The German alphabet isn’t too complicated. It simply uses the same letters as the English alphabet—just with different pronunciations and a few additions. And just like in English, some letters are pronounced differently depending on how they’re used, which can cause some confusion.
Getting these pronunciations right is absolutely essential if you want to hold conversations in German. Because even if you have proper grammar, no one would understand you if your pronunciation is all over the place!
In this guide, we’ll go through each letter of the alphabet, how to pronounce them correctly, and go in-depth with the special German characters and other particularly difficult letters.
Overview of the German Alphabet
How many letters are in the German alphabet?
The German alphabet consists of 26 letters, with the same letters as the English alphabet.
Well, one can technically say that there are 30. This is because German also has four special characters: Ä, Ö, Ü, and ß (called “Eszett” or “sharp S”).
However, these special characters are kind of like combinations of other letters, which is why they’re not considered standalone letters.
Needless to say, understanding how to use and pronounce these special characters is crucial!
German Alphabet from A to Z
Below, we’ll go through all the letters from A to Z. We’ll also list the correct pronunciation of each and give you a sample word to see the letters in action.
As the ultimate cheat sheet for German letter pronunciation, you can go back to this guide whenever you forget how to pronounce a specific character.
German Special Characters
The four special German characters consist of three umlauted vowels (Ä, Ö, and Ü) and one special consonant (ß). Let’s take a look.
Mastering German Pronunciation
Now let’s discuss each of the special characters, as well as other particularly difficult letters, in more depth.
Pronouncing the “ß” in German
The ß character is often called the "sharp S.”
It’s pronounced like an “s” sound and typically follows long vowels or diphthongs.
For example, take the word Straße, which means “street.” As a result, it’s pronounced as sh-tra-sse.
Note that ß has no uppercase form; it’s replaced by “SS” in all-caps writing.
Pronouncing the “Ä” in German
The Ä character in German is somewhat similar to the vowels’ sound in “air” or “fair.” Think of it as an “eh” but with a slightly more rounded quality.
This character often appears in words derived from verbs or nouns with an -e in the stem, changing the pronunciation for its plural forms or conjugations.
- Example: In the word Äpfel (apples), the ä sound is short, like “eh.” It’s also commonly seen in plural nouns, such as Väter (fathers).
- Tip: Think of Ä as sounding between the English “a” in “cat” and “e” in “bet.”
Pronouncing the “Ö” in German
The Ö character is unique—it doesn’t have an exact equivalent in English, so it might be difficult for learners to get the pronunciation correctly.
It sounds somewhat like “er” in “her,” but with more rounded lips. It’s kind of like the midpoint between “e” and “u” or “o”, like the vowel sound in “burn.”
This character is typically found in words of Germanic origin or borrowed words where the o takes on a softer tone.
- Example: In Öl (oil), ö sounds like “uh” but with rounded lips. Other words with ö include schön (beautiful).
- Tip: Practice rounding your lips as if saying “o” while making the “e” sound, giving it a softer, almost “uh” quality.
Pronouncing the “Ü” in German
The Ü character is pronounced similarly to the English sound “ee” in “see,” but again with more rounded lips.
It’s another unique sound to German, so English speakers may need some time to really master it. It frequently appears in verbs or adjectives, particularly those indicating mood or tone.
- Example: In Über (over), the ü sounds like a rounded “ee.” Another example is müde (tired).
- Tip: To pronounce Ü, try saying “ee” while keeping your lips rounded as if you’re about to say “oo.”
The Letter “R” in German
The German R is pronounced quite differently from the English R—and it also varies by region.
- Standard German (Hochdeutsch): The R is pronounced from the back of the throat, a bit like a soft gargling sound. It’s similar to the French R in “Paris.” For example, in Rot (red), the R sound is throaty and not rolled.
- At the End of Words: At the end of words, R often softens to sound like an “uh” sound, especially in words like Wasser (water), where it’s almost silent.
Tip: Practice by trying to make a subtle gargling sound in the back of your throat, or mimic the French R. It takes practice, but it’s key to sounding authentic.
The Letter “V” in German
The V in German is pronounced like the English F. (I know, very confusing to think of a letter as another letter).
- Example: In Vater (father), V is pronounced like “fah-ter,” not “vah-ter.”
Tip: Whenever you see V in German, just think “F.” German native speakers will understand if you mix it up, but using the correct pronunciation is a nice touch.
The Letter “W” in German
The German W is also pronounced differently from the English W. It sounds like an English V, so it can again be very confusing.
- Example: In Wasser (water), W sounds like “vah-ser.”
Tip: Replace the English W sound with a V sound. Imagine pronouncing “Vater” for “Wasser” to get closer to the correct German pronunciation.
Letter “Y” in German
In German, the letter Y is pronounced like the “ü” in “üpsilon” (like oop-si-lon).
It’s considered a “foreign letter” so it’s not used in native German words. Most often, it’s only found in borrowed words from English or Greek.
Since it’s rare in native German vocabulary, it’s often encountered in words like Yoga and Typ (type).
- Pronunciation: Think of Y as pronounced “ü” (like the German Ü) when it appears in words like Typ. It sounds somewhat like “ee” but with rounded lips.
- Tip: Because Y is mostly used in loanwords, its pronunciation varies slightly depending on the word’s origin. However, it’s closest to the German Ü sound.
However, when Y appears right before a vowel, such as in the borrowed word yen, it’s pronounced like an English y.
Understanding the Letter “S” in German
The letter S in German is pronounced in different ways, depending on its position in the word.
- Standard “S” Sound: When S appears at the beginning of a word or before a vowel (like in Sonne for “sun”), it sounds like the English “z” sound.
- Soft “S” Sound: When S appears at the end of a word or before consonants, it’s pronounced as a soft “s” sound, similar to the English “s” in “bus.” For example, in Haus (house), the s is soft.
- Double “S” and “ß”: When S appears as “ss” or “ß,” it’s always pronounced as a strong “s” sound, like in Straße(street) or Wasser (water).
Tip: Think of “s” as flexible—it can be like the English “z” or a soft “s,” but when doubled or written as ß, it’s always a clear “s” sound.
German Alphabet Song
Does this all sound rather difficult?
Well, remember that catchy English alphabet song for kids? Well, there’s a German alphabet song too! You can use it to familiarize yourself with proper German pronunciation.
Hopefully, the song gets stuck in your head (so the pronunciations do too!)
Key Tips and Takeaways for Learning the German Alphabet
- Start with basic memorization
Familiarize yourself with the standard 26 letters, but pay special attention to German special characters like Ä, Ö, Ü, and ß.
- Always practice pronunciation
The German alphabet pronunciation can be tricky, especially with vowels and consonants that have unique sounds in German.
Whenever you talk to yourself about German characters, automatically pronounce them in German. Don’t go “C is pronounced as tseh in German.” Just go straight to pronouncing C as tseh.
- Use example
But don’t stop at learning the letters in isolation. Incorporate how they’re used in words. The more you see and hear letters in real German words, the faster you’ll master the alphabet in German.
- Listen to the German Alphabet Song
It seriously helps!
The German alphabet looks deceptively easy. But many learners, even at the intermediate level, still struggle with pronunciation from time to time. (They still sometimes forget to pronounce the German V as F for example!)
So it’s important to master the German alphabet as early as possible. After all, it serves as the most basic foundation of your German learning journey.
