ch (Ich-Laut vs Ach-Laut)
/ç/ vs /x/After back vowels (a, o, u, au), ch is throat-fricative /x/ (Bach). After e, i, ä, ö, ü, ei, eu, äu or consonants (l, n, r), ch is palatal /ç/ (ich).
Buch(book (/x/))
ich(I (/ç/))
Milch(milk (/ç/))
A1 Phonology · 30 CharactersBrowser de-DE Audio
German Alphabet & Soundboard
Click any of the 26 base letters or 4 German special characters (Ä, Ö, Ü, ß) to hear an example word, read its IPA sound, and study spelling rules. Need deeper phonics rules? Read the German Alphabet & Pronunciation Guide.
Base Vowel (A, E, I, O, U)German Special Character (Ä, Ö, Ü, ß)Consonant
A a/aː, a/
Base VowelSpoken letter name: ah
Apfel(apple)
Long in "Tag", short in "Mann". Never turns into English "ay".
Essential German Sound Clusters
German spelling is remarkably consistent once you recognize these six multi-letter combinations. Tap any word to hear it.
ie vs ei
/iː/ vs /aɪ/Pronounce the second vowel louder as a quick memory hook: ie sounds like "ee" (wie), ei sounds like "eye" (mein).
viel(much (/iː/))
Wein(wine (/aɪ/))
arbeiten(to work (/aɪ/))
eu / äu
/ɔʏ/Both diphthongs sound identical: "oy" as in toy (Deutsch, Häuser).
neu(new)
Häuser(houses)
Freund(friend)
sp / st (syllable start)
/ʃp/ · /ʃt/At the start of a word or root syllable, s before p or t sounds like "sh" (Sprechen -> Shprechen). Inside/end stays crisp /st/ (fast).
sprechen(to speak (/ʃp/))
Straße(street (/ʃt/))
verstehen(to understand (ver- + /ʃt/))
sch & tsch
/ʃ/ · /tʃ/sch is English "sh"; tsch is English "ch" in church.
Schule(school)
Deutsch(German)
Tschüss(bye)
Final -ig & Final Devoicing
/-ɪç/ · /p, t, k/Standard German softens final -ig to -ich (wichtig -> /ˈvɪçtɪç/). Final b/d/g at syllable ends turn voiceless: /p, t, k/ (Hund -> /hʊnt/).
richtig(correct (/-ɪç/))
Hund(dog (/hʊnt/))
Tag(day (/taːk/))
Ear Training
Minimal-Pair Listening Drill
Listen closely and pick which of the two similar German words you heard. Great for distinguishing umlauts, ei/ie, and ch/sch.
Score: 0 / 0|Streak: 0
Contrast Focus
u vs ü
Tap "Play Prompt" to hear one of the two words, then pick Option A or B.
German Alphabet FAQ
How many letters are in the German alphabet?
German uses the 26 standard Latin letters (A–Z) plus four additional characters: the three umlauts Ä, Ö, Ü and the Eszett (ß, also called scharfes S). Together they form the 30-character German sound system.
What is the difference between ß (Eszett) and ss?
After the 1996 German spelling reform, ß is written only after long vowels and diphthongs (Straße, Fuß, heißen, weiß). Double s (ss) is written after short vowels (Fluss, müssen, Kuss, wissen). Swiss Standard German replaces every ß with ss.
How do you pronounce the German umlauts Ä, Ö, and Ü?
Ä sounds like an open "e" (like the "e" in "bed" when short, or a long open "eh" — roughly "air" without the r — when long, as in Käse). For Ö, shape your lips to say "O" while forcing your tongue to say "E". For Ü, pucker your lips tightly for "U" ("oo") while saying "I" ("ee").
When is German "ch" pronounced softly (ich) vs harshly (ach)?
After the back vowels a, o, u, and au, German "ch" is pronounced at the back of the throat (Ach-Laut /x/, as in Buch, Nacht, auch). Everywhere else — after e, i, ä, ö, ü, ei, eu, äu, after consonants, and in the suffix -chen — it is pronounced softly near the hard palate (Ich-Laut /ç/, as in ich, Milch, Mädchen). At the start of a word it depends on the word's origin: Chor and Charakter use /k/, Chef and Chance use /ʃ/, and China is /ç/ in standard German but /k/ in southern Germany and Austria.
Why are German V and W pronounced differently from English?
In native German words, V sounds like English F (Vater = "Fah-ter", vier = "feer"), while W sounds like English V (Wasser = "Vah-ser", Wein = "Vine"). In borrowed international words like Vase or Universität, V keeps its V sound.