1
German Vowels
Index of the German vowel pages
Long vowels
Short vowels
Long and short 'a'
Long and short 'ä'
'au', 'äu' and 'eu'
Long and short 'e'
Unstressed '-e' and '-er'
'ei', 'ey', 'ai' and 'ay'
Long and short 'i'
The letters 'ie'
Long and short 'o'
Long and short 'ö'
Long and short 'u'
Long and short 'ü'
The letter 'y'
2
German Consonants
Index of the German consonant pages
The letter 'b'
The letters 'ch'
'chs' at the start of words
'chs' and 'ck' sounds
The letter 'd'
'd' + another consonant
The letter 'f'
The letter 'g'
'gn' and 'ng' sounds
Loan words containing 'g'
The letter 'h'
The letter 'j'
The letter 'k'
'k' + another consonant
The letter 'l'
The letter 'm'
'm' + another consonant
The letter 'n'
'ng' and 'nk' sounds
The letter 'p'
'p' + another consonant
The 'pf' sound
The letter 'q'
The consonantal 'r'
'r' + another consonant
The vocalic 'r'
The letter 's'
The 'sch' sound
'sp' and 'st' sounds
The letter 't'
't' + another consonant
The letter 'v'
The letter 'w'
The letter 'y'
The letter 'z'
1.01 German long vowels The articulation of German vowels varies according to whether the vowel is long or short. Although the vowel length of each new word must of course be noted the first time that you encounter it, there are a few general rules which may help you to ascertain the duration of German vowel sounds. 1. A German vowel is usually long if it is followed by a single consonant. Sounds 1: Long vowel before a single consonant Bad (bath)
Rad (wheel)
rot (red)
gut (good)
2. A German vowel is usually long if it is written in a word as a double letter. Sounds 2: Long German 'doubled' vowels Meer (sea)
Paar (pair)
Boot (boat)
Saat (seed)
3. A German vowel is usually long if it is followed by a silent 'h'. Sounds 3: Long vowels before a silent 'h' Lehrer (teacher)
Fahrer (driver)
roh (raw)
Kuh (cow)
4. The German letters 'ie' usually represent a long German 'i' sound. Sounds 4: Long 'ie' vowel sounds vier (four)
Spiel (game)
Lied (song)
schier (sheer)
5. An unstressed vowel at the end of a word is generally long, unless this vowel is an 'e' sound. Sounds 5: Long vowel sounds at the end of a word Lotto (lottery)
Vati (daddy)
Sofa (sofa)
Mofa (moped)
1.02 German vowels: long and short 'a' The long German 'a' vowel The long German /a:/ vowel - which can be written 'a', 'aa' or 'ah' - is a central and open vowel which is formed with the tip of the tongue touching the lower front teeth. This means that the tongue is much lower than in the pronunciation of the other German vowels. (like a ‘bar’) Sounds 1: The long 'a' vowel klar (clear)
Glas (glass)
Jahr (year)
Bahn (railway)
Haar (hair)
Aal (eel)
The short German 'a' vowel The short /a/ vowel - which is only spelled 'a' - is a much more clipped vowel. It is a little like a shorter version of the 'a' vowel in the English word 'man'. This vowel can even tend towards the vowel sound heard in the English word'but', albeit pronounced in a more open way. Sounds 2: The short German 'a' vowel Mann (man)
Hand (hand)
Bank (bank)
Sack (sack)
Sounds 3: Distinguishing between long and short 'a' Staat (state)
Stadt (city)
kam (came)
Kamm (comb)
Frage (question)
Flagge (flag)
Kahn (barge)
kann (can)
1.03 The German diphthongs The German 'au' diphthong - which can only be written 'au' - starts off with an /a/ phoneme and then glides towards a 'u' sound. Although there is a similarity with the way that some English speakers would say the vowel sounds in the words 'clown' and 'brown', the German diphthong must have a back starting-point in German. Sounds 1: The German diphthong 'au' braun (brown)
Zaun (fence)
auch (also)
Haus (house)
laut (loud)
Traum (dream)
The German diphthong 'äu' or 'eu' The German 'eu' diphthong - which can be written as 'eu' and 'äu', and also as 'oi' or 'oy' in imported loan words - can be equated to the /oi/ sound made in the English words 'toiling' and 'boiling'. The difference however is that the German diphthong requires the lips to be rounded throughout articulation. Sounds 2: The German diphthong 'eu' or 'äu' Fräulein (Miss)
Räuber (robbers)
Häuser (houses)
Bräuche (customs)
treu (loyal)
Freude (joy)
scheu (shy)
neu (new)
Sounds 3: Differentiating between 'au' and 'eu/äu' Traum (dream)
Träume (dreams)
Baum (tree)
Bäume (trees)
Maus (mouse)
Mäuse (mice)
Haut (skin)
Häute (skins)
1.04 Unstressed '-e' vowels The unstressed 'e' sound is the most common vowel sound in German, appearing very frequently in final position in words such as 'eine' and 'viele'. Also known as a 'schwa', this sound should cause few problems for English speakers, as it equates to the final 'a' sound in the English word 'sofa'. Sounds 1: The unstressed 'e' vowel Majonäse (mayonnaise)
Boje (buoy)
Care should be taken to distinguish between an unstressed German '-e' and an unstressed German '-er'. Although ostensibly quite similar, the tongue should be retracted more quickly in German '-er' sounds than it is in an unstressed '-e'. Sounds 2: Distinguishing between '-e' and '-er' bitte (please)
bitter (bitter)
German unstressed '-er' Sometimes referred to as a 'dark schwa', the German unstressed '-er' or vocalic 'r' is articulated with the tongue slightly lower and further back in the vowel area than the 'schwa' sound heard at the end of such German words as 'Liebe', 'Katze' and 'Ratte'. The most common usage of vocalic 'r' is in unstressed "-er" syllables at the end of German words. Sounds 3: Vocalic 'r' in final position Bruder (brother)
Schwester (sister)
Mutter (mother)
Vater (father)
You will also hear vocalic 'r' in the unstressed German prefixes of verbs and nouns that start with er-, ver, zer- and her-. Sounds 4: Vocalic 'r' in unstressed prefixes erlauben (to allow)
vergessen (to forget)
zerstören (to destroy)
hereinkommen (to come in)
1.05 German vowels: long and short 'i' The German short 'i' vowel The short German 'i' sound is similar to the vowel articulated in the English words 'bit' and 'lip'.
Sounds 1: Short German 'i' in initial position ich (I)
Interesse (interest)
Irland (Ireland)
Insekt (insect)
immer (always)
illegal (illegal)
Sounds 2: Short German 'i' in medial position bitte (please)
Mitte (middle)
Tisch (table)
Fisch (fish)
Winter (winter)
sitzen (to sit)
The German long /i:/ vowel The long German /i:/ vowel - which can be written 'i', 'ih', 'ie' or 'ieh' - sounds a little like the vowel articulated in the English words 'bee' and 'team'. The German sound however is more open, with the lips widely spread, and the tongue should be further forward during articulation. You should also ensure that your tongue remains tense and in the same position in your mouth throughout articulation English sounds can tend to glide off into a diphthong. Sounds 3: Long German 'i' in initial position ihnen (to them)
ihr (her)
irisch (Irish)
Iris (iris)
Igel (hedgehog) Sounds 4: Long German vowel 'i' in medial position Krise (crisis)
politisch (political)
Linie (line) When long /i:/ appears in an unstressed syllable in a word, then the same sound is made but with a reduced length. Sounds 5: Reduced length German long 'i' sounds Idee (idea)
ideal (ideal)
Mikrofon (microphone) When 'i' occurs before a vowel, it does not constitute a separate syllable, but is instead pronounced very short. Sounds 6: German 'i' before another vowel Station (station)
finanziell (financial)
1.06 German vowels: long and short 'o' The short German 'o' vowel The short German 'o' sound - which can only be written 'o' - is similar to the 'o' vowel in the English words 'not' and 'lot'. The German sound is shorter and more close however and requires the lips to be much more rounded. Sounds 1: The short German 'o' vowel Sonne (sun)
von (from, of)
Gott (god)
Dorf (village)
The long German 'o' vowel The long German 'o' vowel - which can be written 'o', 'oh', 'oo', and 'eau' - does not have an exact equivalent in English. It is a little like the vowel 'o' in the English words 'so' and 'go'. In German however, this sound must not be allowed to glide off into a 'u' sound, which English speakers ofen find themselves doing. Sounds 2: The long German 'o' vowel Rose (rose)
froh (happy)
Boot (boat)
groß (big)
so (so)
rot (red)
Sounds 3: German 'o' vowels
Distinguishing
between
long
&
wo (where)
Wonne (bliss)
Rose (rose)
Ross (horse)
Wohl (health)
Wolle (wool)
Sohle (sole of shoe)
Soll (debt)
short
1.07 German vowels: long and short 'u' The short German 'u' vowel The short German 'u' sound - which can only be written 'u' - is similar to the 'u' vowel in the English words 'push' and 'foot'. The German sound is shorter however and requires the lips to be much more rounded. Sounds 1: The short German 'u' vowel Hund (dog)
Butter (butter)
Wunsch (wish)
Pult (desk)
The long German 'u' vowel The long German /u:/ vowel - which can be written 'u' or 'uh' - does not have an exact equivalent in English. It is a little like the vowel sound in the English words 'hoot' and 'boot' but the lips are much more rounded in German and the sound must not be allowed to glide off into a diphthong. Sounds 2: The long German 'u' vowel Tuch (cloth)
Grube (ditch)
Uwe (boy's name)
Ute (girl's name)
Stuhl (chair)
Uhr (clock)
Sounds 3: German 'u' vowels
Distinguishing
between
long
Buch (book)
Busch (bush)
Huhn (chicken)
Hund (dog)
Pfuhl (pond)
Pfund (pound)
Ufer (riverbank)
unten (below)
&
short
1.08 The German Letter 'y' The German letter 'y' can be pronounced in a number of different ways, depending on its position in a word or syllable. If it is used as a vowel, it sounds like the German long or short vowel 'ü'. The fact that this letter often appears in words in whose English equivalent it would be pronounced as an 'i' makes the German 'y' a sound that it can be very easy to mispronounce. Sounds 1: Words containing the letter 'y' in medial position typisch (typical)
Physik (physics)
Pyramide (pyramid)
Gymnasium (grammar school)
Rhythmus (rhythm)
Hymne (hymn)
If 'y' stands at the beginning or end of a word, then it is pronounced in the same way as it would be in English. The word in which it appears is very probably an import from English in the first place. Sounds 2: Words with 'y' in initial and final position Hobby (hobby)
Yoga (yoga)
Party (party)
Handy (mobile phone)
1.09 German short vowels The articulation of German vowels varies according to whether the vowel is long or short. Although the vowel length of each new word must of course be noted the first time that you encounter it, there are a few general rules which may help you to ascertain the duration of German vowel sounds. 1. A German vowel is usually short if it is followed by two or more consonants.
