what are all the letters in the german alphabet how to pronounce
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The Alphabet [edit | edit source]
Like English, the German alphabet consists of 26 bones messages. However, in that location are also combined letters and three umlauted forms. An umlaut is the pair of dots placed over certain vowels; in High german, Umlaut describes the dotted letter, not only the dots.
As in English, letters may exist pronounced differently depending on word and location. The commencement cavalcade is the German letter, the second describes the IPA pronunciation and crude English approximation of the letter proper noun. The tertiary gives an English discussion that matches or approximates the High german letter audio.
Reading down this cavalcade and pronouncing the "English" words will recite the alphabet auf Deutsch ("in German"). Note that letter society is exactly the aforementioned equally in English, but pronunciation is non for many of the messages. In the list of pronunciation notes, no entry means essentially "pronounced as in English".
Pronunciation:  The alphabet —  Das Alphabet | ||
|---|---|---|
| A | (a) /aː/ | Long 'a' equally 'a' in 'begetter' (ah). |
| B | (be) /beː/ | Pronounced similar 'p' when at the finish of a discussion |
| C | (ce) /tseː/ | Encounter combination letter forms; without a following 'h': before 'e', 'i', 'y', 'ä', 'ö' like the German letter 'z' else like 'k' |
| D | (de) /deː/ | Pronounced like 't' when at the end of a discussion; pronounced with the tongue touching the teeth (dental). |
| E | (e) /eː/ | Long 'e': equally 'a' in 'late' (ay) without(!) the (y). Short 'e': as 'e' in 'pet'. In unstressed syllables like 'a' in 'about' or 'eastward' in 'garden' |
| F | (ef) /ɛf/ | |
| G | (ge) /geː/ | Pronounced like 'm' in 'become'; pronounced like 'k' when at the end of a give-and-take; pronounced similar 'ich'-sound (meet below) in the suffix '-ig' at the end of words |
| H | (ha) /haː/ | Pronounced like 'h' in 'house' only at the beginning of words, start of syllables, earlier 'a', 'i', 'o', 'u', 'y', 'ä', 'ö', 'ü' (only if these vowels don't vest to a suffix), otherwise silent |
| I | (i) /iː/ | Long 'i' as 'e' in 'seen' (ee); short 'i' as 'i' in 'pit' |
| J | (jot) /jot/ | Pronounced like 'y' in 'yard' |
| Chiliad | (ka) /kaː/ | |
| L | (el) /ɛl/ | Pronounced similar 'l' simply with the natural language touching the teeth (dental). |
| 1000 | (em) /ɛm/ | |
| N | (en) /ɛn/ | Slightly more "dental"; before 'a', 'i', 'o', 'u', 'y', 'ä', 'ö', 'ü' (just if these vowels don't vest to a suffix) |
| O | (o) /oː/ | Long 'o': as 'o' in 'open' (oh), at that place is no motion in the sound as in the English equivalent. Brusk 'o': equally 'o' in 'pot'. |
| P | (pe) /peː/ | |
| Q | (ku) /kuː/ | Pronounced similar 'grand'; but occurs in the combination 'qu', which is pronounced like 'kv', not similar 'kw'. |
| R | (er) /ɛʁ/, /er/ | In Germany, pronounced gutturally in the back of the pharynx, similar a French 'r'. In Austria and Switzerland, trilled with the front of the natural language. |
| Due south | (es) /ɛs/ | In Deutschland, pronounced like the English language 'z'; pronounced like 's' in 'audio' when at the stop of a word, afterward consonants (except '50', 'm', 'north', ng') and earlier consonants. In Austria, pronounced similar 'z' merely when it appears between ii vowels, pronounced like 's' otherwise. Pronounced like 'sh' in the start of a discussion before 'p' or 't' |
| T | (te) /teː/ | Pronounced like 't' but with the tongue touching the teeth (dental). |
| U | (u) /uː/ | Long 'u' as 'oo' in 'moon' (oo); brusk 'u' equally 'u' in 'put' |
| V | (vau) /faʊ/ | Pronounced similar 'f' when:
In all other cases like 'v'. |
| West | (ve) /veː/ | Pronounced like '5' |
| X | (iks) /ɪks/ | Pronounced like 'ks' |
| Y | (üpsilon) /ʏpsɪlon/ | Pronounced like 'ü' (come across below), except in words of English origin, where it is pronounced like in English |
| Z | (zet) /tsɛt/ | Pronounced like 'ts' |
Unique German Letters [edit | edit source]
Umlaut Messages [edit | edit source]
- Umlauts were originally written as 'ae', 'oe', and 'ue'.
