German has several alphabet combinations (letter pairs or clusters) that produce unique sounds. These combinations are common in the language and essential for proper pronunciation.
German Alphabet with Pronunciation
| Letter |
Pronunciation (IPA) |
Example Word |
Translation |
| A |
/aː/ |
Apfel |
Apple |
| B |
/beː/ |
Baum |
Tree |
| C |
/t͡seː/ |
Café |
Café |
| D |
/deː/ |
Danke |
Thank you |
| E |
/eː/ |
Elefant |
Elephant |
| F |
/ɛf/ |
Fisch |
Fish |
| G |
/ɡeː/ |
Garten |
Garden |
| H |
/haː/ |
Haus |
House |
| I |
/iː/ |
Insel |
Island |
| J |
/jɔt/ |
Junge |
Boy |
| K |
/kaː/ |
Katze |
Cat |
| L |
/ɛl/ |
Lampe |
Lamp |
| M |
/ɛm/ |
Mutter |
Mother |
| N |
/ɛn/ |
Nacht |
Night |
| O |
/oː/ |
Obst |
Fruit |
| P |
/peː/ |
Papier |
Paper |
| Q |
/kuː/ |
Quelle |
Source |
| R |
/ɛʁ/ |
Rose |
Rose |
| S |
/ɛs/ |
Sonne |
Sun |
| T |
/teː/ |
Tisch |
Table |
| U |
/uː/ |
Uhr |
Clock |
| V |
/faʊ/ |
Vogel |
Bird |
| W |
/veː/ |
Wasser |
Water |
| X |
/ɪks/ |
Xylophon |
Xylophone |
| Y |
/ʏpsɪlɔn/ |
Yacht |
Yacht |
| Z |
/t͡sɛt/ |
Zug |
Train |
Special Characters
- Ä (A-Umlaut): Pronounced /ɛː/ or /ɛ/, like the "e" in "bed."
- Ö (O-Umlaut): Pronounced /øː/ or /œ/, like the "u" in "burn" (but with rounded lips).
- Example: Österreich (Austria)
- Ü (U-Umlaut): Pronounced /yː/ or /ʏ/, like the French "u" in "lune."
- ß (Eszett or Sharp S): Pronounced /s/, like a sharp "ss."
Pronunciation Tips
- German vowels are "pure" and short or long. Example:
- Short: bitte (/ˈbɪtə/) – Please
- Long: liebe (/ˈliːbə/) – Love
- The letter R is pronounced differently depending on its position:
- At the beginning: Rose (/ʁoːzə/) – Rose
- At the end: Wasser (/ˈvasɐ/) – Water
German Alphabet Combinations
| Combination |
Pronunciation (IPA) |
Example |
Translation |
| ei |
/aɪ/ |
mein (/maɪn/) |
my |
| ie |
/iː/ |
Liebe (/ˈliːbə/) |
love |
| eu |
/ɔʏ/ |
Europa (/ɔʏˈʁoːpa/) |
Europe |
| äu |
/ɔʏ/ |
Häuser (/ˈhɔʏzɐ/) |
houses |
| sch |
/ʃ/ |
Schule (/ˈʃuːlə/) |
school |
| ch |
/ç/ or /x/ (depends) |
Buch (/bʊx/) |
book |
| ck |
/k/ |
backen (/ˈbakən/) |
to bake |
| qu |
/kv/ |
Quelle (/ˈkvɛlə/) |
source |
| sp |
/ʃp/ (at the start of a word) |
Sport (/ʃpɔʁt/) |
sport |
| st |
/ʃt/ (at the start of a word) |
Stadt (/ʃtat/) |
city |
| ts |
/t͡s/ |
Platz (/plat͡s/) |
place |
| tz |
/t͡s/ |
Katze (/ˈkat͡sə/) |
cat |
| pf |
/pf/ |
Pferd (/pfɛʁt/) |
horse |
| ng |
/ŋ/ |
singen (/ˈzɪŋən/) |
to sing |
| ss |
/s/ |
essen (/ˈɛsən/) |
to eat |
| ß |
/s/ |
Straße (/ˈʃtʁaːsə/) |
street |
Special Rules for Some Combinations
- "ch" Pronunciation:
- After a, o, u: Pronounced as /x/ (like the Scottish "loch").
- Example: Buch (/bʊx/) – Book
- After e, i, ä, ö, ü, or consonants: Pronounced as /ç/ (soft, like a whispery "h").
- "ei" vs. "ie":
- ei sounds like "eye" (/aɪ/). Example: mein (my).
- ie sounds like "ee" (/iː/). Example: Liebe (love).