German Pronunciation Rules with Examples

How to read German

German is read almost exactly as it’s written: learn a few combinations (ei, ie, eu, sch, ch) and the rule of long and short vowels, and you can read most words even without knowing what they mean.

German words are usually stressed on the first syllable: Vater, Mutter, Schule. The prefixes be-, ge-, ver-, er- and zer- stay unstressed: bequem, Gesicht. Tap the words to listen, and the “Slow” speed helps you hear every sound.

Vowels: long and short

Every German vowel can be long or short, and that changes the word: Staat (state) vs Stadt (city). Spelling tells you which: a doubled vowel, an h or a single consonant after it means long; a doubled consonant means short.

NormalSlow

aa, ee, oo · ah, eh, oh, uh

long vowel, the h is silent

A doubled vowel or a vowel + h is long; an h after a vowel isn’t pronounced, it just lengthens the vowel: Zahn — “tsaan”.

tt, mm, ss, ck…

short vowel

Before a doubled consonant (and before ck, tz) the vowel is short and crisp: Mutter — “mutt-er”, not “moo-ter”.

ie

[iː] · ee

Ie is one long [iː]; the e is not pronounced: Liebe — “lee-buh”.

ei, ai

[aɪ] · eye

Ei and ai are read [aɪ], like “eye”: mein sounds like “mine”.

eu, äu

[ɔʏ] · oy as in “boy”

Eu and äu are read [ɔʏ], like “oy” in “boy”: heute — “hoy-tuh”.

au

[aʊ] · ow as in “how”

Au is [aʊ], like “ow” in “how”: Haus sounds like “house”.

ä

[ɛ] · e as in “bed”

Ä is an open [ɛ], long [ɛː] in long syllables: Käse — “kay-zuh” with an open “e”.

ö

[ø] · say “ay” with rounded lips

Ö is [ø]: round your lips as for “o” and say “ay”. A short ö is more open, [œ]: Köln.

ü

[y] · say “ee” with rounded lips

Ü is [y]: round your lips as for “oo” and say “ee”.

final -e

[ə] · a short “uh”

Unlike in French, a final e is pronounced, as a short unclear [ə]: Name — “nah-muh”.

final -er

[ɐ] · a short “uh”

A final -er sounds like a short unclear [ɐ], close to “uh”: Vater — “fah-tuh”.

Consonant combinations

German words are long, but they read predictably: several letters in a row often make one sound — sch [ʃ], ch, ng.

sch

[ʃ] · sh

Sch is three letters for one sound, [ʃ] — “sh”.

initial sp, st

[ʃp, ʃt] · shp, sht

At the start of a word or root, sp and st are [ʃp] and [ʃt] — “shp”, “sht”. In the middle or at the end they are [sp], [st]: Fenster, ist.

ch after a, o, u, au

[x] · ch as in Scottish “loch”

After a, o, u and au, ch is a deep [x], as in Scottish “loch”: Buch — “booch”.

ch after e, i, ä, ö, ü

[ç] · a soft “h” as in “huge”

After e, i, ä, ö, ü, ei, eu and consonants, ch is a soft [ç], like the “h” in “huge” — neither “k” nor “sh”.

chs

[ks] · x

Chs is read [ks], like an English x: sechs — “zex”.

final -ig

[ɪç] · ish, soft

A final -ig is read [ɪç], like ich: König — “kö-nich”.

tsch

[tʃ] · ch as in “church”

Tsch is four letters for one sound, [tʃ] — the “ch” in “church”.

ng

[ŋ] · ng as in “sing”

Ng is one nasal sound, [ŋ], as in English “sing”; there is no separate g.

pf

[pf]

Pf is said together in one go, [pf]. Both letters are heard.

qu

[kv]

Qu is read [kv]: Quelle — “kvel-luh”.

Single consonants

A few German letters don’t sound the way English suggests: s, z, v, w and j. And voiced b, d, g become voiceless at the end of a word.

s before a vowel

[z]

S before a vowel is voiced, [z]: Sonne — “zon-nuh”.

ß, ss

[s]

ß and ss are always a voiceless [s]. ß follows a long vowel (Fuß), ss a short one (Wasser).

z, tz

[ts]

Z and tz are read [ts], not “z”: Zeit — “tsite”.

v

[f]

In native German words v is read [f]: Vogel — “fo-gel”. In loanwords it’s [v]: Vase, Klavier.

w

[v]

W is [v], like an English v: Wein sounds like “vine”.

j

[j] · y as in “yes”

J is read [j], like the y in “yes”: ja — “yah”.

h starting a syllable

[h]

At the start of a word or syllable h is a light breath, [h], as in English. After a vowel h is silent (see long vowels).

final b, d, g

[p, t, k]

At the end of a word or syllable b, d and g become voiceless: Kind — “kint”, Tag — “tahk”, gelb — “gelp”.

Practice: test yourself

10 questions per round, made from the words on this page. After every answer you hear the word and the right option lights up.

How is it read?A few letters in a word are highlighted. Choose how they sound.Which word did you hear?Listen to a word and find it among four.

How to learn the rules faster

Learn combinations as a single “letter”: sch, ch, ei, ie, eu.
Watch vowel length: Staat and Stadt, Miete and Mitte are different words.
Remember: ei is “eye”, ie is “ee”. The first letter doesn’t tell you the sound.
Practise ö, ü and the two kinds of ch separately — English has none of them.

FAQ

Didn’t find your answer? Send us a request — we’ll tell you everything.

Is it hard to learn to read German?

No: German is one of the most predictable languages to read. There are few rules and few exceptions, so a few weeks of practice is enough to read aloud with confidence.

How do you tell a long vowel from a short one?

It’s long if the vowel is doubled (Tee), followed by h (Zahn) or by a single consonant (Name). It’s short before a doubled consonant (Mutter, Bett) or several consonants (Stadt).

How do you pronounce ch?

There are two sounds. After a, o, u and au it’s a deep [x], as in Scottish “loch”: Buch, Nacht. After e, i, the umlauts and consonants it’s a soft [ç], like the “h” in “huge”: ich, Milch. At the start of a word ch can be [k] (Chor) or [ʃ] (Chef).

Why is a final d pronounced like “t”?

That’s final devoicing: at the end of a word or syllable, b, d, g and s lose their voice — Kind sounds like “kint”, Tag like “tahk”. In forms where a vowel follows, they’re voiced again: Kinder, Tage.

Which syllable is stressed in German?

Usually the first syllable of the root: Vater, Schule, sprechen. The unstressed prefixes be-, ge-, er-, ver-, zer-, ent- and emp- don’t take it: bekommen, verstehen. Loanwords are often stressed on the last syllable: Student, Musik.

What’s next

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German pronunciation rules with examples