| Pronunciation: Umlauts — Umlaute | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ä | (ä), /ɛː/ or (a Umlaut), /aː 'ʊmlaʊt/ | Long ä /ɛː/: pronounced as 'due east' in 'pet', but longer. Short ä /ɛ/: pronounced equally 'e' in 'pet'. |
| Ö | (ö), /øː/ or (o Umlaut), /oː 'ʊmlaʊt/ | No English equivalent sound (see below). Long ö /øː/: somewhat like to vowel in 'jerk', 'turn', or 'tertiary', but information technology is critical to note that at that place is no 'r' sound that is pronounced in conjunction with the ö. Short ö /œ/: somewhat like 'ur' as in 'hurt', without the 'r' sound. |
| Ü | (ü), /yː/ or (u Umlaut), /uː 'ʊmlaʊt/ | No English equivalent sound (see below). Long ü /yː/: like to 'ew' every bit in 'stew' or 'new', but with lips rounded. Curt ü /ʏ/: like to 'u' as in 'cute'. |
The ss-Ligature, ß [edit | edit source]
| Pronunciation: ß-ligature — Eszett (missing file: File:German language Pronunciation - ß-ligature.ogg, how to upload audio) | ||
|---|---|---|
| ß | (es-zet or scharfes es) /ɛsˈtsɛt/ | Pronounced like 'due south' in 'ready' or 'c' in 'nice'; see below for uses. |
Combined Messages [edit | edit source]
| Pronunciation: Combined letters — Buchstabenkombinationen (missing file: File:German Pronunciation - Combined letters.ogg, how to upload audio) | ||
|---|---|---|
| ch | (ce-ha) // | Pronounced diverse ways (see Konsonanten sounds below) |
| ck | (ce-ka) // | |
| tz | (te-zet) // | |
| ie | (i-eastward) // | Pronounced like the 'ee' in the English word 'meet' |
| ei | (e-i) // | Pronounced similar the 'ie' in 'tie', or the English letter 'I' |
| eu | (e-u) // | Pronounced like the 'oi' in the English word 'oil' |
| äu | (ä-u) // | Pronounced like the 'oi' in the English discussion 'oififty' |
| au | (a-u) // | Pronounced like the 'ow' in the English language word 'cow' |
| dt | (de-te) // | |
| st | (es-te) // | Pronounced like English language 'sh' followed by 't' when at the get-go of words or a syllable |
| sp | (es-pe) // | Pronounced like English language 'sh' followed by 'p' when at the beginning of words or a syllable |
| sch | (es-ce-ha) // | Pronounced like English 'sh' |
| tsch, zsch, tzsch | Pronounced like English 'ch' | |
| ph | (pe-ha) // | Pronounced like 'f'. Often used in the onetime orthography, now nearly always replaced: old: Photographie new: Fotografie |
| pf | (pe-ef) // | Hard pronunciation for non-speakers. Both letters are pronounced. |
| qu | (ku-u) // | Pronounced like 'kv'. |
| LL | (ll-LL) // | Double LL converts to one soft and long L, if at the terminate of word (parallel, virtuell)[?] |
| ... | ||
Deutsche Aussprache ~ German Pronunciation Guide [edit | edit source]
Vokale ~ Vowels [edit | edit source]
German vowels are either long or short, but never drawled as in some English dialects. A simple method of recognizing whether a vowel is likely to exist long or short in a German word is called the Rule of double consonants. If a vowel is followed past a single consonant — as in haben (have), dir (y'all, dat.), Peter (Peter), and schon (already) — the vowel sound is usually long. If in that location are two or more consonants post-obit the vowel — as in falsch (false), eastwardlf (eleven), immer (always), and northwardoch (still) — the vowel sound is normally curt. At that place are some German words that are exceptions to the double consonant rule: bin, bis, das, es, hat, and was all have short vowel sounds. Information technology is as well the example that the silent 'h' does non count as a consonant and the preceding vowel is always long, e.1000. ihnen.
This "dominion" is applied to the use of 'ss' vs. 'ß' (come across beneath)—'ß' is treated every bit a single consonant for purposes of vowel length. Thus, the vowel before 'ß' in der Fuß /fuːs/ (human foot) is long, while that earlier 'ss' in das Fass /fas/ (cask) is short.
