The backbone of the German labor market.
25. die Beratung — consultation, advice. Die Beratung ist kostenlos — advice is free.

German Words Ending in -ung: Feelings, States and Events (51–75)

1. die Erfahrung — experience. Erfahrung sammeln — to gain experience.
2. die Überraschung — surprise. Was für eine Überraschung!
3. die Bedeutung — meaning, significance. Words and events both have Bedeutung.
4. die Erinnerung — memory, remembrance. In Erinnerung an — in memory of.
5. die Erkältung — a cold (illness). Ich habe eine Erkältung.
6. die Stimmung — mood, atmosphere. Parties and markets have Stimmung.
7. die Meinung — opinion. Meiner Meinung nach — in my opinion.
8. die Ahnung — notion, idea, hunch. Keine Ahnung! — no idea!
9. die Hoffnung — hope. Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt — hope dies last.
10. die Enttäuschung — disappointment. From enttäuschen.
11. die Aufregung — excitement, agitation. Good or bad — context decides.
12. die Spannung — tension, suspense; voltage. Thrillers run on Spannung.
13. die Rührung — being moved (emotionally). Zu Tränen gerührt — moved to tears.
14. die Zuneigung — affection, fondness.
15. die Abneigung — aversion, dislike. The opposite pole.
16. die Achtung — respect, attention. Achtung! — attention!/watch out!
17. die Beleidigung — insult. Also a criminal offense in Germany (Beleidigung is punishable).
18. die Kränkung — hurt, offense (to one’s feelings). Quieter than Beleidigung.
19. die Verwirrung — confusion. Verwirrung stiften — to sow confusion.
20. die Überzeugung — conviction, belief. Aus Überzeugung — out of conviction.
21. die Veranstaltung — event. Concerts, conferences, festivals.
22. die Einladung — invitation. Vielen Dank für die Einladung.
23. die Übernachtung — overnight stay. Mit Übernachtung — including the night.
24. die Verspätung — delay. Trains apologize with this word constantly.
25. die Warnung — warning. Eine letzte Warnung — a final warning.

German Words Ending in -ung: Actions and Abstract Concepts (76–100)

1. die Änderung — change, alteration. Änderungen vorbehalten — subject to change.
2. die Bewegung — movement. Physical, political, artistic.
3. die Bildung — education, formation. Die Bildung is a national value.
4. die Endung — ending. Grammar (Wortendungen) and stories.
5. die Erleichterung — relief. Was für eine Erleichterung! — what a relief! From erleichtern (to relieve).
6. die Ernährung — nutrition. Gesunde Ernährung — healthy eating.
7. die Eröffnung — opening, inauguration. Stores, exhibitions, ceremonies.
8. die Richtung — direction. In welche Richtung? — which way?
9. die Rettung — rescue, salvation. Die Rettung naht — rescue is near.
10. die Werbung — advertising. Werbung machen — to advertise.
11. die Wiederholung — repetition. Eine Wiederholung (TV rerun) and practice drills.
12. die Verbesserung — improvement. Verbesserungsvorschläge — suggestions for improvement.
13. die Veränderung — change, transformation. Deeper than Änderung.
14. die Verwendung — use, application. Formal word for using something.
15. die Herstellung — manufacture, production. Die Herstellung kostet…
16. die Entstehung — emergence, origin. Die Entstehung der Arten — the origin of species.
17. die Gestaltung — design, shaping. Die Gestaltung der Website.
18. die Gründung — founding, foundation. Startups begin with a Gründung.
19. die Führung — leadership, guidance; guided tour. Eine Führung durchs Museum.
20. die Handlung — action, act; plot (of a story); shop (in compounds like die Buchhandlung — bookstore).
21. die Wirkung — effect. Die Wirkung der Medizin — the effect of the medicine.
22. die Bedingung — condition, requirement. Unter einer Bedingung — on one condition.
23. die Behandlung — treatment. Medical and interpersonal.
24. die Bemerkung — remark, comment. Eine bissige Bemerkung — a biting remark.
25. die Beobachtung — observation. Science and people-watching.

How to Learn These Efficiently

Don’t memorize 100 articles — there are none to memorize. Every word above is die; every plural is -en. Spend your energy on two things instead:

1. Learn the verb behind the noun. Most -ung nouns decode to a verb: die Bestellung ← bestellen, die Warnung ← warnen, die Wiederholung ← wiederholen. When you meet an unfamiliar -ung noun while reading, strip the suffix and look for the verb — you’ll understand it without a dictionary most of the time. The 30 most useful verb→noun pairs are mapped in German Verbs That Form -ung Nouns: 30 Verb Conversions.