Sounds 1: Short vowels before a double consonant rasch (hasty)
Bett (bed)
bunt (colourful)
Nuss (nut)
2. A German vowel is usually short if it precedes the consonant combination 'ck'. Sounds 2: Short German vowels before 'ck' lecker (tasty)
Socken (socks)
Lücke (hole)
Wrack (wreck)
This is not always the case however. If the root form of a word contains a long vowel, then the vowel in the inflected form remains long, even if the vowel is followed by two consonants in this inflected form. Sounds 3: Long vowels from a long uninflected stem haben (to have)
gehabt (had)
groß (big)
größte (biggest)
1.10 German vowels: long and short 'ä' The short German 'ä' vowel The short German 'ä' sound - which can only be written 'ä' - is articulated in much the same manner as the 'e' vowel in the English words 'get' and 'set'. Sounds 1: The short German 'ä' vowel Männer (men)
Hände (hands)
Bänke (benches)
hätte (would have)
The long German 'ä' vowel The long German 'ä' vowel - which can be written 'ä', 'äh', but never 'ää' - has no corresponding long vowel in English. It is best to start with the short German 'ä' vowel outlined above and gradually lengthen it. Sounds 2: The long German 'ä' vowel Mädchen (girl)
wählen (to vote)
kläglich (pitiful)
Währung (currency)
The most common mistake made by English-speakers in articulating this long vowel sound is to produce a slight diphthongisation, i.e. to glide off into an 'aee' sound heard in English words such as 'day' or 'played'. This temptation must be resisted - German vowels do not glide off into a different vowel sound. Try instead to keep the tongue in the same position throughout a long 'ä' vowel sound.
1.11 German vowels: long and short 'e' The short German 'e' vowel The short German 'e' sound is articulated in much the same manner as the 'e' vowel in the English words 'get' and 'set'. It represents the same sound therefore as the short German 'ä'.
Sounds 1: The short German 'e' vowel wenn (if, when)
fett (fat)
Dreck (dirt)
echt (genuine)
Fell (fur)
Nest (nest)
The long German /e:/ vowel The long German /e:/ vowel - which can be written 'e', 'eh' or 'ee' - has no corresponding long vowel in English. To pronounce it, you must ensure that your tongue remains tense and in the same high position in your mouth throughout articulation - the sound must not glide off into an 'i' at the end as it can do in English words such as 'day'. Sounds 2: The long German 'e' vowel sehr (very)
mehr (more)
Meer (sea)
Teer (tar)
Beet (bed)
Gel (gel)
Sounds 3: Distinguishing German 'e' vowels
between
long
Heer (army)
Herr (gentleman)
Hehl (secret)
hell (bright)
Beet (flower-bed)
Bett (bed)
and
short
1.12 German diphthong: 'ei', 'ey', 'ai' and 'ay' The German 'ei' diphthong - which can be written 'ei', 'ey', 'ai' or 'ay' - starts off with an /a/ phoneme and then glides into an 'i' sound. Its closest equivalent in English is the vowel sound in the English word 'light'. Sounds 1: 'ei', 'ey', 'ai' and 'ay' Main (River Main)
Saite (string)
Bayern (Bavaria)
Karl (German author)
Teil (part)
breit (wide)
Meyer (German surname)
Speyer (German town)
May
Note that, unlike in English, the pronunciation of the German letters 'ei' remains consistent - it is always pronounced as the diphthong outlined above.
Sounds 2: The consistency of the German letters 'ei' frei (free)
Rhein (Rhine)
heil (unhurt)
dreist (sly)
Kreis (circle)
weit (far)
The pronunciation of the letters 'ie' also remains consistent in German. Sounds 3: Distinguishing between 'ei' and 'ie' Wein (wine)
Wien (Vienna)
Fleiß (hard work)
fließt (flows)
leider (unfortunately)
Lieder (songs)
steil (steep)
Stiel (stick)
1.13 German vowel sounds: 'ie' The German German /i:/ sound.
sound
that
is
written
as 'ie' is
not
a
diphthong,
but
is
simply
a
long
Sounds 1: German 'ie' as long /i:/ vowel Bier (beer)
viel (much)
Stier (bll)
Frieden (peace)
Unlike in English, where the pronunciation of the letters 'ie' and 'ei' can vary, the sounds represented by these spellings remain consistent in German. Sounds 2: Distinguishing between 'ei' and 'ie' Wein (wine)
Wien (Vienna)
Fleiß (hard work)
fließt (flows)
leider (unfortunately)
Lieder (songs)
steil (steep)
Stiel (stick)
German 'ie' at the end of a word When the letters 'ie' appear at the end of a word, they can be pronounced in two different ways. If the final syllable is stressed, then the letters are pronounced as the long /i:/ vowel outlined above. Sounds 3: German 'ie' in a stressed final syllable Biographie (biography)
Symphonie (symphony)
Akademie (academy)
Philosophie (philosophy)
But when 'ie' appears in an unstressed syllable at the end of a word, then the letters are pronounced as two separate vowel sounds.
