Deutsche Phonetik
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Vokale (Vowels)
Lang vs. Kurz (Long vs. Short)
German vowels can be either long or short. This distinction is crucial for meaning and pronunciation.
Lange Vokale (Long Vowels)
A [aː]
Like "a" in "father", but longer
Staat [ʃtaːt] - state
Bahn [baːn] - train/track
Schaf [ʃaːf] - sheep
Laden [ˈlaːdən] - shop
E [eː]
Like "ay" in "say", but pure (no glide)
Meer [meːɐ̯] - sea
Weg [veːk] - way/path
Leben [ˈleːbən] - life
Regen [ˈʁeːɡən] - rain
I [iː]
Like "ee" in "see"
Liebe [ˈliːbə] - love
Biene [ˈbiːnə] - bee
Kino [ˈkiːno] - cinema
Maschine [maˈʃiːnə] - machine
O [oː]
Like "o" in "go", but pure
Boot [boːt] - boat
Ohr [oːɐ̯] - ear
Brot [bʁoːt] - bread
Sohn [zoːn] - son
U [uː]
Like "oo" in "moon"
Schule [ˈʃuːlə] - school
Uhr [uːɐ̯] - clock
Kuh [kuː] - cow
Blume [ˈbluːmə] - flower
Kurze Vokale (Short Vowels)
A [a]
Short, clipped version
Mann [man] - man
Stadt [ʃtat] - city
Katze [ˈkatsə] - cat
Wasser [ˈvasɐ] - water
E [ɛ]
Like "e" in "bed"
Bett [bɛt] - bed
Feld [fɛlt] - field
Fenster [ˈfɛnstɐ] - window
Mensch [mɛnʃ] - person
I [ɪ]
Like "i" in "sit"
Mitte [ˈmɪtə] - middle
Fisch [fɪʃ] - fish
Kind [kɪnt] - child
Tisch [tɪʃ] - table
O [ɔ]
Like "o" in "hot" (British)
Gott [ɡɔt] - God
Kopf [kɔpf] - head
Sommer [ˈzɔmɐ] - summer
Wort [vɔʁt] - word
U [ʊ]
Like "u" in "put"
Mutter [ˈmʊtɐ] - mother
Hund [hʊnt] - dog
Butter [ˈbʊtɐ] - butter
Luft [lʊft] - air
💡 Erkennungsregeln (Recognition Rules)
- Long vowel: Followed by single consonant or 'h' (Bahn, Weg, Sohn)
- Long vowel: Double vowels (Meer, Boot, Staat)
- Long vowel: 'ie' combination (Liebe, Biene)
- Short vowel: Followed by double consonants (Mann, Bett)
- Short vowel: Followed by consonant clusters (Feld, Kind)
Konsonanten (Consonants)
Besondere Konsonanten (Special Consonants)
CH
[ç] - "Ich-Laut"
After e, i, ä, ö, ü, consonants
ich [ɪç] - I
Milch [mɪlç] - milk
München [ˈmʏnçən] - Munich
Mädchen [ˈmɛːtçən] - girl
durch [dʊʁç] - through
[x] - "Ach-Laut"
After a, o, u, au
Bach [bax] - stream
Buch [buːx] - book
Nacht [naxt] - night
Tochter [ˈtɔxtɐ] - daughter
auch [aʊ̯x] - also
SCH
[ʃ]
Like "sh" in "ship"
Schule [ˈʃuːlə] - school
Schwester [ˈʃvɛstɐ] - sister
Deutsch [dɔɪ̯tʃ] - German
Flasche [ˈflaʃə] - bottle
waschen [ˈvaʃən] - to wash
Tisch [tɪʃ] - table
ST / SP
[ʃt] / [ʃp]
At start of word/syllable
Stein [ʃtaɪ̯n] - stone
spielen [ˈʃpiːlən] - to play
verstehen [fɛɐ̯ˈʃteːən] - understand
Sprache [ˈʃpʁaːxə] - language
Straße [ˈʃtʁaːsə] - street
Beispiel [ˈbaɪ̯ʃpiːl] - example
Note: st/sp in middle of word = [st]/[sp]