2. Learn them in the clusters above. The thematic groups mirror real contexts: the “daily life” words appear together in apartments, stores, and mail; the “work” words appear together in offices and emails. Learning die Bewerbung, die Einstellung, die Kündigung as a job-lifecycle trio beats learning them weeks apart.

Watch the fossils. A few -ung nouns no longer connect to a living verb: die Zeitung (from an old word for “news”), die Ahnung (ahnen survives but is rare), die Meinung (meinen exists — to mean/think — so this one still decodes). Don’t force the reverse-engineering; when a word won’t strip cleanly, learn it as vocabulary and move on.

Ten -ung Words That Confuse Learners

Some -ung nouns deserve extra attention because their meanings aren’t what you’d guess:

die Auflösung — literally “un-solving,” but it means resolution (of a problem), dissolution (of parliament), or definition (of a screen). Die Auflösung des Rätsels — the solution to the riddle. One word, three technical meanings.

die Einstellung — both hiring (die Einstellung neuer Mitarbeiter) and attitude/setting (die Einstellung ändern — change your attitude; die Einstellungen — the settings menu). The employment office and your phone use the same word.

die Verfügung — disposal, order, decree. Zur Verfügung stehen — to be available. Etwas zur Verfügung stellen — to make something available. This phrase alone justifies learning the word.

die Verfassung — constitution (of a country) or condition/state (in guter Verfassung — in good shape). Same word, founding document and fitness level.

die Haltung — posture, stance, attitude. Physical (eine aufrechte Haltung — upright posture) and moral (Haltung zeigen — to show backbone).

die Spannung — tension, suspense, or voltage. Electricians and novelists share it.

die Forderung — demand (not “promotion” — that’s die Förderung, with an ö and one r fewer… actually fördern → die Förderung = promotion/support). Forderung vs. Förderung: demands vs. support. Mix them and emails get awkward.

die Nachricht vs. die Botschaft — Nachricht is the everyday message/news; Botschaft is the embassy (or biblical tidings). English speakers constantly swap these.

die Übung vs. das Training — both translate as “exercise,” but Übung is the drill/practice exercise (do your Übungen), while Training is the workout regime. Homework is Übungen; the gym is Training.

die Rechnung vs. die Berechnung — Rechnung is the bill you pay; Berechnung is the calculation behind it. Related verbs (rechnen), different nouns, different moments.

Eight Sentence Templates Using -ung Nouns

Plug any word from the list into these frames and you’ll sound natural immediately:

1. Die Vorbereitung auf ___ dauert lange. (Preparing for ___ takes a long time.)
2. Hast du die Einladung zur ___ bekommen? (Did you get the invitation to ___?)
3. Die Lösung für ___ ist einfach. (The solution to ___ is simple.)
4. Ihre Erfahrung mit ___ ist beeindruckend. (Her experience with ___ is impressive.)
5. Wir brauchen eine Erklärung für ___. (We need an explanation for ___.)
6. Die Entscheidung über ___ fällt morgen. (The decision about ___ comes tomorrow.)
7. Trotz aller Schwierigkeiten… — wait, that’s -keit. Try: Trotz der Verspätung… (Despite the delay…)
8. Vielen Dank für Ihre Bestellung! (Thank you for your order!)

Notice how the feminine article never changes the frame — die Vorbereitung, die Einladung, die Lösung — which is exactly why the always-feminine rule is so practical. One article, every noun, every sentence.

Key Takeaways

• These 100 german words ending in ung are all feminine (die), all pluralize with -en, and most derive from verbs — three facts that replace hundreds of memorized details.
• Learn them in thematic clusters (daily life, work, feelings, abstract) rather than alphabetically; context is what makes vocabulary stick.
• The real skill isn’t knowing all 100 — it’s the decoding habit: strip -ung, find the verb, understand the noun. That habit works on the thousands of -ung words beyond this list.
• For the formation rules behind the pattern, see German -ung Endings Explained: Grammar Rules and Usage; for the adjective-based feminine nouns, German Words Ending in -heit and German Words Ending in -keit; for verb→noun pairs, German Verbs That Form -ung Nouns. Word-game fans: German 5-Letter Words and German Scrabble Tile Values.