Sounds 4: German 'ie' in an unstressed final syllable Familie (family)
Petersilie (parsley)
Folie (film, foil)
Materie (matter)
1.14 German vowels: long and short 'ö' The German long 'ö' and short 'ö' are two of the hardest vowel sounds for the English speaker to master, as there are no direct equivalents in the English language. The long German 'ö' vowel To form a long German 'ö' vowel - which can be written 'ö', 'öh' or 'eu' (in imported French words only) - first articulate a long German 'e' sound in a word such as 'Sehne' (= tendon). As you say it, gradually purse your lips and the word that emerges is 'Söhne' (= sons). If you try the same procedure with the German word 'Hefe' (= yeast), then the word that emerges when you purse your lips will be 'Höfe' (= courtyards). Sounds 1: The long German 'ö' vowel Flöte (flute)
blöd (stupid)
böse (evil)
stöhnen (to groan)
Löhne (wages)
Kröte (turtle)
The short German 'ö' vowel The short German 'ö' sound - which can only be written 'ö' and never features at the end of a word - is best described as a shorter, tenser and much more open version of the sound outlined above. Sounds 2: The short German 'ö' vowel Hölle (hell)
Stöcke (sticks)
Löffel (spoon)
Öffnung (opening)
Sounds 3: Distinguishing between German 'o' and 'ö' vowels Krone (crown)
krönen (to crown)
groß (big)
größer (bigger)
Koller (anger)
Köln (Cologne)
schon (already)
schön (beautiful)
offen (open)
öffnen (to open)
Flotte (fleet)
Flöte (flute)
Telefon (telephone)
Fön (hairdryer)
1.15 German vowels: long and short 'ü' The German long 'ü' and short 'ü' are two of the hardest vowel sounds for the English speaker to master, as there are no direct equivalents in the English language. The long German 'ü' vowel To form a long German 'ü' vowel - which can be written 'ü', 'üh' and sometimes 'y' - first articulate a long German 'ie' sound in a word such as 'Tier' (= animal). As you say it, gradually purse your lips and the word that emerges is 'Tür'(= door). If you try the same procedure with the German word 'Kiel' (= North German town), then the word that emerges when you purse your lips will be 'kühl' (= cool). Sounds 1: The long German 'ü' vowel früh (early)
Tür (door)
grün (green)
über (above)
Bühne (stage)
Lüge (lie)
The short German 'ü' vowel The short German 'ü' sound - which can be written 'ü' and sometimes 'y' - is best described as a shorter version of the sound outlined above, but with slightly less lip-rounding. Sounds 2: The short German 'ü' vowel Stück (piece)
Münze (coin)
Brücke (bridge)
Perücke (wig)
dünn (thin)
glücklich (happy)
Sounds 3: Distinguishing between German 'u' and 'ü' vowels jung (young)
jünger (younger)
gut (good)
Güte (goodness)
Schule (school)
Schüler (schoolboy)
Kuh (cow)
Kühe (cows)
Stuhl (chair)
Stühle (chairs)
Busch (bush)
Büsche (bushes)
Kuss (kiss)
Küsse (kisses)
drucken (to print)
drücken (to press)
Bruch (break)
Brüche (breaks)
2.01 The German Consonant 'b' When the German consonant 'b' appears either at the start or in the middle of a word, it is pronounced in a similar way to its English equivalent. In both languages, the sound is a bilabial plosive, i.e. in order to make the 'b' sound, both lips must be placed together. The airstream is then stopped as it passes through the vocal tract, causing a minor explosion when it is released. Sounds 1: 'b' in initial position Baum (tree)
Bank (bank)
Berg (mountain)
Bier (beer)
Boot (boat)
Buch (book)
Sounds 2: 'b' in medial position Liebe (love)
Baby (baby)
Robben (seals)
glauben (to believe)
But when the German consonant 'b' appears at the end of a word it is pronounced as a /p Sounds 3: 'b' in final position Lob (praise)
taub (deaf)
gab (gave)
Kalb (calf)
This change in sound at the end of the word is not as surprising as it may seem. The /b/ and /p/ phonemes are both bilabial plosives and only differ in that you use your vocal cords to form the sound /b/, i.e. it is 'voiced', whereas we do not use our vocal cords to make the /p/ sound i.e. we call it 'voiceless'. To put this to the test: Put your fingers lightly on your throat such that they rest on your voice box. Say the German word Bein (= leg) and feel how your vocal cords vibrate as you form the initial sound. Now say the German word Pein (= agony). Note that there is no vibration in your vocal cords this time. To help you distinguish between the /b/ and /p/ sounds that the letter 'b' can make depending on its position in the word, listen to the following pairs of words. In the first word of each pair, 'b' will be pronounced /b/ as it appears in the middle of the word. In the second word in each pair, the letter 'b' appears at the end of a word, and is therefore pronounced as a /p/. Sounds 4: Distinguishing between /b/ and /p/ lieben (to love)
lieb (kind)
rauben (to rob)
Raub (robbery)
Diebe (thieves)
Dieb (thief)
Diebstahl (theft)
gelb (yellow)
2.02 German 'ch' at the start of words When the letters 'ch' appear at the start of a word, then the sound that is usually produced is the /ç/ phoneme, i.e. the sound that is made when 'ch' follows a front vowel. Sounds 1: 'ch' in initial position Chemie (chemistry)
China (China)
chinesisch (Chinese)
Chirurg (surgeon)
In South Germany and Austria however, this initial 'ch' sound can be pronounced as a /k/ phoneme and this articulation is viewed as an acceptable variant to the standard pronunciation. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear the same 'ch' words in the box above, but this time pronounced as one might expect to hear them in Bavaria. Imported words beginning with 'ch' A number of words beginning in 'ch' that have been imported from French require the 'ch' sound to be articulated in the manner that we would be accustomed to hear in France. Sounds 2: 'ch' in initial position in French loan words Chef (boss)
Chance (chance)
Champagner (champagne)
Chauffeur (chauffeur)
Charme (charm)
Chaussee (avenue)
Chauvinist (chauvinist) To complicate matters further, other words with 'ch' in initial position have been imported from English and retain the pronunciation that you would expect to hear in English. Sounds 3: English 'ch' in initial position chartern (to charter)
checken (to check)
Chat (chat)
Cheeseburger (cheeseburger)
2.03 The German Consonant 'd' When the German consonant 'd' appears either at the start or in the middle of a word, it is pronounced in a similar way to its English equivalent. In both languages, the sound is an alveolar plosive, which means that it is made with the blade of the tongue pressing against the alveolar ridge. The alveolar ridge is the part of the roof of the mouth directly above the teeth. Simultaneously, both sides of the tongue press against the hard palate and form a closure. The airstream is then stopped as it passes through the vocal tract, causing a minor explosion when it is released.
Sounds 1: 'd' in initial position danke (thank you)
deutsch (German)
doch (yes (after negative))
dunkel (dark)
dieser (this)
Dusche (shower)
Sounds 2: 'd' in medial position Mode (fashion)
Laden (shop)
Lieder (songs)
Feder (feather)
wieder (again)
Bruder (brother)
But when the German consonant 'd' appears at the end of a word it is pronounced as a /t/. Sounds 3: 'd' in final position Lied (song)
Bad (bath)
Rad (wheel)
Tod (death)
This change in sound at the end of the word is not as surprising as it may seem. The /d/ and /t/ phonemes are both alveolar plosives and only differ in that you use your vocal cords to form the sound /d/, i.e. it is 'voiced', whereas we do not use our vocal cords to make the /t/ sound i.e. we call it 'voiceless'. To put this to the test: Put your fingers lightly on your throat such that they rest on your voice box. Say the German word Dorf (= village) and feel how your vocal cords vibrate as you form the initial sound. Now say the German word Torf (= peat). Note that there is no vibration in your vocal cords this time. To help you distinguish between the /d/ and /t/ sounds that the letter 'b' can make depending on its position in the word, listen to the following pairs of words. In the first word of each pair, 'd' will be pronounced /d/ as it appears in the middle of the word. In the second word in each pair, the letter 'd' appears at the end of a word, and is therefore pronounced as a /t/. Sounds 4: Distinguishing between /d/ and /t/ Hunde (dogs)
Hund (dog)
wenden (to turn)
Wand (wall)
leider (unfortunately)
Leid (suffering)
landen (to land)
Land (land)
baden (to bathe)
Bad (bath)
2.04 The German Consonant 'f' The German consonant 'f' should cause relatively few difficulties for native English speakers. In both languages, the upper front teeth and the lower lip come together to form a narrowing through which the air passes with a trace of a hiss. It is called a 'fricative' consonant, which means that is articulated by forcing air through a narrow gap in the vocal tract in such a way that friction is audible. The /f/ phoneme is thus formed in the same manner and the same place as the German /v/. The difference is that you use your vocal cords to make the /v/ sound, but not when you articulate /f/. To feel the difference between the two consonants, place your hands over your ears and repeat the German words fein and Wein (which begins with the /v/ phoneme, despite its spelling). When you say fein, the only thing that should hear is the airstream passing out through your mouth. But when you say Wein, you should be able to feel your entire head vibrate. Sounds 1: 'f' in initial position Familie (family)
Fahrrad (bicycle)
Fernseher (television set)
fünf (five)
Fuß (foot)
Fehler (mistake)
Sounds 2: 'f' in medial position Seife (soap)
Telefon (telephone)
hoffen (to hope)
kaufen (to buy)
Prüfung (examination) Sounds 3: 'f' in final position Einkauf (purchase)
Schlaf (sleep)
doof (stupid)
tief (deep)
The German 'ph' sound As in English, the letters 'ph' are pronounced as an /f/ phoneme in German. In fact, many words that originally contained the letters 'ph' have now been Germanified such that they are now spelled with an 'f'. You would now write Telefon, for example, rather than Telephon, and Fotografie rather than Photographie. Even after the recent German spelling reforms however, a number of 'ph' words remain, sometimes as the sole acceptable spelling of a lexical item, sometimes as an accepted variant to the spelling with 'f'. Sounds 4: The German 'ph' sound Philosophie (philosophy)
Phrase (phrase)
Physik (physics)
