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The German Alphabet
How to pronounce and spell German letters and letter combinations
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German and English are both West Germanic languages and their alphabets share a common root. This should be welcome information for anyone learning German! This short guide includes all the alphabet basics, plus the fun of the German spelling alphabet. You'd be amazed how often you need it in everyday German-speaking life! |
Start here: the German alphabet
| Letter (Buchstabe) | Pronunciation (Aussprache) | Letter (Buchstabe) | Pronunciation (Aussprache) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | AH | N | ENN |
| B | BAY | O | OH |
| C | TSAY | P | PEH |
| D | DAY | Q | KOO |
| E | AY | R | ERR |
| F | EFF | S | ESS |
| G | GAY | T | TAY |
| H | HAH | U | OO |
| I | EEH | V | FOW |
| J | YOT | W | VAY |
| K | KAH | X | ICKS |
| L | ELL | Y | IPSEELON |
| M | EMM | Z | TSET |
Standard German letter combinations
There are several standard combinations of German letters, each with their own, consistent German pronunciation.
| Letter combination | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| Ei | EYE |
| Eu | OY! |
| Sch | SCH |
| Sp | Schpuh |
| St | Scht |
| Ch | CHUH |
| Au | OW |
ß – The "Eszett"
German has an additional character, the ß, called the “Eszett” or “sharp S”.
| ß | Eszett (“s” and “z” combined), this is simply a double “s” and is pronounced “Ess”. |
Note:
- There is no capitalized form of ß, instead SS is used.
- The ß is not found in Swiss German – only the ss is used.
German umlauts
German also has 3 additional characters – ä,ö and ü, called umlauts.
These represent the shifting sounds « ae », « oe » and « ue ». They are not regarded as separate letters of the German alphabet. (More on umlauts here)
The German spelling alphabet
When speaking German you’ll soon realise how important it is to be
able to "spell out" words and letter combinations in normal
conversation,
E.g. "Ich fahre ein FOW-VAY Golf" ("I drive a VW Golf")
When speaking German on the phone, it’s also common to spell out words - especially names - which might otherwise be misunderstood.
Use the
German version of the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet (Buchstabiertafel or Funkalphabet) as follows :
- "Mein Name ist Joanna".
- "Könnten Sie das bitte buchstabieren ?"
- "Gerne. Julius-Otto-Anton-Nordpol-Nordpol-Anton."
| Letter | ENGLISH | GERMAN (Germany) | Variations (A: Austria, CH: Switzerland) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Alpha | Anton | .... |
| B | Bravo | Berta | .... |
| C | Charlie | Cäsar | .... |
| D | Delta | Dora | CH: Daniel |
| E | Echo | Emil | .... |
| F | Foxtrot | Friedrich | .... |
| G | Golf | Gustav | .... |
| H | Hotel | Heinrich | .... |
| I | India | Ida | .... |
| J | Juliet | Julius | CH: Jakob |
| K | Kilo | Kaufmann | A: Konrad, CH: Kaiser |
| L | Lima | Ludwig | CH: Leopold |
| M | Mike | Martha | CH: Marie |
| N | November | Nordpol | CH: Niklaus |
| O | Oscar | Otto | .... |
| P | Papa | Paula | CH: Peter |
| Q | Quebec | Quelle | CH: Quasi |
| R | Romeo | Richard | CH: Rosie |
| S | Sierra | Siegfried | (Officially Samuel but seldom used) CH: Sophie |
| T | Tango | Theodor | .... |
| U | Uniform | Ulrich | .... |
| V | Victor | Victor | .... |
| W | Whiskey | Wilhelm | .... |
| X | X-ray | Xanthippe | A:Xaver |
| Y | Yankee | Ypsilon | .... |
| Z | Zulu | Zürich | (Zeppelin still more commonly heard in all D-A-CH countries) |
And don’t forget the umlaut and letter combination sounds (although I have to admit that I've never actually heard them used in practice!):
| Letter | GERMAN (Germany) | Variations (A = Austria, CH = Switzerland) |
|---|---|---|
| Ä | Ärger | CH: Äsch |
| Ö | Ökonom | A: Österreich, CH: Örlikon |
| Ü | Übermut | A:Übel |
| Sch | Schule | ….. |
| ß | Eszett | Scharfes s |
Want to practice spelling out the German alphabet?
Dora-Anton-Nordpol-Konrad-Emil-Friedrich-Übermut-Richard-Siegfried-Ludwig-Emil-Siegfried-Emil-Nordpol.
Have fun!
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