R
[ʁ] - Uvular R
At syllable start (guttural)
rot [ʁoːt] - red
Regen [ˈʁeːɡən] - rain
Reise [ˈʁaɪ̯zə] - journey
[ɐ] - Vocalized R
At syllable end (like "uh")
Vater [ˈfaːtɐ] - father
Uhr [uːɐ̯] - clock
Wort [vɔʁt] - word
ß (Eszett)
[s]
Sharp S after long vowels/diphthongs
Straße [ˈʃtʁaːsə] - street
groß [ɡʁoːs] - big
weiß [vaɪ̯s] - white
Fuß [fuːs] - foot
heißen [ˈhaɪ̯sən] - to be called
draußen [ˈdʁaʊ̯sən] - outside
Compare: Masse [ˈmasə] vs. Maße [ˈmaːsə]
Z
[ts]
Like "ts" in "cats"
Zeit [tsaɪ̯t] - time
Zimmer [ˈtsɪmɐ] - room
Herz [hɛʁts] - heart
Katze [ˈkatsə] - cat
zehn [tseːn] - ten
zwanzig [ˈtsvantsɪç] - twenty
W
[v]
Like English "v"
Wasser [ˈvasɐ] - water
Wort [vɔʁt] - word
Welt [vɛlt] - world
wissen [ˈvɪsən] - to know
Schwester [ˈʃvɛstɐ] - sister
V
[f] - German words
Vater [ˈfaːtɐ] - father
viel [fiːl] - much
vor [foːɐ̯] - before
[v] - Foreign words
Verb [vɛʁp] - verb
Visum [ˈviːzʊm] - visa
November [noˈvɛmbɐ]
Auslautverhärtung
Final Devoicing
b→p, d→t, g→k at word/syllable end
Tag [taːk] (but Tage [ˈtaːɡə])
Hund [hʊnt] (but Hunde [ˈhʊndə])
gelb [ɡɛlp] (but gelbe [ˈɡɛlbə])
Kind [kɪnt] (but Kinder [ˈkɪndɐ])
Weg [veːk] (but Wege [ˈveːɡə])
Umlaute (Umlauts)
Die drei Umlaute
Umlauts are modified vowels unique to German. They change both pronunciation and meaning.
Ä ä
[ɛː] Long Ä
Like "ai" in "fair"
Mädchen [ˈmɛːtçən] - girl
Käse [ˈkɛːzə] - cheese
spät [ʃpɛːt] - late
Bär [bɛːɐ̯] - bear
ähnlich [ˈɛːnlɪç] - similar
[ɛ] Short Ä
Like "e" in "bed"
Männer [ˈmɛnɐ] - men
Hände [ˈhɛndə] - hands
Länder [ˈlɛndɐ] - countries
Gäste [ˈɡɛstə] - guests
Plurals: Mann → Männer, Hand → Hände
Ö ö
[øː] Long Ö
Round lips like O, say E
schön [ʃøːn] - beautiful
Höhe [ˈhøːə] - height
böse [ˈbøːzə] - angry/evil
Öl [øːl] - oil
mögen [ˈmøːɡən] - to like
[œ] Short Ö
Short version
Wörter [ˈvœʁtɐ] - words
Köpfe [ˈkœpfə] - heads
öffnen [ˈœfnən] - to open
können [ˈkœnən] - can
Tip: Position lips for "O", then say "E"
Ü ü
[yː] Long Ü
Round lips like U, say I
grün [ɡʁyːn] - green
Tür [tyːɐ̯] - door
früh [fʁyː] - early
Bücher [ˈbyːçɐ] - books
müde [ˈmyːdə] - tired
[ʏ] Short Ü
Short version
Mütter [ˈmʏtɐ] - mothers
fünf [fʏnf] - five
München [ˈmʏnçən] - Munich
Glück [ɡlʏk] - luck
Tip: Position lips for "U", then say "I"
💡 Umlaut Formation Patterns
A → Ä:
Vater → Väter
Apfel → Äpfel
alt → älter
O → Ö:
Sohn → Söhne
Wort → Wörter
groß → größer
U → Ü:
Buch → Bücher
Mutter → Mütter
jung → jünger
Diphthonge (Diphthongs)
Vokalkombinationen (Vowel Combinations)
Diphthongs are gliding vowel sounds that combine two vowels in one syllable.