Phonetik (phonetics)
2.05 The German 'g' in consonant clusters Sounds 1: 'g' + consonant in initial position Glas (glass)
gleich (same, equal)
Glück (happiness)
grau (grey)
groß (big)
grün (green)
Note in particular that the initial 'g' in a 'gn-' consonant cluster is pronounced even when this occurs at the start of a word. This is also true of the 'kn-' cluster. Sounds 2: 'gn' and 'kn' in initial position Gnom (gnome)
Gnade (mercy)
Knie (knee)
Knecht (vassal)
Kneipe (pub)
Knopf (button)
The consonant sound 'ng' The '-ng' consonant combination is pronounced in a manner that is similar to its English equivalent in words such as 'thing' and 'bring'. Although it is not represented by a single letter of the alphabet, 'ng' constitutes a distinct consonant, and it is described as a velar nasal. This means that it is formed in the soft palate (velum) towards the back of the vocal tract, with the back of the tongue pressed against the velum. It is described as 'nasal' because the sound is expelled through the nasal cavity and not the oral tract. This sound can cause difficulties for native English speakers because, although English also has the 'ng' consonant, there are two varieties of this in English. There is a noticeable difference in the way that the words 'finger' and 'ringer' are pronounced in English. If you say them to yourself, you will notice that these two words do not quite rhyme. There is an extra 'g' sound in 'finger' (and words such as 'younger', 'longer' and 'hunger') that is not articulated in 'ringer' (and words such as 'singer' and 'longing'). Only one form of the '-ng' consonant sound exists in German however. It does not have the extra /g/ phoneme that we find in 'finger', 'younger', 'longer' and 'hunger', which means that care needs to be taken with the pronunciation of their German equivalents "Finger", "jünger", "länger" and "Hunger". It is when the '-ng' consonant sound appears in the middle of a word that English speakers need to pay the most attention Sounds 3: 'ng' in medial position Hunger (hunger)
abhängig (dependent)
singen (to sing)
Finger (finger)
Menge (amount) Sounds 4: 'ng' in final position lang (long)
Wohnung (apartment)
Meldung (announcement)
Ring (ring)
Frühling (spring)
streng (severe)
2.06 The German 'h' sound When the German letter 'h' appears at the beginning of a word, it is pronounced in a manner that corresponds to the initial sound in the English words 'house', 'hall' or 'history'. In English as in German, a slight narrowing of the speech organs takes place in the glottis, causing friction to the airstream. The German 'h' sound is therefore called a glottal fricative. Unlike in many English dialects however, this 'h' sound can never be 'dropped' - i.e. omitted - at the start or middle of words. The 'h' sound is never used in final position in German. Sounds 1: The 'h' glottal fricative Haus (house)
hier (here)
Heim (home)
Haupt (head)
Bahnhof (station)
Hochhaus (block of flats)
But the letter 'h' is not pronounced at all if it used merely to indicate that the preceding vowel is a long one. Sounds 2: Words in which 'h' is not pronounced stehen (to stand)
gehen (to go)
fahren (to travel)
Lehrer (teacher)
The consonant cluster 'th' is always pronounced as the phoneme /t/. This is true regardless of whether 'th' appears at the beginning, middle or end of a word. Sounds 3: The 'th' consonant cluster Theater (theatre)
Thema (theme)
Theorie (theory)
sympathisch (pleasant)
Apotheke (chemist's)
Mathematik (mathematics)
Methode (method)
Athlet (athlete)
Psychopath (psychopath) As in English, the letters 'ph' are pronounced as an /f/ phoneme in German. In fact, many words that originally contained the letters 'ph' have now been Germanified such that they are now spelled with an 'f'. You would now write Telefon, for example, rather than Telephon, and Fotografie rather than Photographie. Even after the recent German spelling reforms however, a number of 'ph' words remain, sometimes as the sole acceptable spelling of a lexical item, sometimes as an accepted variant to the spelling with 'f'. Sounds 4: The German 'ph' consonant cluster Philosophie (philosophy)
Phrase (phrase)
Physik (physics)
Phonetik (phonetics)
2.07 The German Consonant 'k' The German consonant 'k' is most often pronounced in the same way as the final letter of the English word 'cook'. The /k/ phoneme is a velar plosive, which means that it is articulated in the soft palate or velum towards the back of the vocal tract. The closure is thus formed further back in the oral passage than with other consonants. Unlike the phoneme /g/, the vocal cords do not vibrate as the consonant is articulated, which makes /k/ a 'voiceless' consonant. Sounds 1: 'k' in initial position kalt (cold)
Kaffee (coffee)
Kino (common)
kommen (to come)
Kuchen (cake)
kein (not a, none)
Sounds 1: 'k' + consonant in initial position klein (small)
klasse! (great!)
krank (ill)
Krieg (war)
Sounds 3: 'k' in medial position Theke (bar; counter)
Paket (packet)
Socke (sock)
lecker (tasty)
Sounds 3: 'k' in final position Streik (strike)
Kuckuck (cuckoo)
Rock (skirt; rock music)
Glück (happiness)
2.08 The German Consonant 'l' The pronunciation of the German consonant 'l' often proves difficult for language learners whose first language is English. This is because the English consonant system contains two 'l' sounds: 1) the so-called clear 'l' or front 'l' which is found at the beginning of words (i.e. 'lamp', 'land', 'like') 2) the dark 'l' or back 'l' which is found only at the end of words or syllables (i.e. 'rattle', 'tackle', 'will'). German, on the other hand, uses the clear 'l' sound in all positions. It can prove difficult therefore for English speakers to resist the temptation to articulate dark 'l' consonants at the end of German words or syllables where a clear 'l' sound should be employed. You should therefore practise the formation of the German clear 'l' (front 'l') sound. It is a lateral consonant, which means air escapes laterally in its production, because the sides of the tongue stay down while the blade of the tongue makes contact with the alveolar ridge of the mouth. To feel the movement of air for yourself, trying forming a clear 'l' but then breathe in quickly - you will feel a stream of cold air moving along both sides of the tongue and palate.
Sounds 1: The German clear or front 'l' alleine (alone)
hell (bright)
wild (wild)
Fräulein (young lady)
Polen (Poland)
Teil (part)
Unheil (disaster)
Schal (shawl)
Leute (people)
lallen (to babble)
As it is the end of words where native English speakers are most tempted to use a dark 'l'. Sounds 2: 'l' in final position viel (much)
Ventil (valve; outlet)
Stil (style)
Nil (Nile)
Kiel (Kiel)
subtil (subtle)
The clear 'l' is also used in final '-el' syllables. Make sure that you do not unconsciously raise the back of your tongue when articulating these sounds, as we do for example in English 'cattle', 'subtle' or 'scuttle'. Sounds 3: German '-el' in final position Schlüssel (key)
Mittel (means)
Apfel (apple)
Wandel (change)
Sounds 4: German '-eln' in final position wandeln (to change)
sammeln (to collect)
angeln (to fish)
Kartoffeln (potatoes)
2.09 The German 'm' sound in consonant clusters The German 'm' sound is also used in consonant clusters and retains its bilbial nasal sound. Sounds 1: 'm' + another consonant in initial position Schmuck (jewellery)
schmal (narrow)
Schmerz (pain)
Smaragd (emerald)
Sounds 2: Clusters with 'm' in medial position Lampe (lamp)
Tempel (temple)
Ampel (traffic light)
Rampe (ramp)
Sounds 3: 'm' in final position Amt (office)
Hemd (shirt)
plump (clumsy)
2.10 The German Consonant Clusters 'ng' and 'nk' The '-ng' consonant combination is pronounced in a manner that is similar to its English equivalent in words such as 'thing' and 'bring'. Although it is not represented by a single letter of the alphabet, 'ng' constitutes a distinct consonant, and it is described as a velar nasal. This means that it is formed in the soft palate (velum) towards the back of the vocal tract, with the back of the tongue pressed against the velum. It is described as 'nasal' because the sound is expelled through the nasal cavity and not the oral tract. This sound can cause difficulties for native English speakers because, although English also has the 'ng' consonant, there are two varieties of this in English. There is a noticeable difference in the way that the words 'finger' and 'ringer' are pronounced in English. If you say them to yourself, you will notice that these two words do not quite rhyme. There is an extra 'g' sound in 'finger' (and words such as 'younger', 'longer' and 'hunger') that is not articulated in 'ringer' (and words such as 'singer' and 'longing'). Only one form of the '-ng' consonant sound exists in German however. It does not have the extra /g/ phoneme that we find in 'finger', 'younger', 'longer' and 'hunger', which means that care needs to be taken with the pronunciation of their German equivalents "Finger", "jünger", "länger" and "Hunger". It is when the '-ng' consonant sound appears in the middle of a word that English speakers need to pay the most attention. Sounds 1: 'ng' in medial position Hunger (hunger)
abhängig (dependent)
singen (to sing)
Finger (finger)
Menge (amount) Sounds 2: 'ng' in final position lang (long)
Wohnung (apartment)
Meldung (announcement)
Ring (ring)
Frühling (spring)
streng (severe)
The consonant cluster 'nk' In the consonant cluster written as "-nk", the sound produced is a combination of the velar nasal "ng" heard at the end of English words such as 'thing' and bring', followed by the phoneme /k/. This is less complicated than it sounds, equating to how we pronounce English words such as 'thin-king. Sounds 3: The 'nk' consonant cluster in initial position sinken (to sink)
trinken (to drink)
Enkel (grandchild)
Onkel (uncle)
Sounds 4: The 'nk' consonant cluster in initial position trinken (to drink)
danken (to thank)
denken (to think)
Frankreich (France)
This consonant cluster is also heard when 'nk' appears as the end of a word, either on its own or followed by a further consonant. Sounds 5: The sound 'nk' in final position Punkt (point)
winkt (waves)
sinkt (sinks)
trinkt (drinks)
Sounds 6: Distinguishing between 'ng' and 'nk' sounds singen (to sing)
sinken (to sink)
Engel (angel)
Enkel (grandchild)
Finger (finger)
Finken (finches)