Vowel combinations [edit | edit source]
- au /aʊ/ (read every bit 'ah-oo') – is pronounced like 'ow' in English 'cow'. German examples are blau /blaʊ/ (blue) and auch /aʊx/ (also).
- äu /ɔʏ/ (read as 'ah-umlaut-oo') – is pronounced similar 'oi' in the English language discussion 'oififty', which is equivalent to the German european union. German language examples are Häuser /hɔʏzɐ/ (houses) and Mäuse /mɔʏzə/ (mice).
- eu /ɔʏ/ (read like 'ay-oo') – is pronounced like 'oi' in the English word 'oil'. German examples are neun /nɔʏn/ (9) and heute /hɔʏtə/ (today).
- ie /iː/ (read similar 'ee-ay') – has exactly the aforementioned sound as a German long 'i'; that is, similar the 'ee' in 'seen'. German examples are liebe /liːbə/ (dear) and vier /fiːɐ/ (four).
- ei /aɪ/ (read similar 'ay-ee') – is pronounced like the 'ei' in 'height'. German examples are ein /aɪn/ (one) and Arbeit /aʁbaɪt/ (work).
Annotation that 'ie' and 'ei' are pronounced in the reverse manner as they would exist pronounced in English, where the rule is that the beginning vowel is long and the second is silent. In German, dice is pronounced 'dee', just in English it sounds like 'dye'. The word mein in German is pronounced like the English 'mine'. A useful tip for English speakers learning High german is to pronounce the English name of the 2nd vowel in the combination.
Konsonanten ~ Consonants [edit | edit source]
Almost German consonants are pronounced similarly to the mode they are pronounced in English, with exceptions noted in column 3 above. Details of certain consonant sounds and uses are discussed further hither:
- ch – The full general pronunciation of 'ch' is the "ich-audio" discussed below. However, in some words of foreign origin, its sound corresponds to an English consonant: it is pronounced like 'k' /m/ in many words of Greek origin like Christ /kʁɪst/ or Charakter /kaˈʁaktɐ/, 'sh' /ʃ/ in words of French origin, and 'tch' /tʃ/ in words of English origin. Additionally, in Southern Federal republic of germany and Republic of austria, initial 'ch' is pronounced like 'grand', as in China /ˈkiːna/.
- d, t, l, and n – In German, these letters are pronounced with the tongue extended upward to the dorsum of the base of the teeth, creating a more dental sound. As noted above, 'd' is a 'dental d' except at the stop of a word, where it becomes a 'dental t'.
- sch – this combination is pronounced like 'sh' /ʃ/, not 'sk' equally in English. A German example is Schüler /ˈʃyːlɐ/ (student).
- sp and st – Where these combinations appear at the beginning of a word, the 's' sound becomes an 'sh' /ʃ/ sound. German examples are spielen /ʃpiːlən/ (play) and Stelle /ˈʃtɛlə/ (place). An interesting "exception" is compound words, where the second word begins with 'sp' or 'st': thus, in a word like Bleistift /ˈblaɪ̯ʃtɪft/ (pencil), which is made of Blei (lead) and Stift (pen), the 'sti' would be pronounced as 'shti'. Some local dialects pronounce all occurrences "sharp" (with an 'due south' sound /southward/ -- typical for Due north German dialects, especially nearly Hamburg) or "soft" (with an 'sh' sound /ʃ/ -- typical for the Swabian dialect).
- ß – The sometime ligature (of 'ss' or 'sz'), 'ess-tset' is widely used in High german, but its use is somewhat more restricted in very modernistic High german (always pronounced similar /southward/, the 'south' in 'sound'). 'ß' is used for the audio 'southward' in cases where 'ss' or 'due south' can't be used: this is particularly after long vowels and diphthongs (cf. the English usage of 'c' like in 'vice' or 'grocery'). Thus, the vowel before 'ß' in der Fuß (foot) is long, while that before 'ss' in das Fass (cask) is brusque. 'ß' appears later diphthongs ('au', 'ei', 'european union') considering they are long. In written and printed German language, 'ss' can be an acceptable substitute for 'ß' if the letter is unavailable. The Greek letter β is not to be used as a substitute for 'ß'. Notation that in Switzerland, 'ß' is always written every bit 'ss'.
German language Sounds not found in English language [edit | edit source]
In that location are sounds in the German linguistic communication that accept no real equivalent in the English language language. These are discussed hither.
