Free · for kids and adults
The German alphabet with pronunciation: A to ß through play
Tap a letter to hear how it sounds in German, followed by a word. Listen to the whole alphabet with the umlauts, play four games and learn to spell your name or email in German.
- 26 letters + Ä, Ö, Ü, ß
- Audio in German
- IPA transcription
- 4 games
- No sign-up
Tap the letter
[aː]
Apfel — apple
The German alphabet with pronunciation
Tap a card: first you hear the letter’s name, then a word. Vowels are pink; the umlauts and ß come after Z. Every letter you listen to gets a star — collect all 30!
0 of 30 heard
Your browser can’t read German aloud — try Chrome, Safari or Edge. Every card shows the IPA transcription.
German alphabet chart with IPA
All 26 letters, the umlauts and ß: IPA transcription, an example word and the word used to spell the letter out over the phone.
| Letter | IPA | Word | Spelling (A wie…) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A a | [aː] | Apfel — apple | Anton |
| B b | [beː] | Ball — ball | Berta |
| C c | [tseː] | Clown — clown | Cäsar |
| D d | [deː] | Delfin — dolphin | Dora |
| E e | [eː] | Elefant — elephant | Emil |
| F f | [ɛf] | Fisch — fish | Friedrich |
| G g | [ɡeː] | Giraffe — giraffe | Gustav |
| H h | [haː] | Hund — dog | Heinrich |
| I i | [iː] | Igel — hedgehog | Ida |
| J j | [jɔt] | Jacke — jacket | Julius |
| K k | [kaː] | Katze — cat | Kaufmann |
| L l | [ɛl] | Löwe — lion | Ludwig |
| M m | [ɛm] | Maus — mouse | Martha |
| N n | [ɛn] | Nase — nose | Nordpol |
| O o | [oː] | Ohr — ear | Otto |
| P p | [peː] | Pinguin — penguin | Paula |
| Q q | [kuː] | Quadrat — square | Quelle |
| R r | [ɛʁ] | Rakete — rocket | Richard |
| S s | [ɛs] | Sonne — sun | Samuel |
| T t | [teː] | Tiger — tiger | Theodor |
| U u | [uː] | Uhr — clock | Ulrich |
| V v | [faʊ] | Vogel — bird | Viktor |
| W w | [veː] | Wal — whale | Wilhelm |
| X x | [ɪks] | Taxi — taxi | Xanthippe |
| Y y | [ˈʏpsilɔn] | Yoga — yoga | Ypsilon |
| Z z | [tsɛt] | Zebra — zebra | Zacharias |
| Ä ä | [ɛː] | Ähre — ear of wheat | Ärger |
| Ö ö | [øː] | Öl — oil | Ökonom |
| Ü ü | [yː] | Überraschung — surprise | Übermut |
| ẞ ß | [ɛsˈtsɛt] | Fuß — foot | Eszett |
Germans spell out like this: “A wie Anton, B wie Berta”. Since 2022 the DIN 5009 standard recommends city names (A wie Aachen, B wie Berlin), but in everyday speech you’ll still hear the old version more often. Ö, Ü and R have no exact English equivalent — listen to the audio and check the IPA.
German alphabet games
10 questions per round. Great for kids and adults alike: praise for every right answer, stars for every round.
This game needs German audio, and your browser doesn’t support it. Try the other games!
Spell it out
How do you spell your name, surname or email in German? Type it and see (and hear) what to call each letter. Handy at the Bürgeramt, a bank, the doctor’s or over the phone.
- Start typing and the letters will appear here.
Use Latin letters (ä, ö, ü, ß are fine): other alphabets aren’t spelled out in German.
For two identical letters in a row Germans often say Doppel: Anna — A, Doppel-N, A.
Vowels and consonants
The German alphabet has the 26 Latin letters plus four more: the umlauts Ä, Ö, Ü and ß (Eszett). The vowels are A, E, I, O, U and the umlauts; Y appears mostly in loanwords (Yoga, Handy) and sounds like [ʏ] or [j].
German is read almost exactly as it’s written: learn the letter names and a few combinations — sch [ʃ], ch, ei [aɪ], ie [iː], eu [ɔʏ] — and you can read most words.