2.11 The German consonant 'p' + another consonant The German consonant 'p' retains its sound when used in combination with other consonants Sounds 1: 'p' + consonant in initial position Platz (room, space)
plötzlich (suddenly)
prima (fantastic)
Problem (problem)
Attention should be paid however to the German consonant clusters 'psy', 'pn' and 'pt'. In all of the clusters, the 'p' sound is spoken at the beginning of the word in German, whereas it is silent in similar English constructions. Sounds 2: Consonant clusters 'psy', 'pn' and 'pt' Psychologie (psychology)
psychisch (psychic)
Psychothriller (psychothriller)
Psychiatrie (psychiatry)
pneumatisch (psychothriller)
Pterodaktylus (pterodactyl)
Sounds 3: 'p' + consonant in medial position Lampe (lamp) Waspe (wasp)
Tempel (temple)
Sounds 4: 'p' + consonant in final position Haupt (head)
klappt (functions)
Schnaps (schnaps)
Schlips (tie)
The German 'ph' sound As in English, the letters 'ph' are pronounced as an /f/ phoneme in German. In fact, many words that originally contained the letters 'ph' have now been Germanified such that they are now spelled with an 'f'. You would now write Telefon, for example, rather than Telephon, and Fotografie rather than Photographie. Even after the recent German spelling reforms however, a number of 'ph' words remain, sometimes as the sole acceptable spelling of a lexical item, sometimes as an accepted variant to the spelling with 'f'. Sounds 5: The German 'ph' consonant cluster Philosophie (philosophy)
Phrase (phrase)
Physik (physics)
Phonetik (phonetics)
2.12 The German Consonant 'q' As in English, the German consonant 'q' is always followed by the letter 'u' when it is written. It is pronounced however in a very different manner. It should be spoken as a 'kv' sound, which is only familiar to us from words such as 'kvetch', which is itself a loan word from Yiddish. Sounds 1: 'q' in initial position Quittung (receipt)
Quelle (source)
quer (diagonally)
Qualität (quality)
Quiz (quiz)
quietschen (to squeak)
In a small number of words imported from French, such as Boutique, the letter 'q' is spoken as a /k/ phoneme if the letter occurs in medial and final position. But these words are very much the exceptions. The 'kv' sound is found in medial position in most other imported words - e.g. in the German word Aquarium.
2.13 The German Consonant 'r' with other consonants It can prove difficult for students of German to remember to articulate the consonantal 'r' correctly when it appears in a cluster with other consonants. It is all too tempting to overconcentrate on the first sound in the cluster and to slip back into pronouncing the 'r' as an English 'r'. Sounds 1: German consonantal 'r' in initial clusters schreiben (to write)
sprechen (to speak)
Strom (electricity)
Straße (street)
Sounds 2: Consonantal 'r' in an initial 'dr-' cluster drei (three)
draußen (outside)
Drama (drama)
drehen (to turn)
Sounds 3: Consonantal 'r' in a medial and final position cluster hart (hard)
warten (to wait)
Firma (company)
Wirt (landlord)
Berg (mountain)
kurz (short)
2.14 The German Consonant 's' When it comes before a vowel, the German consonant 's' is pronounced like English 'z' in words such as 'zinc' or 'zoo', although the German sound is not as strongly voiced. Native English speakers often therefore experiences difficulties in distinguishing between the letters 's' and 'z', particularly when they occur at the start of a word. Sounds 1: The German letters 's' and 'z' in initial position Seile (ropes)
Zeile (line)
sang (sang)
Zange (pliers)
Sumpf (morass)
zum (to the)
sinken (to sink)
Zink (zinc)
But when the letter 's' appears at the end of a word, it is always articulated in the same way as English 's' in words such as 'sink' or 'sue'. This means that German 's' at the end of a word must be distinguished from the /z/ sound made at the end of English words such as 'homes', 'towns' or 'roads'. To practise the difference in pronunciation required when the German letter 's' appears at the middle and the end of a word. Sounds 2: 's' in medial and final position Reise (journey)
Reis (rice)
Preise (prices)
Preis (price)
Gläser (glasses)
Glas (glass)
Lose (lots)
Los (lot)
The letters 'ss' and 'ß' A double 's' (written 'ss' or 'ß') is always pronounced as an unvoiced English 's' in words such as 'seal' or 'self'. This sound is written 'ss' when the preceding vowel in a word is short. It is written 'ß': after a long vowel e.g. 'Fuß', 'Maß', 'Spaß' after a diphthong e.g. 'weiß', 'heiß', 'heißt'
Sounds 3: The letters 'ss' and 'ß' Schloss (castle)
wissen (to know)
weiß (white)
dreißig (thirty)
Strauß (ostrich)
größer (bigger)
In the first word of each of the three pairs, the 's' is articulated as a /z/ phoneme. In the second word in each pair, an /s/ phoneme is required. Sounds 4: 's' and 'ss/ß' in medial position weisen (to point)
weißen (to whitewash)
reisen (to travel)
reißen (to tug)
Gleise (train tracks)
gleißen (to glimmer)
2.15 The German consonants 'sp' and 'st' When they occur at the beginning of a word, the German consonant combinations 'sp' and 'st' are pronounced 'schp-' and 'scht-' respectively. Sounds 1: 'sp' and 'st' at the start of a word Straße (street)
Stein (stone)
Stadt (town; city)
Stoff (material)
Sport (sport)
Speisekarte (menu)
Spiel (sport)
Sparkasse (savings bank)
But when 'sp' and 'st' occur in the middle or at the end of a word, then these consonant combinations are pronounced as they would be in English. This means that 'sp' is pronounced as it would be in the English word 'lisp' and 'st' is pronounced as it would be in the English word 'lost'. Sounds 2: 'sp' and 'st' in medial and final position Wespe (wasp)
Knospe (bud)
Donnerstag (Thursday)
Gast (guest)
Liste (list)
Husten (cough)
An exception to the above rule occurs when words beginning with 'sp' and 'st' are used as the final element in a compound noun. Although these sounds are positioned in the middle of the compound noun, the consonant combinations are still pronounced as they would be at the start of a word, i.e. as 'schp' and 'scht-'. Sounds 3: 'sp' and 'st' within compound nouns Hauptstadt (capital city)
Hauptstraße (high street)
Ballspiel (ball game)
Profisport (professional sport)
2.16 The German consonant 't' + another consonant The German consonant 't' retains its sound when used in combination with other consonants. Sounds 1: 't' + consonant in initial position trinken (to drink)
trotz (despite)
trocken (dry)
treu (loyal)
Attention should be paid to words that start with the German consonant cluster 'tsch', as the initial 't' of the consonant cluster needs to be pronounced Sounds 2: The consonant cluster 'tsch' tschüs! (goodbye!)
tschechisch (Czech)
Tscheche (Czech (male))
Tschechin (Czech (female))
Sounds 3: Consonant + 't' in final position bunt (colourful)
Welt (world)
kalt (cold)
fast (almost)
hart (hard)
Sport (sport)
The consonant cluster 'th' is always pronounced as the phoneme /t/. This is true regardless of whether 'th' appears at the beginning, middle or end of a word. Sounds 4: The 'th' consonant cluster Theater (theatre)
Thema (theme)
Theorie (theory)
sympathisch (pleasant)
Apotheke (chemist's)
Mathematik (mathematics)
Methode (method)
Athlet (athlete)
Psychopath (psychopath) The German consonant cluster '-tz' is also pronounced in the same way as English 'ts'. Sounds 5: Words containing the letters 'tz' Dutzend (dozen)
Netz (net)
hetzen (to rush)
plötzlich (suddenly)
2.17 The German Consonant 'w' The German consonant 'w' is pronounced like an English 'v' in the words 'very' and 'video'. The sound is also represented in phonetics by the phoneme 'v'. Although this may take some getting used to, the articulation of the sound itself is one with which English speakers are familiar. In both languages, the upper front teeth and the lower lip come together to form a narrowing through which the air passes with a
trace of a hiss. It is called a 'fricative' consonant, which means that is articulated by forcing air through a narrow gap in the vocal tract in such a way that friction is audible. The /v/ phoneme, the sound that is made when you say the German letter 'w', is thus formed in the same manner and the same place as the German /f/ phoneme. The difference is that you use your vocal cords to make the /v/ sound, but not when you articulate /f/. To feel the difference between the two consonants, place your hands over your ears and repeat the German words fein and Wein (which begins with the /v/ phoneme, despite its spelling). When you say fein, the only thing that should hear is the airstream passing out through your mouth. But when you say Wein, you should be able to feel your entire head vibrate. Sounds 1: The German letter 'w' Wagen (car)
Wein (wine)
Wasser (water)
Winter (winter)
wunderbar (wonderful)
erwarten (to expect)
Words that contain both the German letter 'w' and the German 'v' can initially cause beginners some problems, as we need to make two mental adjustments from the sounds that we are accustomed to making when we see these letters written in English. Sounds 2: Words containing the letters 'w' and 'v' Volkswagen (Volkswagen)
wie (how much)
verschwinden (to disappear)
vorwärts (forwards)
viel
Wiedevereinigung (reunification) Note also that the letter 'w' is also pronounced as a /v/ sound when it appears in a cluster with other consonants. Sounds 3: Consonant + the German letter 'w' Schweiz (Switzerland)
Schweden (Sweden)
zwei (two)
zwar (actually, in fact)
Note that the German letter 'w' is pronounced when it appears in 'wr-' consonant clusters. In the following examples, contrast in particular the difference in articulation between the German word Wrack and its English equivalent wreck, and wringen and its English equivalent wring. Sounds 4: The German 'wr-' consonant cluster Wrack (wreck)
wringen (to wring)
2.18 The German Consonant 'z' The German consonant 'z' is pronounced in the same manner as the English 'ts' sound that is found at the end of words such as 'cats', 'lots' or 'sits'. The temptation to pronounce the sound like an English letter 'z' must be resisted - the German'z' is only ever pronounced as an English letter 'z' in a few imported words such as 'das Quiz'. A further difficulty for English speakers is that a large number of German words begin with the letter 'z' and thus require an initial /ts/ sound. We are unused to starting words with such a sound in English, as the only word that begins in such a way is the 'tsetse fly'.
