Langvie / German grammar / German alphabet and pronunciation
German alphabet and pronunciation.
German pronunciation follows reliable phonetic rules where each letter and letter group corresponds to a specific sound. Mastering the alphabet and core sound combinations allows accurate reading and spelling from the very first word.
The German alphabet
German uses the standard 26 Latin letters, each with its own German name. The letter names are used when spelling names or words aloud.
| Letters | German Names |
|---|---|
| A: C | A, Be, Ce |
| D: F | De, E, Ef |
| G: I | Ge, Ha, I |
| J: L | Jot, Ka, El |
| M: O | Em, En, O |
| P: R | Pe, Ku, Er |
| S: U | Es, Te, U |
| V: X | Fau, We, Ix |
| Y: Z | Ypsilon, Zett |
- Muttermother
- Vaterfather
The umlauts
The three umlauts ä, ö, and ü modify the base vowel sounds. They frequently signal plural forms and can be written as ae, oe, or ue if umlaut keys are unavailable.
| Umlaut | Alternative | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ä | ae | Mädchen |
| ö | oe | Söhne |
| ü | ue | Brüder |
- Wörterwords
- Brüderbrothers
The letter Eszett
The letter ß sounds like a sharp s and appears only after long vowels or diphthongs. In contrast, double s follows a short vowel.
| Spelling | Vowel Length | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ß | long vowel | Fuß |
| ß | diphthong | heißen |
| ss | short vowel | Fluss |
| ss | short vowel | Wasser |
- heißento be called
- großtall / big
Diphthongs
German diphthongs combine two vowels into one syllable sound. A common trap is confusing ei, which sounds like eye, with ie, which sounds like a long ee.
| Diphthong | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| au | ow in cow | Baum |
| äu | oy in boy | Häuser |
| eu | oy in boy | heute |
| ei | eye in bite | klein |
| ie | ee in see | liegen |
- Freundfriend
- Familiennamesurname
Key consonant sounds
Several German consonants differ from English: w sounds like English v, v usually sounds like f, and initial sp or st sound like shp and sht. The combination ch has a throaty sound after a, o, u, but a soft hiss after e, i.
| Letter | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| w | like English v | Wien |
| v | like English f | Vater |
| z | like ts in cats | Zeit |
| j | like English y | Juli |
| sch | like English sh | Schule |
| sp / st | shp / sht | Straße |
| ch (after a, o, u) | throaty sound | acht |
| ch (after e, i) | soft hiss | ich |
| pf | p + f together | Apfel |
| -er (ending) | short open a | Vater |
- Schwestersister
- Vornamefirst name
Spelling names aloud
When spelling names on the phone or in official settings, German speakers use standard name words for clarity. The Austrian spelling alphabet connects each letter to a specific name.
| Letter | Spelling Name | Letter | Spelling Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Anton | N | Nordpol |
| B | Berta | O | Otto |
| C | Cäsar | P | Paula |
| D | Dora | R | Richard |
| E | Emil | S | Siegfried |
| F | Friedrich | T | Theodor |
| G | Gustav | U | Ulrich |
| H | Heinrich | V | Viktor |
| I | Ida | W | Wilhelm |
| M | Maria | Z | Zürich |
- A wie AntonA as in Anton
- B wie BertaB as in Berta
Exceptions to remember
- In capitalized text or without an Eszett key, ß is written as SS. STRASSE
- The letter V sounds like English V rather than F in loanwords. Vase
- The vowel combination IE creates a long single vowel, not a diphthong. Wien
Practice it in the course
This rule is chapter 1 of 31 in the A1 German course in Langvie, before German personal pronouns: ich, du, Sie. In the app the chapter goes on with 8 exercises and a short spoken conversation with an AI partner, which opens with Hallo! Bitte laut lesen: „Wir wohnen in Wien.“
Choose the Austrian spelling alphabet name. V wie ___ (Viktor / Vater / Vase)
Viktor. Viktor is the standard Austrian spelling name for V. V as in Viktor
Practice this rule in Langvie.
Chapter 1 of the A1 course, with exercises, cards and a conversation in German.