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My impression when studying German is that the German language has more compound words that are singular words in English. e.g. Armbanduhr (watch), Aussehen (appearance), Hauptstadt (capital), Staubsauger (vacuum), anything ending with Zeug, etc. That doesn't necessarily mean German is longer on average.

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An Armbanduhr is a wrist watch, not just a watch. I'm sure the Germans often shorten to it 'uhr', just like the English do.

Capital is short for capital city.

Vacuum is also short for vacuum cleaner.

I'll grant you Aussehen - that's a single word in english. But longer than the German one.

Yes, you can make the English words longer if you wish. But it’s very common to shorten them.

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