Sounds 1: The German letter 'z' zwei (two)
zwölf (twelve)
Zug (train)
Zimmer (room)
Ziel (destination)
Zelt (tent)
Herz (heart)
Salz (salt)
The German consonant cluster '-tz' is also pronounced in the same way as English 'ts'. Sounds 2: Words containing the letters 'tz' Dutzend (dozen)
Netz (net)
hetzen (to rush)
plötzlich (suddenly)
Learners of German often have difficulties in distinguishing between the letter 'z' and 's', particularly when they occur at the start of a word. Sounds 3: The German letters 'z' and 's' in initial position Seile (ropes)
Zeile (line)
sang (sang)
Zange (pliers)
Sumpf (morass)
zum (to the)
sinken (to sink)
Zink (zinc)
2.19 The German Consonant 'ch' 1. 'ch' after 'a', 'o', 'u' and 'au' When the letters 'ch' follow the German 'back' vowels 'a', 'o', 'u' and 'au', the sound produced corresponds to the 'ch' heard when Scots talk about 'Loch Ness'. It is articulated therefore with the back of the tongue close to or touching the soft palate. If this is not a sound with which you are familiar: Make a 'h' sound, remembering to let the air flow freely. While you are making this sound, reduce the gap between the roof of your mouth and the back of your tongue until friction becomes audible. Sounds 1: 'ch' after 'a', 'o', 'u' and 'au' ach (oh!)
Bach (stream)
Krach (noise)
Loch (hole)
Tochter (daughter)
mochte (liked)
Buch (book)
Tuch (cloth)
Bauch (stomach)
Rauch (smoke)
2. 'ch' after the front vowels 'e', 'ä', 'i', 'ei', 'eu', 'äu' and 'ö', or after a consonant When the letters 'ch' follow the front vowels 'e', 'ä', 'i', 'ei', 'eu', 'äu' and 'ö', or a consonant, a different sound is required that is articulated much further forward in the mouth. It resembles the 'h' sound made at the start of English words such as 'huge', 'humour' or 'humane', but the German sound needs to be articulated more vigorously and with the sound drawn out. Sounds 2: 'ch' after a front vowel or consonant Blech (tin)
Stich (sting)
Bäche (streams)
möchte (would like)
Bücher (books)
euch (you (informal))
Bräuche (customs)
Dolch (dagger)
Mönch (monk)
Storch (stork)
Note that the diminutive '-chen' is always pronounced in this way regardless of whether it follows a front or back vowel: Sounds 3: Front 'ch' in medial position Hähnchen (chicken)
fechten (to fence)
Becher (cup, tub)
stechen (to sting)
Sounds 4: Front 'ch' in final position ich (I)
dich (you (informal))
mich (me)
euch (you (informal))
Milch (milk)
weich (soft)
reich (rich) Note that the consonant sound in an -ig suffix is also pronounced as a front "ch". Sounds 5: The "-ig" suffix richtig (correct)
Honig (honey)
lustig (funny)
traurig (sad)
eilig (hurried)
fertig (finished)
Differentiating between back and front 'ch' In phonetics, the two 'ch' sounds are represented by different phonemes. The phoneme /x/ is used to represent the sound made when vowels 'a', 'o', 'u' and 'au'. The phoneme /ç/ is used to represent the sound made when vowels 'e', 'ä', 'i', 'ei', 'eu', 'äu' and 'ö', or if it follows a consonant.
'ch'
follows
the
back
'ch'
follows
the
front
Sounds 6: back 'ch' sounds
Differentiating
between
Brauch (custom)
Bräuche (customs)
Strauch (bush)
Sträucher (bushes)
Buch (book)
Bücher (books)
Loch (hole)
Löcher (holes)
Tuch (cloth)
Tücher (cloths)
front
and
2.20 The German 'chs' sound The German letters 'chs' are pronounced 'ks' in a similar manner to the English words 'vixen' and 'oxen'. Sounds 1: The German 'chs' sound sechs (six)
Sachsen (Saxony)
Wachs (wax)
wachsen (to grow)
Büchse (tin)
Achsel (shoulder)
The German letters 'ck' The German letters 'ck' are pronounced preceding 'ck' is always short and stressed.
in
the
same
way
as
Sounds 2: The German 'ck' sound Scheck (cheque)
Stück (piece)
Glück (happiness)
Stock (stick)
Sounds 3: Differentiating between 'ch' and 'ck' Bach (stream)
Backpulver (baking powder)
Mechthild (girl's name)
meckern (to complain)
Buch (book)
Buckel (hunchback)
roch (smelled)
Rock (skirt)
Ernst (philosopher)
Bloch
Schreibblock (writing pad)
Sounds 4: 'ch' and 'ck' in the same word glücklich (happy)
schrecklich (dreadful)
the
letter 'k'.
The
vowel
Sounds 5: A 'ch' and 'ck' tongue-twister Mechthild und Eckhard machen schrecklich Krach. (Mechthild and Eckhard are making a dreadful din.)
2.21 The German consonant 'd' + another consonant The German consonant /d/ retains its sound at the start or in the middle of a word when it is used in combination with other consonants. Sounds 1: 'd' + consonant in initial position drei (three)
draußen (outside)
Drama (drama)
drehen (to turn)
Sounds 2: 'd' + consonant in medial position Kinder (children)
wandern (to wander)
Bilder (pictures)
niedrig (low)
Note that the German consonant cluster '-dt' is also pronounced as a /t/ phoneme. It occurs most frequently in the word Stadt and its compounds. Sounds 3: The consonant cluster 'dt' Stadt (city)
Städte (cities)
As before, whenever the German consonant 'd' appears at the end of a word, it is pronounced as a /t/ phoneme. Sounds 4: Consonant + 'd' in final position Deutschland (Germany)
Kind (child)
Geld (money)
Bild (picture)
Herd (cooker)
Bord (board)
2.22 The German Consonant 'g' The German consonant 'g' is most often pronounced in the same way as the initial letter of the English word 'gone'. The /g/ phoneme is a velar plosive, which means that it is articulated in the soft palate or velum towards the back of the vocal tract. The closure is thus formed further back in the oral passage than with other consonants. The vocal cords vibrate as the consonant is articulated, which makes /g/ a 'voiced' sound. Sounds 1: 'g' in initial position gestern (yesterday)
gut (good)
ganz (quite)
Gold (gold)
geben (to give)
Gier (greed)
Sounds 2: 'g' in medial position Vogel (bird)
Fliege (fly)
sagen (to say)
Lage (situation)
Auge (eye)
zeigen (to show)
But when the German consonant 'g' appears at the end of a word it hardens to a /k/ phoneme. Sounds 3: 'g' in final position klug (intelligent)
Sieg (victory)
Katalog (catalogue)
Zug (train)
Krieg (war) This change in sound at the end of the word is not as surprising as it may seem. The /g/ and /k/ phonemes are both velar plosives, the difference being that you use your vocal cords to form the sound /g/, i.e. it is 'voiced', whereas we do not use our vocal cords to make the /k/ sound i.e. we call it 'voiceless'. To put this to the test: Put your fingers lightly on your throat such that they rest on your voice box. Say the German word Gabel (= fork) and feel how your vocal cords vibrate as you form the initial sound. Now say the German word Kabel (= cable). Note that there is no vibration in your vocal cords this time. To help you distinguish between the /g/ and /k/ sounds that the letter 'g' can make depending on its position in the word, listen to the following pairs of words. In the first word of each pair, 'g' will be pronounced /g/ as it appears in themiddle of the word. In the second word in each pair, the letter 'g' appears at the end of a word, and is therefore pronounced as a /k/. Sounds 4: Distinguishing between /g/ and /k/ bürgen (to vouch for)
Burg (castle)
Jürgen (Jürgen)
Jörg (Jörg)
tagen (to meet (of government))
Tag (day)
fliegen (to fly)
Flug (flight)
The '-ig' ending When 'g' forms part of discussed elsewhere on this site.