EI / AI / AY
[aɪ̯]
Like "i" in "mine"
EI examples:
mein [maɪ̯n] - my
nein [naɪ̯n] - no
Arbeit [ˈaʁbaɪ̯t] - work
weiß [vaɪ̯s] - white/know
Fleisch [flaɪ̯ʃ] - meat
AI examples:
Mai [maɪ̯] - May
Kaiser [ˈkaɪ̯zɐ] - emperor
Laib [laɪ̯p] - loaf
AY/EY (names):
Bayern [ˈbaɪ̯ɐn] - Bavaria
Meyer [ˈmaɪ̯ɐ]
AU
[aʊ̯]
Like "ow" in "how"
Haus [haʊ̯s] - house
Maus [maʊ̯s] - mouse
Frau [fʁaʊ̯] - woman
blau [blaʊ̯] - blue
Baum [baʊ̯m] - tree
kaufen [ˈkaʊ̯fən] - to buy
laufen [ˈlaʊ̯fən] - to run
Auge [ˈaʊ̯ɡə] - eye
auch [aʊ̯x] - also
Traum [tʁaʊ̯m] - dream
EU / ÄU
[ɔɪ̯]
Like "oy" in "boy"
EU examples:
neu [nɔɪ̯] - new
Freund [fʁɔɪ̯nt] - friend
heute [ˈhɔɪ̯tə] - today
Leute [ˈlɔɪ̯tə] - people
Deutsch [dɔɪ̯tʃ] - German
Europa [ɔɪ̯ˈʁoːpa] - Europe
ÄU examples:
Bäume [ˈbɔɪ̯mə] - trees
Häuser [ˈhɔɪ̯zɐ] - houses
Mäuse [ˈmɔɪ̯zə] - mice
träumen [ˈtʁɔɪ̯mən] - dream
läuft [lɔɪ̯ft] - runs
Note: ÄU often forms umlaut plurals of AU words
Komposita (Compound Words)
Die Kunst der Zusammensetzung
German is famous for creating long words by combining shorter ones. The last word determines the gender and base meaning.
Einfache Komposita (Simple Compounds)
Handschuh
Hand + Schuh
[ˈhantʃuː]
"hand-shoe" = glove
Kühlschrank
kühl + Schrank
[ˈkyːlʃʁaŋk]
"cool-cabinet" = refrigerator
Krankenhaus
Kranken + Haus
[ˈkʁaŋkənhaʊ̯s]
"sick-house" = hospital
Staubsauger
Staub + Sauger
[ˈʃtaʊ̯pzaʊ̯ɡɐ]
"dust-sucker" = vacuum
Flugzeug
Flug + Zeug
[ˈfluːktsɔɪ̯k]
"flight-thing" = airplane
Feuerzeug
Feuer + Zeug
[ˈfɔɪ̯ɐtsɔɪ̯k]
"fire-thing" = lighter
Lange Komposita (Long Compounds)
Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung
Geschwindigkeit + s + Begrenzung
[ɡəˈʃvɪndɪçkaɪ̯tsbeˌɡʁɛntsʊŋ]
"speed limitation" = speed limit
Unabhängigkeitserklärung
Unabhängigkeit + s + Erklärung
[ˌʊnapˈhɛŋɪçkaɪ̯tsɛɐ̯ˌklɛːʁʊŋ]
"independence declaration" = Declaration of Independence
Rechtsschutzversicherung
Recht + s + Schutz + Versicherung
[ˈʁɛçtsʃʊtsfɛɐ̯ˌzɪçəʁʊŋ]
"legal-protection-insurance" = legal insurance
Nahrungsmittelunverträglichkeit
Nahrung + s + Mittel + Un + Verträglichkeit
[ˈnaːʁʊŋsmɪtl̩ˌʊnfɛɐ̯tʁɛːklɪçkaɪ̯t]
"food-stuff-intolerance" = food intolerance
💡 Fugenzeichen (Linking Elements)
-s-
Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung
Lieblingssessen
-n-/-en-
Klassenzimmer
Straßenbahn
-er-
Kindergarten
Bilderbuch
No link
Handschuh
Haustür
Endungen (Suffixes)
Substantivendungen (Noun Suffixes)
-ung
Always feminine (die), forms nouns from verbs
[ʊŋ]
Bedeutung - meaning
Erfahrung - experience
Übung - exercise
Wohnung - apartment
Zeitung - newspaper
Lösung - solution
Prüfung - exam
Meinung - opinion
-heit / -keit
Always feminine (die), abstract qualities
[haɪ̯t] / [kaɪ̯t]
Freiheit - freedom
Gesundheit - health
Schönheit - beauty
Möglichkeit - possibility
Schwierigkeit - difficulty
Freundlichkeit - friendliness
Geschwindigkeit - speed
Ehrlichkeit - honesty
-keit after -ig, -lich, -bar, -sam
-schaft
Always feminine (die), collective/abstract
[ʃaft]
