German spelling is consistent — once you learn these sound rules, you can read almost any new word correctly. Tap any word below to hear it.
| Sound | How to say it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ä | like "e" in bed | Mädchen (girl) |
| ö | round lips, say "ir" (bird) | schön (beautiful) |
| ü | round lips, say "ee" | müde (tired) |
| ß | sharp "s" | Straße (street) |
| ch (after a,o,u) | throat sound, like Scottish "loch" | Buch (book) |
| ch (after e,i) | soft "hy" sound | ich (I) |
| sch | like English "sh" | Schule (school) |
| sp / st (word-start) | pronounced "shp / sht" | sprechen, Stadt |
| ei | sounds like "eye" | nein (no) |
| ie | sounds like "ee" | sie (she/they) |
| eu / äu | sounds like "oy" | neu (new), Häuser (houses) |
| au | sounds like "ow" (cow) | auch (also) |
| er (word-end) | soft "uh" sound | Vater (father) |
| v | usually like English "f" | Vater |
| w | like English "v" | Wasser (water) |
| z | like English "ts" | Zeit (time) |