How many letters are in the German alphabet?

The German alphabet consists of 30 letters in total: the 26 standard ISO Latin letters (A–Z), plus 3 vowel Umlauts (Ä, Ö, Ü) and 1 special consonant called the Eszett or sharp S (ß / ẞ).

How do you pronounce German Umlauts (Ä, Ö, Ü)?

Ä (ae) is pronounced like the "ai" in air or "e" in pet. Ö (oe) is produced by rounding your lips for an "O" while making an "Ee" sound. Ü (ue) is produced by pursing your lips tightly as if to whistle while pronouncing "Ee".

What is the difference between ß and ss in German?

The Eszett (ß) is always used after long vowels (e.g. Straße, Fuß, groß) and diphthongs (e.g. heiß, weiß). Double "ss" is used after short vowels (e.g. Fluss, Schloss, küssen). Note that Switzerland and Liechtenstein do not use ß, replacing all instances with "ss".

How do I type German Umlauts and ß on an English keyboard?

On Mac, hold Option + u then type the vowel (a, o, u) for umlauts, or Option + s for ß. On Windows, use Alt codes: Alt+0228 (ä), Alt+0246 (ö), Alt+0252 (ü), Alt+0223 (ß). If unavailable, standard German substitute spellings are ae, oe, ue, and ss.

Why is German "V" pronounced like "F"?

In native Germanic words (such as Vogel, Vater, vier, viel), the letter "V" is historically pronounced as a voiceless /f/ sound. In foreign loanwords (like Vase, Villa, Verb), it retains the voiced /v/ sound.

How is German "W" pronounced?

German "W" is always pronounced like the English "V" sound (e.g. Wasser is pronounced "Vasser", Wien is pronounced "Veen"). There is no English /w/ sound in standard German.

What is the German Spelling Alphabet (Buchstabiertafel)?

The German phonetic spelling alphabet (DIN 5009) is used to spell out names over the phone. Traditionally: Anton (A), Berta (B), Cäsar (C), Dora (D), Emil (E)... with modern 2022 standards introducing German city names (Aachen, Berlin, Chemnitz, Dortmund).

German Alphabet Quiz — Das Deutsche Alphabet

Learn and test all 26 German letters plus the 3 Umlauts (Ä, Ö, Ü) and Eszett (ß) with native pronunciation audio, listening tests, 3D flashcards, and tricky sounds guide.

All 30 Letters (26 + Ä, Ö, Ü, ß) Native Audio Pronunciation Audio Listening Test Spaced-Repetition Flashcards 6 English Sound Traps (V, W, J, Z, S, R)

Showing 30 letters Click any to hear pronunciation

Test Your German Alphabet Skills

Choose a practice mode to test letter recognition, German letter names, or audio listening comprehension.

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German Digraphs, Diphthongs & Special Rules

German spelling is largely phonetic, but specific letter combinations follow strict pronunciation rules that differ fundamentally from English. Master these 8 key combinations to sound like a native German speaker.

ch (after a, o, u, au) [x]

Called the "Ach-Laut" — a rough guttural rasp at the back of the throat (like Scottish loch or Spanish j).

Examples: das Buch (book), die Nacht (night), das Dach (roof).

ch (after e, i, ä, ö, ü, eu) [ç]

Called the "Ich-Laut" — a soft hissing whisper like air blowing over the middle of your tongue (like huge in English).

Examples: ich (I), nicht (not), die Küche (kitchen).

sch [ʃ]

Always pronounced like the English "sh" in shoe.

Examples: die Schule (school), schön (beautiful), der Schnee (snow).

sp / st (at word start) [ʃp] / [ʃt]

At the start of a word or syllable, S turns into a "sh" sound before p and t.

Examples: der Sport = "shport", die Stadt = "shtadt", sprechen = "shprechen".

ei vs. ie (The Golden Rule)

Rhyme: "When two vowels go walking, the second does the talking!"

ei = "eye" (Einstein, Eis) | ie = "ee" (Wien, Bier, Liebe).

eu / äu [ɔɪ]

Both eu and äu make the exact same "oy" sound like in English boy.

Examples: der Euro (oy-ro), die Häuser (hoy-zer), heute (hoy-te).

qu [kv]

German qu is always pronounced like "kv" (not English "kw").

Examples: die Quelle = "kvelle", der Quark = "kvark".

-ig (word ending) [ɪç]

At the end of words in standard High German, -ig is pronounced like "-ich".

Examples: richtig = "rich-tich", fertig = "fer-tich", billig = "bil-lich".

Das Deutsche Alphabet: Complete Guide to German Letters & Phonetics

The German alphabet (das Deutsche Alphabet) uses the standard 26 Latin letters shared by English, but expands the inventory with four additional distinct characters: three vowel Umlauts (Ä, Ö, Ü) and one special consonant called the Eszett or sharp S (ß).