Freundschaft - friendship
Wirtschaft - economy
Gesellschaft - society
Wissenschaft - science
Mannschaft - team
Landschaft - landscape
Eigenschaft - property
Botschaft - embassy/message
-er
Usually masculine (der), person/tool
[ɐ]
Lehrer - teacher (m)
Arbeiter - worker
Computer - computer
Spieler - player
Schüler - student
Fahrer - driver
Käufer - buyer
Verkäufer - seller
-in
Always feminine (die), female version
[ɪn]
Lehrerin - teacher (f)
Ärztin - doctor (f)
Freundin - friend (f)
Studentin - student (f)
Kollegin - colleague (f)
Nachbarin - neighbor (f)
Chefin - boss (f)
Künstlerin - artist (f)
Plural: -innen
-nis
Neuter (das) or feminine (die)
[nɪs]
Ergebnis (das) - result
Erlebnis (das) - experience
Ereignis (das) - event
Verhältnis (das) - relationship
Kenntnis (die) - knowledge
Erlaubnis (die) - permission
Geheimnis (das) - secret
Zeugnis (das) - certificate
Adjektivendungen (Adjective Suffixes)
-lich
Like "-ly" in English
[lɪç]
freundlich - friendly
täglich - daily
möglich - possible
herzlich - hearty
persönlich - personal
hauptsächlich - mainly
-ig
Having the quality of
[ɪç] or [ɪk]
wichtig - important
ruhig - calm
fertig - finished
richtig - correct
lustig - funny
hungrig - hungry
Note: [ɪç] finally, [ɪk] before vowels
-isch
Like "-ish/-ic" in English
[ɪʃ]
europäisch - European
typisch - typical
praktisch - practical
elektrisch - electric
historisch - historical
komisch - funny/strange
-bar
Like "-able" in English
[baːɐ̯]
essbar - edible
trinkbar - drinkable
machbar - doable
sichtbar - visible
wunderbar - wonderful
dankbar - thankful
Verbendungen (Verb Suffixes)
-en / -n
Infinitive ending
[ən] / [n]
sprechen - to speak
laufen - to run
arbeiten - to work
wandern - to hike
sammeln - to collect
-ieren
Foreign/formal verbs
[iːʁən]
studieren - to study
telefonieren - to phone
organisieren - to organize
funktionieren - to function
diskutieren - to discuss
reservieren - to reserve
No ge- in past participle!
Present Tense
Person endings (spielen)
ich spiel-e [ə]
du spiel-st [st]
er/sie/es spiel-t [t]
wir spiel-en [ən]
ihr spiel-t [t]
sie/Sie spiel-en [ən]
Präfixe (Prefixes)
Trennbare Präfixe (Separable Prefixes)
These prefixes separate from the verb in main clauses and receive stress.
ab-
away, off, down
abfahren - depart
abholen - pick up
abnehmen - lose weight
Der Zug fährt ab.
an-
at, on, to
ankommen - arrive
anrufen - call
anfangen - begin
Ich rufe dich an.
auf-
up, open
aufstehen - get up
aufmachen - open
aufhören - stop
Ich stehe früh auf.
aus-
out, off
ausgehen - go out
aussteigen - get off
aussehen - look like
Das sieht gut aus.
ein-
in, into
einsteigen - get in
einkaufen - shop
einladen - invite
Ich lade dich ein.
mit-
with, along
mitkommen - come along
mitbringen - bring along
mitmachen - participate
Kommst du mit?
vor-
before, forward
vorstellen - introduce
vorbereiten - prepare
vorschlagen - suggest
Ich stelle mich vor.
zu-
to, closed
zuhören - listen
zumachen - close
zunehmen - gain weight
Hör mir zu!
