German English Pronunciation: How to Spell Words167

When it comes to learning German, one of the most important things is to learn how to pronounce the words correctly. While German pronunciation is not as difficult as it may seem, there are some specific rules that you need to know. In this article, we will go over the basics of German pronunciation, including how to spell words.

German Alphabet

The German alphabet consists of 26 letters, 24 of which are the same as in English. The two additional letters are ß (Eszett) and ü (Umlaut). The letters j and v are only used in foreign words.

Letter
IPA
Example


A
/a/
Apfel (apple)


B
/b/
Ball (ball)


C
/k/
Katze (cat)


D
/d/
Hund (dog)


E
/e/
Esel (donkey)


F
/f/
Fisch (fish)


G
/g/
Garten (garden)


H
/h/
Haus (house)


I
/i/
Igel (hedgehog)


J
/j/
Jahr (year)


K
/k/
Kuh (cow)


L
/l/
Lamm (lamb)


M
/m/
Maus (mouse)


N
/n/
Nest (nest)


O
/o/
Ochs (ox)


P
/p/
Pferd (horse)


Q
/kv/
Quelle (source)


R
/ʁ/
Rose (rose)


S
/z/
Schwein (pig)


T
/t/
Tisch (table)


U
/u/
Uhr (clock)


Ü
/y/
Über (over)


V
/f/
Vogel (bird)


W
/v/
Wolf (wolf)


X
/ks/
Examen (exam)


Y
/y/
Yacht (yacht)


Z
/ts/
Zeug (stuff)

Pronunciation Rules

Once you know the German alphabet, you can start to learn the pronunciation rules. Here are some of the most important rules:
Vowels: German vowels are pronounced very clearly and distinctly. The following table shows the pronunciation of the German vowels:


Letter
IPA
Example


A
/a/
Apfel (apple)


E
/e/
Esel (donkey)


I
/i/
Igel (hedgehog)


O
/o/
Ochs (ox)


U
/u/
Uhr (clock)


Ü
/y/
Über (over)


Ä
/ɛ/
Äpfel (apples)


Ö
/œ/
Öfen (ovens)


Ü
/y/
Über (over)


Consonants: German consonants are pronounced very similarly to English consonants. However, there are a few important differences:

The letter b is pronounced like the English b, but it is aspirated (i.e., it is pronounced with a puff of air).
The letter d is pronounced like the English d, but it is also aspirated.
The letter g is pronounced like the English g, but it is not aspirated.
The letter j is pronounced like the English y.
The letter k is pronounced like the English k, but it is not aspirated.
The letter p is pronounced like the English p, but it is aspirated.
The letter t is pronounced like the English t, but it is not aspirated.
The letter v is pronounced like the English v.
The letter w is pronounced like the English w.
The letter z is pronounced like the English z.

Dipthongs: German has a number of diphthongs, which are combinations of two vowels that are pronounced together as a single syllable. The following table shows the pronunciation of the German diphthongs:


Diphthong
IPA
Example


ei
/aɪ/
klein (small)


eu
/ɔɪ/
neu (new)


ie
/iː/
Liebe (love)


öu
/ɔʏ/
Öl (oil)


ui
/uɪ/
huit (skin)

Spelling Rules

Once you know the pronunciation rules, you can start to learn how to spell German words. Here are some of the most important spelling rules:
Vowels: German vowels are usually spelled as they sound. However, there are a few exceptions:

The letter a is often spelled aa or ah.
The letter e is often spelled ee or eh.
The letter i is often spelled ie or ih.
The letter o is often spelled oo or oh.
The letter u is often spelled ue or uh.

Consonants: German consonants are usually spelled as they sound. However, there are a few exceptions:

The letter b is often spelled

2024-11-10

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