German is remarkably phonetic compared to English: once you learn the sound rules for every letter and vowel combination, you can pronounce virtually any written German word correctly on your first attempt.

Complete German Alphabet & Pronunciation Reference Table

Letter	German Name	IPA Symbol	Approximate English Sound	German Example
A a	Ah	[aː]	"a" in father	der Apfel (Apple)
B b	Be	[beː]	"b" in bed (hardens to "p" at word end)	das Buch (Book)
C c	Tse	[tseː]	"ts" in cats (rare alone, usually ch/ck)	der Computer
D d	De	[deː]	"d" in door (hardens to "t" at word end)	das Datum (Date)
E e	Eh	[eː]	"ay" in say / "e" in pet	der Elefant
F f	Eff	[ɛf]	"f" in fish	das Fenster (Window)
G g	Ge	[ɡeː]	"g" in garden (always hard "g")	der Garten (Garden)
H h	Hah	[haː]	"h" in house (silent after vowels)	das Haus (House)
I i	Iee	[iː]	"ee" in see	die Insel (Island)
J j	Yot	[jɔt]	ALWAYS "y" in yes (never English "j")	das Jahr (Year)
K k	Kah	[kaː]	"k" in kite (never silent before n)	die Katze (Cat)
L l	Ell	[ɛl]	Clear "l" (front of mouth)	die Lampe (Lamp)
M m	Emm	[ɛm]	"m" in moon	der Mann (Man)
N n	Enn	[ɛn]	"n" in night	die Nacht (Night)
O o	Oh	[oː]	Pure round "o" in go	das Obst (Fruit)
P p	Pe	[peː]	"p" in pen	die Post (Mail)
Q q	Koo	[kuː]	Always "qu" -> pronounced "kv"	die Quelle (Source)
R r	Err	[ɛʁ]	Guttural throat "r"	der Regen (Rain)
S s	Ess	[ɛs]	"z" at start of word; "s" at end	die Sonne (Sun)
T t	Te	[teː]	"t" in tea	der Tisch (Table)
U u	Oo	[uː]	"oo" in moon	die Uhr (Clock)
V v	Fow	[faʊ]	"f" in father (in German words)	der Vogel (Bird)
W w	Ve	[veː]	ALWAYS "v" in vase	das Wasser (Water)
X x	Iks	[ɪks]	"ks" in box	das Xylophon
Y y	Ypsilon	['ʏpsilɔn]	German "ü" or English "y"	das Yoga
Z z	Tset	[tsɛt]	ALWAYS "ts" in cats / pizza	der Zug (Train)
Ä ä	A-Umlaut	[ɛː]	"ai" in air / "e" in pet	die Äpfel (Apples)
Ö ö	O-Umlaut	[øː]	"i" in bird (rounded lips for O + say Ee)	das Öl (Oil)
Ü ü	U-Umlaut	[yː]	Tight whistle lips + say "Ee"	die Übung (Exercise)
ẞ ß	Eszett	[ɛs'tsɛt]	Sharp unvoiced "ss" after long vowels	die Straße (Street)

The 6 Critical Pronunciation Traps for English Speakers

1. German "W" is pronounced "V"

English speakers reflexively say "Wah-ser". In German, Wasser is pronounced "Vasser" and Wo is "Voh".

2. German "V" is pronounced "F"

In native German words, Vogel is pronounced "Fogel" and Vater is "Fah-ter".

3. German "J" is pronounced "Y"

German has no "dzh" sound for J. Ja is "Yah" and Jahr is "Yahr".

4. German "Z" is ALWAYS "TS"

Never pronounce German Z as an English bee-buzz "zzz". Zug is "Tsook" and Zeit is "Tseit".

5. Initial "S" is Voiced like "Z"

Before vowels, German S makes the English Z sound. Sonne is "Zonne" and Salz is "Zalts".

6. "K" is NEVER silent before "N"

In English "knee" or "knife", the K is silent. In German Knie or Knopf, you must clearly pronounce the "K".

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German Alphabet Quiz — Das Deutsche Alphabet

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German Digraphs, Diphthongs & Special Rules

Das Deutsche Alphabet: Complete Guide to German Letters & Phonetics

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German Alphabet Quiz — Das Deutsche Alphabet

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Test Your German Alphabet Skills

Quiz Completed!

German Digraphs, Diphthongs & Special Rules

Das Deutsche Alphabet: Complete Guide to German Letters & Phonetics

Complete German Alphabet & Pronunciation Reference Table

The 6 Critical Pronunciation Traps for English Speakers

Frequently Asked Questions

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