Untrennbare Präfixe (Inseparable Prefixes)
These prefixes stay attached to the verb. The verb stem receives stress. No ge- in past participle.
be-
makes transitive
bekommen - receive
besuchen - visit
bedeuten - mean
bezahlen - pay
beginnen - begin
emp-
receiving, feeling
empfangen - receive
empfehlen - recommend
empfinden - feel
ent-
away, removal
entscheiden - decide
entdecken - discover
entwickeln - develop
entstehen - arise
er-
completion, achievement
erklären - explain
erreichen - reach
erfahren - experience
erwarten - expect
ge-
completion (rare as prefix)
gefallen - please
gehören - belong
gelingen - succeed
gewinnen - win
miss-
wrong, bad
missverstehen - misunderstand
missbrauchen - misuse
misslingen - fail
ver-
change, away, wrong
verstehen - understand
vergessen - forget
verkaufen - sell
verlieren - lose
zer-
apart, destruction
zerstören - destroy
zerbrechen - shatter
zerreißen - tear apart
💡 Memory Tip
Remember inseparable prefixes with: Be-Emp-Ent-Er-Ge-Miss-Ver-Zer
Past participle: verstanden (not ge-verstanden), besucht (not ge-besucht)
Ausspracheregeln (Pronunciation Rules)
Betonung (Stress Patterns)
Native German Words
First syllable stress (default)
ˈLeben, ˈArbeit, ˈWasser
ˈFreiheit, ˈMöglichkeit
Separable prefix stressed
ˈankommen, ˈaufstehen
ˈausgehen, ˈeinkaufen
Inseparable prefix unstressed
verˈstehen, beˈsuchen
erˈklären, geˈfallen
Foreign/Borrowed Words
-ieren verbs: stress on -ie-
studˈieren, telefˈieren
organisˈieren, funktonˈieren
-tion: stress on -ti-
Informaˈtion, Naˈtion
Situaˈtion, Tradiˈtion
-tät: stress on final syllable
Universiˈtät, Qualiˈtät
Elektriziˈtät, Aktiviˈtät
Buchstabenkombinationen (Letter Combinations)
CK [k]
After short vowels
Zucker - sugar
Stück - piece
Brücke - bridge
NG [ŋ]
Like "ng" in "sing"
lang - long
Junge - boy
singen - sing
QU [kv]
Like "kv"
Qualität - quality
Quelle - source
quer - across
TH [t]
Just T (no English "th")
Theater - theater
Thema - topic
Theorie - theory
PH [f]
Like F
Philosophie - philosophy
Physik - physics
Alphabet - alphabet
DT [t]
Just T
Stadt - city
verwandt - related
gewandt - skilled
Knacklaut (Glottal Stop)
German uses a glottal stop [ʔ] before vowels at the start of words and syllables.
Word Initial
[ʔ]Apfel - apple
[ʔ]Ohr - ear
[ʔ]Uhr - clock
[ʔ]Eis - ice
Between Vowels
be[ʔ]achten - to observe
The[ʔ]ater - theater
Ge[ʔ]org - George
Separates vowels clearly, prevents blending
Schnellreferenz (Quick Reference)
| Letter(s) | IPA | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ä | [ɛ]/[ɛː] | like "e" in bed | Mädchen |
| ö | [œ]/[øː] | round lips + "e" | schön |
| ü | [ʏ]/[yː] | round lips + "i" | grün |
| ß | [s] | sharp S | Straße |
| ch | [ç]/[x] | ich/ach sounds | ich, Bach |
| sch | [ʃ] | "sh" sound | Schule |
| st/sp | [ʃt]/[ʃp] | "sht/shp" initially | Stein, spielen |
| z | [ts] | "ts" sound | Zeit |
| w | [v] | "v" sound | Wasser |
| v | [f]/[v] | "f" or "v" | Vater, Verb |
| ei | [aɪ̯] | like "my" | mein |
| au | [aʊ̯] | like "how" | Haus |
| eu/äu | [ɔɪ̯] | like "boy" | neu, Häuser |
| ie | [iː] | long "ee" | Liebe |