Alphabet & Pronunciation
Learn the German alphabet, important sounds, and fundamental pronunciation rules.
The German Alphabet and Pronunciation
German is written with the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet, plus four special letters: the three umlaut vowels (ä, ö, ü) and the ß (Eszett).
1. The German Alphabet (Das Alphabet)
Each letter has its own basic pronunciation in German :
| Letter | German Name | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | ah | [a] | Apfel (apple) |
| B | bey | [b] | Brot (bread) |
| C | tsey | [ts] | Café (café) |
| D | dey | [d] | Danke (thank you) |
| E | ey | [e] | Ei (egg) |
| F | eff | [f] | Vater (father) |
| G | gey | [g] (hard) | Guten (good) |
| H | hah | [h] aspirated | Hallo (hello) |
| I | ee | [i] | Ich (I) |
| J | yot | [j] (like "y") | Ja (yes) |
| K | kah | [k] | Kind (child) |
| L | ell | [l] | Liebe (love) |
| M | emm | [m] | Milch (milk) |
| N | enn | [n] | Nein (no) |
| O | oh | [o] | Orange (orange) |
| P | pey | [p] | Plan (plan) |
| Q | koo | [kv] | Quelle (source) |
| R | err | [r] | Rot (red) |
| S | ess | [s] or [z] | Sonne (sun) |
| T | tey | [t] | Tag (day) |
| U | oo | [u] (like "oo") | Uhr (clock/hour) |
| V | fau | [f] | Vater (father) |
| W | vey | [v] | Wasser (water) |
| X | ix | [ks] | Xylofon (xylophone) |
| Y | ypsilon | [y] | Typ (type) |
| Z | tsett | [ts] | Zug (train) |
Special Characters (Umlaute & Eszett)
These four letters are unique to the German alphabet:
| Letter | German Name | Pronunciation / How to produce the sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ä / ä | A-Umlaut | Pronounced like the "e" in "melon" or "bet" | Äpfel (apples) |
| Ö / ö | O-Umlaut | Form your lips for "o" and say "e" (like "u" in "hurt") | Österreich (Austria) |
| Ü / ü | U-Umlaut | Form your lips for "u" (oo) and say "i" (like French "tu") | Über (over/about) |
| ß | Eszett / Scharfes S | Always pronounced as a voiceless "s" (like "ss" in "hiss") | Straße (street) |
- In German, you generally pronounce every letter of a word. There are no silent letters like the final "e" or "s" in French or English words.
2. Important Sounds (Wichtige Laute)
Combining certain letters creates unique sounds in German.
Diphthongs (Vowel combinations)
| Vowel Combination | English Pronunciation Equivalent | Example | Pronunciation Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| ei | like "eye" or "buy" | nein (no) | [nine] |
| ie | like a long "ee" in "see" | Liebe (love) | [lee-beh] |
| eu / äu | like "oy" in "boy" | Deutsch (German) / Häuser (houses) | [doytch] / [hoy-zer] |
| au | like "ow" in "house" or "cow" | Haus (house) | [house] |
Consonants & Consonant Clusters
| Sound / Cluster | Pronunciation Rule | Example | Pronunciation Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| ch (after a, o, u) | Guttural sound from the back of the throat | Nacht (night) | [naht] (guttural ch) |
| ch (after e, i, ä, ö, ü, dipht.) | Softer whispering sound (like a cat hiss) | ich (I) / sprechen (speak) | [ikh] / [shpreh-khen] |
| sch | like the English "sh" in "shoe" | Schule (school) | [shoo-leh] |
| st / sp (at start of word) | pronounced like "sht" / "shp" | Straße (street) / spielen (play) | [shtraa-seh] / [shpee-len] |
| w | Always pronounced like English "v" | Wasser (water) | [vah-ser] |
| v | Usually pronounced like English "f" | Vater (father) / vier (four) | [fah-ter] / [feer] |
| z | Always pronounced like "ts" in "cats" | zwei (two) / Zug (train) | [tsvy] / [tsook] |
de-DE). Vocabulary Checklist
5 lexical termsConversational Immersion
Listen to spoken situational patterns inside native everyday social scripts.
Spelling your name
Hallo! Ich heiße Sarah.
Hello! My name is Sarah.
Hallo Sarah! Ich bin Jörg.
Hello Sarah! I am Jörg.
Jörg? Kannst du das bitte buchstabieren?
Jörg? Can you please spell that?
Ja: J-Ö-R-G. Das Ö ist ein Umlaut.
Yes: J-Ö-R-G. The Ö is an umlaut.
Ah, danke! Jetzt verstehe ich die Aussprache.
Ah, thank you! Now I understand the pronunciation.