an -ig suffix
it
is
pronounced
Sounds 5: The "-ig" suffix richtig (correct)
Honig (honey)
lustig (funny)
traurig (sad)
eilig (hurried)
fertig (finished)
as -ich using
the /ç/ phoneme
2.23 The German consonant 'g' in French loan words The 'g' consonant retains its original pronunciation in a number of words that have been imported from other languages. This is particularly true of loan words taken from French. Sounds 1: Imported '-age' words Garage (garage)
Reportage (report)
Etage (floor of building)
Passage (passage)
Blamage (embarrassment)
Rage (rage)
Engagement (commitment) This sound is also maintained in a number of words of French origin that contain the letters 'gi-'. Sounds 2: Imported '-gi' words Regie (direction (film))
Regisseur (director)
Regime (regime) It is not always easy to distinguish between words that begin with 'Ge-', but which have deceptively different pronunciations. Sounds 3: Imported 'ge-' words Genie (genius)
genial (inspired)
Gelee (jelly)
Gel (gel)
Genre (genre)
Gen (gene)
The consonant sound 'g' in English loan words A further group of German words have been imported from English and thus retain the English pronunciation of the 'g' consonant Sounds 4: Loan words with English 'g' sounds Manager (manager)
Management (management)
Teenager (teenager)
2.24 The German Consonant 'j' The German consonant 'j' is almost always pronounced in the same manner as the English 'y' sound that in words such as 'yes', 'yellow' or 'yard'. It is formed when the middle of the tongue makes contact with the hard palate and it is a 'voiced' sound i.e. you can feel you vocal cords vibrate when the sound is articulated.
Sounds 1: Words starting with the letters 'j' ja (yes)
jung (young)
jetzt (now)
jeder (each)
Jubel (jubilation)
Jugend (youth)
Jacke (jacket)
Jahr (year)
Sounds 2: Imported words with 'j' in medial position Majonäse (mayonnaise)
Boje (buoy)
The proximity of German 'j' to English 'y' can be seen by the fact that many words imported from English that originally began with a 'y' are spelled in German with an initial 'j'. Sounds 3: Imported words starting with 'j' Jacht (yacht)
Joghurt (yoghurt)
Jo-Jo (yo-yo)
jodeln (to yodel)
Jod (iodine)
Jota (iota)
There is an ever-growing number of exceptions to this rule however. The influx of English terms beginning with the letter 'j' into the German language has been accompanied by the retention of the English 'j' sound in spoken German. Sounds 4: Words starting with an 'English' letter 'j' Job (job)
Jazz (jazz)
Jet (jet)
Jeep (jeep)
Jeans (jeans)
Jumper (jumper)
Jackpot (jackpot)
joggen (to jog)
To complicate matters yet further, a further set of words beginning in 'j' have been imported from French. Sounds 5: Words starting with a 'French' letter 'j' Journalist (male journalist)
Journal (journal)
Journalistin (female journalist)
Jalousie (blind)
2.25 The German sound 'k' in consonant clusters Sounds 1: 'k' + consonant in initial position klein (small)
klasse! (great!)
krank (ill)
Krieg (war)
When 'k' appears as the second element in an initial consonant cluster, it retains its /k/ phoneme. Sounds 2: The 'sk' sound in initial position Skandal (scandal)
Sklave (slave)
Skelett (skeleton)
Skulptur (sculpture)
But be careful of the pronunciation of the German word Ski! It is pronounced as "Schi", an alternate version of the word, and often catches out learners of German. Sounds 3: How to pronounce 'Ski' Ski (to ski)
fahren
ich fahre (I am skiing)
Ski
The consonant cluster 'nk' In the consonant cluster written as "-nk", the sound produced is a combination of the velar nasal "ng" heard at the end of English words such as 'thing' and bring', followed by the phoneme /k/. This is less complicated than it sounds, equating to how we pronounce English words such as 'thin-king. Sounds 4: The 'nk' consonant cluster in initial position sinken (to sink)
trinken (to drink)
Enkel (grandchild)
Onkel (uncle)
Sounds 5: The 'nk' consonant cluster in initial position trinken (to drink)
danken (to thank)
denken (to think)
Frankreich (France)
This consonant cluster is also heard when 'nk' appears as the end of a word, either on its own or followed by a further consonant. Sounds 6: The sound 'nk' in final position Punkt (point)
winkt (waves)
sinkt (sinks)
trinkt (drinks)
Sounds 7: Distinguishing between 'ng' and 'nk' sounds singen (to sing)
sinken (to sink)
Engel (angel)
Enkel (grandchild)
Finger (finger)
Finken (finches)
2.26 The German Consonant 'm' The German 'm' is a nasal consonant, which means that when it is made, the airsream escapes through the nose and not the mouth. To prove this to yourself, try making an extended 'mmmmm' sound and then squeezing your nose with your fingers. The air can no longer escape and the sound cannot be articulated. Note too that your vocal cords vibrate when the consonant is formed, which means that /m/ is a 'voiced/ sound.
Sounds 1: 'm' in initial position Mann (man)
Maus (mouse)
Musik (music)
mehr (more)
Minute (minute)
modern (modern)
Sounds 2: 'm' in medial position kommen (to come)
Name (name)
Sommer (summer)
Bäume (trees)
Zimmer (room)
Riemen (strap)
Sounds 3: 'm' in final position Lamm (lamb)
Dom (cathedral)
Baum (tree)
Reichtum (wealth)
2.27 The German Consonant 'n' The German 'n' is a nasal consonant, which means that it is articulated with air escaping through the nose and not the vocal tract. It is articulated in a different position in the mouth to /m/ however, with the tip or blade of the tongue pressed firmly against the alveoli or tooth-ridge, which is the part of the mouth immediately behind the top teeth. This combination of manner and place of aticulation means that the German /n/ is called an alveolar nasal. Note too that your vocal cords vibrate when the consonant is formed, which means that /m/ is a 'voiced/ sound. Sounds 1: 'n' in initial position Nacht (night)
Nase (nose)
Nebel (fog)
neu (new)
nicht (not)
niemand (no-one)
noch (still)
Nummer (number)
The German 'n' sound is also used in consonant clusters in which it retains its alveolar nasal sound. Sounds 2: The 'schn' cluster in initial position Schnee (snow)
schnell (quick)
Schneider (tailor)
Schnaps (schnaps)
Sounds 3: 'n' in medial position Tunnel (tunnel)
genug (enough)
Linie (line)
Miene (expression)
Sounds 4: 'n' in final position schön (beautiful)
essen (to eat)
braun (brown)
sein (his; to be)
2.28 The German Consonant 'p' The German consonant 'p' is pronounced in a similar manner to its English equivalent, regardless of whether it appears at the beginning, middle or end of a word. In both languages, the sound is a bilabial plosive, i.e. in order to make the 'p'sound, both lips must be placed together. The airstream is then stopped as it passes through the vocal tract, causing a minor explosion when it is released. The vocal cords do not vibrate when this sound is made, which means that it is a 'voiceless' consonant. Sounds 1: 'p' in initial position Park (park)
Pause (pause)
Pullover (pullover)
Post (post office)
Person (person)
Punkt (point)
Sounds 2: 'p' in medial position Papier (paper)
Puppe (doll)
Lippe (lip)
Gruppe (group)
Papagei (parrot)
kaputt (broken)
Sounds 3: 'p' in final position Tipp (tip)
Galopp (gallop)
Mopp (mop)
stopp! (stop!)