- r – Most Germans pronounce 'r' as /ʁ/, a guttural sound resembling a fractionated 'g', as found in French r, Arabic غ, as well as modern Hebrew ר (the mod sound was affected by High german). In Switzerland, Austria, and parts of Southern Deutschland, 'r' is pronounced as /r/, "rolled" as in Spanish or Scots.
- ö (read equally oh-umlaut) – This vowel is pronounced similarly to the 'u' in the discussion 'murder' (spoken with a British accent), just with the lips rounded. Commonly, the 'long ö' /øː/ is fabricated past showtime sounding 'oo' as in moon, then pursing the lips equally if to whistle, and irresolute the sound to 'a' as in 'late'. An example of "long ö" is schön /ʃøːn/ (beautiful). The 'curt ö' sound /œ/ is made by first sounding 'oo', pursing the lips, and changing the audio to 'due east' as in 'pet', and it sounds very similar to the 'i' in 'southwardir'. An example of the "brusque ö" is zwölf /t͡svœlf/ (twelve). If you have problems pronouncing ö, do non supervene upon information technology by 'o' merely past 'eastward' (as in due eastlf), which occurs in some German language dialects. In written and printed High german, 'oe' tin can exist an acceptable substitute for 'ö' if the latter is unavailable.
- ü (read every bit oo-umlaut) – As with 'ö', 'ü' is a rounded vowel sound with no real English equivalent. The 'long ü' /yː/ is made by outset sounding 'oo' as in moon, so pursing the lips equally if to whistle, and irresolute the sound to 'ee' as in 'due southeen'. A simpler approach is to simply shape your lips and tongue equally if yous are going to whistle, and then put some voice. An case of "long ü" is früh /fʁyː/ (early). The "brusk ü" sound /ʏ/ is made by first sounding 'oo', pursing the lips, and changing the audio to 'i' every bit in 'pit. An case of "short ü" is fünf /fʏnf/ (five). If yous accept problems pronouncing ü, do not supercede it past 'u' but by 'i' (as in fish), which occurs in some High german dialects. In written and printed German, 'ue' tin can be an acceptable substitute for 'ü' if the latter is unavailable.
- ach – When 'ch' is preceded past 'a', 'o', 'u', or 'au', information technology makes the "ach-sound" /ten/, which resembles a throat-clearing (guttural) audio. Information technology is similar to English 'h', but occurs farther dorsum in the throat. It is pronounced somewhat similar "och" in Loch Ness. An instance is auch /aʊx/ (also). The Hebrew letter of the alphabet ח, the Arabic letter خ, also every bit continental Castilian j are pronounced the same every bit the "ach-sound".
- ich – In all other circumstances, 'ch' is pronounced as the "ich-sound" /ç/, as well as the combination 'ig' at the end of a word. The sound resembles a more than forceful 'h' from English language "hue", "huge". I approach is to say "sh" while (almost) touching the top of your mouth with the eye of your tongue, rather than with the tip. An example is richtig /'ʀɪçtɪç/ ("correct"), where both the 'ich' and the final 'ig' have this audio. If you lot have issues pronouncing ich, supervene upon with the sound of 'hue' or by 'sh', but never past a hard 'k' (never "ick")! In some parts of Germany, 'ich' and final 'ig' are pronounced "ish". In Austria and some local dialects of Germany, the final 'ig' (as in "richtig") is simply pronounced as in English language "dig".
Audio: OGG (37KB) ~ ach, auch, ich, richtig
Syllable Stress [edit | edit source]
The general rule in German is that words are stressed on the first syllable. However, there are exceptions. Almost all exceptions are of Latin, French, or Greek origin. These words are generally stressed on the concluding syllable, for instance, Vokal, Konsonant, and Lektion.
These words (not stressed on the outset syllable) appear in the (Level Ii and Iii) lesson vocabularies as Vokal , Lektion (in some regions: Lektion ), etc.
Words starting in common prefixes (ge-, be-, ver-, etc.) stress the syllable following said prefix. Examples are Gemüse, Existamte, and Vereinigung.
Links [edit | edit source]
For very advanced Readers:
- west:de:Vokal#Vokale_im_Deutschen
- due west:de:ß
| (edit template) | High german – Lessons: | (discussion) | ||
| Grammar • Appendices • Almost (including print versions) • Q&A • Planning |
Level IV • Source: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/German/Grammar/Alphabet_and_Pronunciation
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