A1A1 · Topic 0 · Fundamentals

🎙️ Pronunciation & Alphabet

Before any grammar, learn how German sounds. Click any card to hear it.

The German Alphabet

26 letters + 4 special ones. Click each to hear.

🔊
A a
/aː/
Apfel
🔊
B b
/beː/
Buch
🔊
C c
/tseː/
Celsius
🔊
D d
/deː/
Deutsch
🔊
E e
/eː/
Essen
🔊
F f
/ɛf/
Frau
🔊
G g
/ɡeː/
gut
🔊
H h
/haː/
Haus
🔊
I i
/iː/
ich
🔊
J j
/jɔt/
Jahr
🔊
K k
/kaː/
Kind
🔊
L l
/ɛl/
lernen
🔊
M m
/ɛm/
Mutter
🔊
N n
/ɛn/
Name
🔊
O o
/oː/
Ort
🔊
P p
/peː/
Pause
🔊
Q q
/kuː/
Quelle
🔊
R r
/ɛʁ/
rot
🔊
S s
/ɛs/
Sonne
🔊
T t
/teː/
Tisch
🔊
U u
/uː/
und
🔊
V v
/faʊ/
Vogel
🔊
W w
/veː/
Wasser
🔊
X x
/ɪks/
Taxi
🔊
Y y
/ʏpsilɔn/
Typ
🔊
Z z
/tsɛt/
Zeit

Umlauts: Ä, Ö, Ü

The three sounds that most define German. Click to hear each one.

😄
Ä

Think of 'e' in 'bed'. Much easier than ö and ü!

😮
Ö

Say 'ay', then round your lips without moving your tongue. That's ö.

😗
Ü

Say 'ee', then round your lips to 'oo' without moving your tongue. That's ü.

🔊
Ä ä
/ɛː/
like 'e' in 'bed' but longer
Ärger
anger
💡 Think of 'e' in 'bed'. Much easier than ö and ü!
🔊
Ö ö
/øː/
no equivalent in English. Say 'ay' with rounded lips
schön
beautiful
💡 Say 'ay', then round your lips without moving your tongue. That's ö.
🔊
Ü ü
/yː/
no equivalent in English. Say 'ee' with rounded lips
über
over / above
💡 Say 'ee', then round your lips to 'oo' without moving your tongue. That's ü.

The ß (Eszett)

German's most famous letter.

🔊
ß
/sː/
sounds exactly like 'ss' — a special spelling for 'ss' after long vowels or diphthongs
Straße
street
💡 After the 1996 reform: ß is written after LONG vowels or diphthongs. After short vowels: ss. Straße (long) vs Fluss (short)

📌 Reform rule (1996):

  • ✅ ß após vogal longa:
  • ✅ ss após vogal curta:
  • ✅ ß após ditongo:

Diphthongs

Combinations of two vowels forming one sound.

🔊
ei / ai
/aɪ/
like 'i' in 'mine'
mein
my
💡 ei and ai sound IDENTICAL: 'ai'. Ein, mein, kein, sein — all sound with 'ai'
🔊
eu / äu
/ɔɪ/
like 'oy' in 'boy'
neu
new
💡 CAREFUL: 'eu' in German sounds like 'oy', NOT like English 'you'. Deutsch = 'Doytch', heute = 'hoyteh'
🔊
ie
/iː/
long 'ee' sound
Liebe
love
💡 ie is simply a long 'i'. Not a true diphthong. Viel sounds like 'feel'
🔊
au
/aʊ/
like 'ou' in 'house'
Haus
house
💡 Like 'ow' in 'how'. Easy!

Letter Combinations

Sounds formed by two or three letters together.