2.29 The German 'pf' sound Although the German 'pf' sound is written as two letters, it should be articulated as one single sound. It is called an affricate, which means that is made up of an quick explosion at the start of the sound's articulation - the 'p' stage -, immediately followed by a slow fricative closure - the 'f' stage. This sound is far more common in German than it is in English, where we normally hear it only in compound nouns such as stepfather at the point where one syllable ends and another begins. In German however, it is quite possible to find this sound at the start, middle and end of words. Sounds 1: The 'pf' affricate sound Pfund (pound)
Pfennig (pfennig)
Pferd (horse)
Pfingsten (Whitsun)
Pfeil (arrow)
Pfirsich (peach)
Kopf (head)
Tropfen (drop)
Care should be taken in distinguishing the 'pf' sound from the German /f/ phoneme. Sounds 2: Distinguishing between 'pf' and 'f' Pfund (pound)
Fund (discovery)
Pfand (deposit)
Fand (found)
Pflug (plough)
Flug (flight)
Finally, try to distinguish between the 'pf' and 'f' sounds within the same word by listening to the following four German words which contain both sounds. Sounds 3: 'pf' and 'f' sounds in the same word Pfeffer (pepper)
Pfiff (whistle)
Pfeife (pipe)
Pfaffe (cleric)
2.30 The German Consonant 'r' The German consonant 'r' is one of the most difficult sounds to master. Not only will you hear a vast range of variants in the German-speaking country depending on region, context and style, but all of the German 'r' sounds differ from their English equivalents. As it is beyond the scope of this guide to examine all of the regional variants, we shall instead concentrate on two forms:
1) the vocalic 'r' which is used in unstressed prefixes and suffixes and after long vowels 2) the consonantal 'r' which is used in all other positions.
The consonantal 'r' The German consonantal 'r' is described as a 'roll' or 'trill', by which we mean that the speech organs strike each other several times in quick succession in the articulation of this sound. In northern and central Germany, this sound is made towards the back of the vocal tract, with the back of the tongue raised towards the uvula in order to create a narrow passage. When the airstream moves through this passage, the friction thus created causes the tongue to touch the uvula either once (uvular flap) or several times (uvular roll). The 'r' sound thus created has a rasping throat-clearing quality which can be equated to a less extreme version of the sound produced when gargling. The sound called the 'uvular fricative' is similar to the uvular sounds outlined above, but this time there is no contact with the uvula when the back of the tonge is raised and nor does the uvula vibrate as it would if you were gargling. The best way to reproduce this sound is to form an 'ach' sound, remembering to articulate it right at the back of the mouth. If you gradually start to vibrate the vocal cords while forming this sound, then the uvular fricative 'r' emerges. Although originally used in informal contexts, this variant of consonantal 'r' is slowly emerging as the most common pronunciation of the sound in Germany. In South Germany and Austria, on the other hand, the 'r' sound is formed much further forward in the mouth. With the alveolar roll or apical roll, the tongue touches the alveolar ridge quickly and repeatedly. Which variant of the German consonantal 'r' you adopt will depend either on your teacher or on the region of the German-speaking world that you visit or live in. While it is probably advisable for beginners to adopt an uvular 'r', as it less easy to confuse this sound with English 'r', the most important thing is to be consistent and not mix and match different types of consonantal 'r'.
Sounds 1: German consonantal 'r' in initial position rot (red)
Rad (wheel)
rechts (on the right)
Regen (rain)
Reise (journey)
richtig (correct)
Rauch (smoke)
ruhig (quiet)
Sounds 2: Consonantal 'r' in medial position stören (to disturb)
hören (to hear)
geboren (born)
Lehrerin (teacher)
gerade (straight)
Forum (forum)
It is used here instead of vocalic 'r' because the preceding vowel is short. Sounds 3: Consonantal 'r' in final position Herr (gentleman)
dürr (thin)
Narr (fool)
Geschirr (cutlery)
2.31 German vocalic 'r' The German vocalic 'r' is so-called because it is pronounced as a vowel, not a consonant. Sometimes referred to as a 'dark schwa', vocalic 'r' is articulated with the tongue slightly lower and further back in the vowel area than the 'schwa' sound heard at the end of such German words as 'Liebe', 'Katze' and 'Ratte'. Vocalic 'r' can only be used in certain specific situations which are outlined below. Its most common usage is in unstressed "-er" syllables at the end of German words. Sounds 1: Vocalic 'r' in final position Bruder (brother)
Schwester (sister)
Mutter (mother)
Vater (father)
The vocalic 'r' is also used in the final position in a word when the 'r' follows a long vowel. Sounds 2: Vocalic 'r' after a long vowel Tor (gate; goal)
Uhr (clock)
mehr (more)
vier (four)
Bier (beer)
Chor (chorus)
Vocalic 'r' is also heard when the letter 'r' follows a long vowel but precedes another consonant. Sounds 3: Vocalic 'r' after long vowel + before another consonant Pferd (horse)
Herd (cooker)
spürte (felt)
führte (led)
You will also hear vocalic 'r' in the unstressed German prefixes er-, ver-, zer- and her. Sounds 4: Vocalic 'r' in unstressed prefixes erlauben (to allow)
vergessen (to forget)
zerstören hereinkommen (to destroy) (to come in) Distinguishing between vocalic 'r' and consonantal 'r' In the following pairs of words, the first word contains a vocalic 'r' in final position. The second word in each pair however contains a consonantal 'r'. Sounds 5: Vocalic 'r' or consonantal 'r'? jünger (younger)
die (the younger one)
Meer (sea)
Meere (seas)
clever (clever)
der (the clever one)
jüngere
clevere
Note in particular how adding an '-in' suffix can change the articulation of what was previously a vocalic 'r'sound. Sounds 6: Vocalic and consonantal 'r' within the same word Frankfurter (Frankfurter sausage)
Bruder (brother)
Lehrer (male teacher)
Lehrerin (female teacher)
Reporter (male reporter)
Reporterin (female reporter)
2.32 The German consonants: 'sch' The German sound written 'sch' is similar to English 'sh' in words such as 'show' or 'short'. In the articulation of the German sound however, the lips are rounded much more and may even protrude a little as the sound is formed. Sounds 1: The German 'sch' sound Scheck (cheque)
Schlaf (sleep)
komisch (funny)
Fisch (fish)
The German 'sch' sound retains its pronunciation when it is used in combination with other consonants. Sounds 2: The 'schn' cluster in initial position Schnee (snow)
schnell (quick)
Schneider (tailor)
Schnaps (schnaps)
Attention should be paid to words that start with the German consonant cluster 'tsch', as both the initial 't' and the 'sch' need to be articulated. Sounds 3: The consonant cluster 'tsch' tschüs! (goodbye!)
tschechisch (Czech)
Tscheche (Czech (male))
Tschechin (Czech (female))
2.33 The German Consonant 't' The German consonant 't' is pronounced in a similar manner to its English equivalent, although slightly less air is released in its articulation. In both languages, the sound is an alveolar plosive, which means that it is made with the blade of the tongue pressing against the alveolar ridge. The alveolar ridge is the part of the roof of the mouth directly above the teeth. Simultaneously, both sides of the tongue press against the hard palate and form a closure. The airstream is then stopped as it passes through the vocal tract, causing a minor explosion when it is released. The vocal cords do not vibrate when this sound is made, which means that it is a 'voiceless' consonant. Sounds 1: 't' in initial position Tag (day)
tausend (thousand)
Telefon (telephone)
Tier (animal)
Tomate (tomato)
Tür (door)
Sounds 2: 't' in medial position Auto (car)
Wetter (weather)
Butter (butter)
Pate (godfather)
Miete (rent)
Leute (people)
Sounds 3: 't' in final position gut (good)
rot (red)
tot (dead)
tut (does)
2.34 The German Consonant 'v' In most instances the German consonant 'v' is pronounced in the same way as the letter 'f' in the English words 'fish' and 'face'. Although remembering to do so often requires a little practice, the articulation of the sound itself is quite straightforward. In both languages, the upper front teeth and the lower lip come together to form a narrowing through which the air passes with a trace of a hiss. It is called a 'fricative' consonant, which means that is articulated by forcing air through a narrow gap in the vocal tract in such a way that friction is audible.
Sounds 1: The German letter 'v' in initial position viel (much)
vier (four)
Viertel (quarter)
von (from)
Vogel (bird)
Vater (father)
Volk (people)
verlieren (to lose)
It is therefore necessary to distinguish very clearly between: The letter 'v' which is actually pronounced as an /f/ phoneme. The phoneme /v/ which represents the sound made by the German letter 'w' (in words such as 'Wein', 'weiß' etc.) In some German words however, the letter 'v' is pronounced as the phoneme /v/. These words include a number of items that are used very frequently in German. Sounds 2: The letter 'v' as phoneme /v/ Klavier (piano)
Vase (vase)
November (November)
Universität (university)
privat (private)
Verb (verb)
2.35 The German Letter 'y' The German letter 'y' can be pronounced in a number of different ways, depending on its position in a word or syllable. If it is used as a vowel, it sounds like the German long or short vowel 'ü'. The fact that this letter often appears in words in whose English equivalent it would be pronounced as an 'i' makes the German 'y' a sound that it can be very easy to mispronounce. Sounds 1: Words containing the letter 'y' in medial position typisch (typical)
Physik (physics)
Pyramide (pyramid)
Gymnasium (grammar school)
Rhythmus (rhythm)
Hymne (hymn)
If 'y' stands at the beginning or end of a word, then it is pronounced in the same way as it would be in English. The word in which it appears is very probably an import from English in the first place. Sounds 2: Words with 'y' in initial and final position Hobby (hobby)
Yoga (yoga)
Party (party)
Handy (mobile phone)
