A1 · Ep 2 — Alphabet & Pronunciation
📺 Watch Episode 2 Video
•
•
Sentence to remember: "When
→
→ Like the Scottish "loch" — a guttural sound in the back of the throat.
ich-Laut "ikh" (soft hiss) — After front vowels
→
→ Like a soft hiss — tongue near the hard palate. Do NOT say "sh" or "k"!
•
•
•
Alphabet and Pronunciation
German uses the same 26 Latin letters as English, plus 4 extra characters: Ä, Ö, Ü (umlauts) and ß (Eszett). Pronunciation is highly consistent — once you learn the rules, you can read almost any German word aloud correctly.
Key Principle
German is phonetic: every letter is pronounced the same way in every word. Unlike English, there are very few silent letters or exceptions. This makes reading German much easier once you know the rules!
Special German letters (Umlauts & Eszett)
| Letter | Name | Sound | Example | English comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ä ä | A-Umlaut | "e" (as in "bed") or "e" (long, as in "bed") | Männer, spät | Like 'e' in "bed" |
Ö ö | O-Umlaut | "ur" (short, no English equiv.) or "ur" (round lips, say "ee") | möchten, schön | No English equivalent; round your lips for "o" but say "e" |
Ü ü | U-Umlaut | "ue" (short, no English equiv.) or "uu" (round lips, say "ee") | fünf, Tür | Round lips for "oo" but say "ee" |
ß | Eszett / scharfes S | "s" | heißen, dreißig | Always a sharp "ss" sound — never "z" |
J j | Jot | "y" (as in "yes") | ja, jung | Like English "y" in "yes" |
V v | Vau | "f" or "v" | Vater (f); Video (v) | Usually "f"; "v" in foreign words |
W w | Weh | "v" | wir, Wasser | Like English "v" |
Z z | Zett | "ts" (as in "pizza") | zehn, Zug | Like "ts" in "pizza" |
Common Mistake
W is NOT "w"! German w sounds like English "v." So wir = "veer," not "wir." Also, v in native German words usually sounds like "f" (Vater = "fah-ter").
Important vowel combinations (Diphthongs)
| Spelling | Sounds Like | Example | Memory cue | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ei | "eye" | mein (my), nein | "e before i = eye" | Sounds like English "eye" |
ie | long "ee" | Liebe (love), sie | "i before e = ee" | Long "ee" sound |
au | "ow" (as in "cow") | auch (also), Haus | Like "ow" in "cow" | — |
eu | "oy" (as in "boy") | neu (new), heute | Like "oy" in "boy" | — |
äu | "oy" (as in "boy") | Häuser (houses) | Same sound as eu | Plural of Haus |
Memory Trick for ei vs ie
Read the second letter as the clue:•
ei → the i tells you → sounds like "eye"•
ie → the e tells you → sounds like "ee"Sentence to remember: "When
I comes after E — think eye; when E comes after I — think eel."
The two CH sounds — the most important rule!
Ach-Laut vs Ich-Laut
ach-Laut "kh" (guttural, like Scottish loch) — After back vowels a, o, u, au:→
Bach, Buch, kochen, auch→ Like the Scottish "loch" — a guttural sound in the back of the throat.
ich-Laut "ikh" (soft hiss) — After front vowels
e, i, ä, ö, ü and consonants:→
ich, nicht, Milch, echt→ Like a soft hiss — tongue near the hard palate. Do NOT say "sh" or "k"!
Other essential consonant combinations
| Combination | Sound | Example | English comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
sch | "sh" | schlafen, Schule | Like "sh" in "shoe" |
sp- (word start) | "shp" | sprechen, Sport | "Shp..." — not "sp" |
st- (word start) | "sht" | stehen, Strand | "Sht..." — not "st" |
tsch | "ch" (as in "church") | Deutsch, Tschüss | Like "ch" in "church" |
ng | "ng" (as in "sing") | singen, lang | Like "ng" in "sing" — never /ng/ |
pf | "pf" (both sounds together) | Pferd, Apfel | Both sounds together: "p-f" |
Word-Final Devoicing
At the end of a word or syllable, voiced consonants become voiceless:•
b → "p": Urlaub sounds like "Ur-lowp"•
d → "t": Hund sounds like "Hunt"•
g → "k": Tag sounds like "Tak"
Interactive Flashcards
Test your knowledge with spaced repetition.
Track learning