Vowels · 8
Consonants · 22
Letters people mix up
These letter names don’t sound the way English suggests. Tap to listen.
E is [eː] (“ay”), I is [iː] (“ee”) — not like English, where E is “ee” and I is “eye”.
V is “fow” and often sounds like [f] in words: Vogel — “fogel”. W is “vay” and sounds like [v]: Wal — “vaal”.
J is “yot” and sounds like English y: Jacke — “yakke”. Y is “Ypsilon”.
Ä is a long open [ɛː], E is a closed [eː]. In Bär your mouth is wider open than in Beere.
Ö: round your lips for “o” and say “ay”. Ü: round your lips for “oo” and say “ee”.
ß is “Eszett” and sounds like [s] after a long vowel: Fuß, Straße. After a short vowel it’s ss: Wasser. Switzerland doesn’t use ß at all.
How to learn the German alphabet
You can learn the alphabet in a few days with a little practice every day. Here’s what works.
For parents: the alphabet with your child
- 5–10 minutes a day instead of one long hour: your child won’t get tired and will look forward to the next time.
- Listen to the alphabet together and sing along — German kids have their own ABC song, and a rhythm sticks faster than a list.
- Start with the letters of your child’s name: “Dein Name — M, A, X!”
- Play “First letter” and look for things at home starting with the same letter: Apfel, Ball, Tasse…
- Praise in German: “Super!”, “Toll!” — kids pick it up fast.
For adults: why the alphabet matters
- Spell your name or email at the Bürgeramt, a bank, the doctor’s or over the phone — without “Wie schreibt man das?”.
- Understand abbreviations: ABC, BMW, ICE and WG are said letter by letter.
- Know how Germans spell out: “M wie Martha” — that’s how they avoid mistakes in important details.
- Practise E, I, V, W, J, Ä, Ö and Ü separately — that’s where most mistakes happen.
FAQ
Didn’t find your answer? Send us a request — we’ll tell you everything.
How many letters are in the German alphabet?
The 26 Latin letters, as in English, plus four more: the umlauts Ä, Ö, Ü and ß. That’s why people say “26 + 4” or simply 30. There are 5 vowels (A, E, I, O, U) plus 3 umlauts.
How do you pronounce the umlauts Ä, Ö, Ü?
Ä is a long open “e” (Bär). Ö: round your lips as for “o” and say “ay” (schön). Ü: round your lips as for “oo” and say “ee” (Tür). Tap the cards to listen.
What is ß and when do you write ss?
ß (Eszett) sounds like [s]. It’s written after a long vowel or a diphthong: Fuß, Straße, heißen; after a short vowel you write ss: Wasser, muss. The capital ẞ only appears in all-caps text, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein don’t use ß at all.
How do you spell a name or email in German?
Name each letter, adding a word to be sure: “M wie Martha”. For double letters say Doppel: Anna — A, Doppel-N, A. Symbols: @ — ät, dot — Punkt, hyphen — Bindestrich, _ — Unterstrich. Try the “Spell it out” tool above.
Is German hard to read?
No: German is read almost exactly as it’s written. Learn the alphabet and a few combinations — sch, ch, ei, ie, eu — and you can read most words, even without knowing what they mean.
Where do I start learning German?
The alphabet and reading rules come first. Then take the free German level test, and at a free online trial lesson at Slay School a teacher will suggest a programme for your goals.
What’s next
German pronunciation rules
The next step after the alphabet: ei, ie, sch, ch, long and short vowels — with audio and exercises.
Open the rulesGerman level test
Grammar, vocabulary and reading from A1 to C1 — and your CEFR level in German with a review of your mistakes.
Take the testGerman online
Online German at Slay School: live with a teacher on Zoom or Google Meet, from scratch or any level. Your first lesson is free.
About the courseGerman materials
All the free German materials in one place: the alphabet, the level test and a trial lesson.
Open the section
Next step
Keep learning with a mini-course
Short online courses by Slay School teachers: a 15-minute lesson a day with audio, exercises and dialogues, and the words you forget come back on their own.
- Day 1 is free
- 15 minutes a day, at your own pace
- Every word has audio
- Lifetime access once paid
All you need to start is an email or a Google account.