The German alphabet
German uses the 26 letters you know, plus four more: ä, ö, ü and ß. Most letters have names you will recognize, and German is spelled very regularly: once you know the sounds, you can read words aloud. Press Play on each player.
Welcome
Welcome to German
Spelled the way it sounds.
Hear every letter
Each card shows the letter and a word that starts with it. You hear the letter name first, then the word.
Letters A to I, with Vicki
A a
Apfel, apple
Letters J to R, with Daniel
J j
Jacke, jacket
Letters S to Z, with Vicki
S s
Sonne, sun
The four extra letters
Ä, Ö, Ü and ß, with Daniel
Ä ä
like e in bed
All the letters at a glance
| Letter | Name sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A a | ah | Apfel (apple) |
| B b | beh | Ball (ball) |
| C c | tseh | Computer (computer) |
| D d | deh | Dach (roof) |
| E e | eh | Ente (duck) |
| F f | eff | Fisch (fish) |
| G g | geh | Garten (garden) |
| H h | hah | Haus (house) |
| I i | ee | Igel (hedgehog) |
| J j | yot | Jacke (jacket) |
| K k | kah | Katze (cat) |
| L l | ell | Lampe (lamp) |
| M m | emm | Maus (mouse) |
| N n | enn | Nase (nose) |
| O o | oh | Obst (fruit) |
| P p | peh | Papier (paper) |
| Q q | koo | Qualle (jellyfish) |
| R r | air (from the throat) | Rose (rose) |
| S s | ess | Sonne (sun) |
| T t | teh | Tisch (table) |
| U u | oo | Uhr (clock) |
| V v | fow (rhymes with now) | Vogel (bird) |
| W w | veh | Wasser (water) |
| X x | iks | Xylofon (xylophone) |
| Y y | UEP-see-lon | Yoga (yoga) |
| Z z | tset | Zebra (zebra) |
| Ä ä | like e in bed, long | Äpfel (apples) |
| Ö ö | say ay with rounded lips | Öl (oil) |
| Ü ü | say ee with rounded lips | Übung (exercise) |
| ß | ess-TSET | Straße (street) |
When a keyboard has no umlauts, Germans write ae, oe, ue and ss instead: Aepfel, Strasse. It is understood everywhere, but the real letters are correct.
Spell it out
Germans spell constantly: names on the phone, email addresses, booking codes. Say the letter names, one by one.
Spelling a name
Spelling a name
Practice
Press Play, listen, then choose.
Listen: question 1
Press Play and listen.
Which letter did Vicki say?
Hint
Solution
Vicki said we, the name of w. (The name of v is fau.)
Listen: question 2
Press Play and listen.
Which letter did Daniel say?
Hint
Solution
Daniel said fau, the name of v.
Listen: question 3
Press Play and listen.
Which letter did Vicki say?
Hint
Solution
Vicki said zett, the name of z.
Listen: question 4
Press Play and listen.
Daniel spelled a word. Which word?
Hint
Solution
Daniel spelled H, A, U, S: Haus.
Which letter never starts a word?
Hint
Solution
ß, the sharp s, never starts a word: Straße, weiß.
How many letters do Germans use: the 26, plus the extra ones?
Hint
Solution
30: the 26 of English, plus ä, ö, ü and ß.
Put the letters in order, the way Daniel spelled his name
Click the items in the correct order. Click an item in your answer to move it back.
Available itemsYour orderNext: German vowels. Each one can be long or short, and that small difference changes the word.