🔊
ch
/x/ ou /ç/
after a/o/u/au: guttural (Bach). After e/i/ei: soft (ich)
ich / Bach
I / brook
💡 ich-sound (soft): whisper 'sh' with tongue forward. ach-sound (guttural): soft gargling.
🔊
sch
/ʃ/
like 'sh' in 'show'
Schule
school
💡 Schule sounds like 'Shooleh'. Always 'sh', never 's'+'ch'
🔊
st / sp
/ʃt/ / /ʃp/
at start of word/syllable: st='sht', sp='shp'
Straße / Sport
street / sport
💡 CAREFUL: Stadt sounds like 'Shtat', spielen like 'shpeelen'. But: Fenster (middle) sounds normal 'st'
🔊
tsch
/tʃ/
like 'ch' in 'church'
Deutsch
German
💡 Like 'ch' in 'church'. Deutsch sounds like 'Doytch'
🔊
pf
/pf/
simultaneous 'p' and 'f' — doesn't exist in English
Pferd
horse
💡 Practice: say 'p' immediately followed by 'f'. Pferd sounds like 'pf-erd'
🔊
qu
/kv/
always 'kv' — not 'kw' like in English
Qualität
quality
💡 Qualität sounds like 'Kvalitaet'. Never 'Kwalitaet'
🔊
ng
/ŋ/
like 'ng' in 'song' — never separate 'n'+'g'
lang
long
💡 lang sounds with a nasal at the back — like 'lang' but no final 'g'
🔊
chs
/ks/
sounds like 'ks'
sechs
six
💡 sechs sounds like 'zeks'. Never 'sh'!

The 5 Biggest Challenges for Learners

Sounds that learners almost always get wrong — and how to fix them.

R gutural
/ʁ/
from the throat, NOT rolled
💡 Exercise: imagine gargling with water. Now make the same sound softly without water. That's the German R. At word end it often softens: Mutter sounds like 'Mutta'
W = V
/v/
W in German is always like 'v'
💡 Wasser does NOT sound like 'Wasser' (English). It sounds like 'Vasser'. Wien sounds like 'Veen'
V = F
/f/
V in German words sounds like 'f'
💡 Vater sounds like 'Fater'. EXCEPTION: foreign words like Visum, Vitamin keep 'v'
J = Y
/j/
J is always like 'y' in 'yes'
💡 ja sounds like 'ya', NOT 'jah'. jetzt sounds like 'yetzt'
Z = TS
/ts/
Z is always 'ts' — like 'ts' in 'tsunami'
💡 Zeit sounds like 'Tsayt'. zehn sounds like 'tseen'. NEVER like English 'z'

Pronunciation Training

Words that combine several difficult sounds. Listen, repeat, master.

1
Schauspielerin
/ˈʃaʊ̯ʃpiːlərɪn/
actress · actress

💡 Sha-oo-shpee-leh-rin. Contains: sch + au + sp + ie

2
Streichholzschächtelchen
/ˈʃtʁaɪ̯çhɔltsˌʃɛçtəlçən/
matchbox · matchbox

💡 The word every teacher uses to torture students. Contains: str + ei + ch + sch + ä + ch + ch + el + chen

3
Eichhörnchen
/ˈaɪ̯çˌhœʁnçən/
squirrel · squirrel

💡 Ai-ch-hoern-chen. Contains: ei + ch + ö + guttural R

4
Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaft
/doːnaʊ̯dampfʃɪfˌfaːʁtsɡəˈzɛlʃaft/
Danube steamship company · Danube steamship company

💡 One of the longest words in German. Contains: au + pf + sch + sch + sch + schaft. Impress native speakers with this!

🎧 Minimal Pairs

Click both words — can you hear the difference?

vs
rentie = long 'i' vs i = short 'i'middle / center
vs
ovenlong o vs short oopen
vs
cavelong ö vs short öhell
vs
to offerie = long 'i' vs i = short 'i'to ask/beg

✅ Quick Quiz

Which word contains the 'ai' sound?

How is 'Zeitung' (newspaper) pronounced?

How does the W in 'Wasser' (water) sound?

🎙️

Pronunciation completed!

Now you know how German sounds. Time for grammar!

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