I can say any letter of the German alphabet by its German name, write down a word or a last name spelled out to me, and tell from the spelling whether a vowel is long or short.
A letter's name is not its sound
26 letters and vowel length
The German alphabet has 26 letters, plus ä, ö, ü, and ß (lesson 2). Letter names are for spelling, not reading: you'll often spell out your last name. They aren't the English names: V is vau [faʊ̯], W is we [veː].
No German keyboard? Type a, o, u, and ss for ä, ö, ü, and ß: the checker accepts them, and the key shows the right spelling.
Nouns are always capitalized, not only at the start of a line: das Wort.
Vowel length tells words apart: die Miete — rent, die Mitte — middle; der Staat — state, die Stadt — city.
A vowel is long in ie (das Papier), before h (die Bahn: the h is silent, a length mark), and when doubled: aa, oo (der Staat, das Boot).
A vowel is short before a double consonant, tt (das Bett), or two different ones (die Stadt).
English reduces unstressed vowels to “uh”; German a, o, u stay full: das Papier [paˈpiːɐ̯].
Some letters sound unexpected: s in die Silbe is [z], z in die Zahl is [ts], w in das Wort is [v], st in die Stadt is [ʃt], au in der Laut is [aʊ̯]. Rules in lessons 2 and 3.
Common mistakes:
• NOT [ˈmiːtə] (long) — two consonants make the vowel short: die Mitte.
• NOT [pəˈpɪɹ] — ie is one long [iː]: das Papier.
• NOT [bæn] — h after a vowel is a length mark: die Bahn.
• NOT [ʃtat] for both — der Staat is long, die Stadt is short.
• NOT “wort” in lowercase: das Wort.
Long vowel or short — the spelling shows it
Vowel length tells words apart: die Miete — rent, die Mitte — middle.
| What's in the word | Vowel | Example | NOT like this |
|---|---|---|---|
| ie | long | das Papier | not [pəˈpɪɹ] |
| h after a vowel | long | die Bahn | not [bæn] |
| aa, oo | long | der Staat, das Boot | not [ʃtat] (short), not [but] |
| double consonant | short | die Mitte, das Bett | not [ˈmiːtə] (long) |
| two different consonants | short | die Stadt | not [ʃtaːt] (long) |
Lesson notes
26 letters and vowel length
The German alphabet has 26 letters, plus ä, ö, ü, and ß (lesson 2). Letter names are for spelling, not reading: you'll often spell out your last name. They aren't the English names: V is vau [faʊ̯], W is we [veː].
No German keyboard? Type a, o, u, and ss for ä, ö, ü, and ß: the checker accepts them, and the key shows the right spelling.
Nouns are always capitalized, not only at the start of a line: das Wort.
Vowel length tells words apart: die Miete — rent, die Mitte — middle; der Staat — state, die Stadt — city.
A vowel is long in ie (das Papier), before h (die Bahn: the h is silent, a length mark), and when doubled: aa, oo (der Staat, das Boot).
A vowel is short before a double consonant, tt (das Bett), or two different ones (die Stadt).
English reduces unstressed vowels to “uh”; German a, o, u stay full: das Papier [paˈpiːɐ̯].
Some letters sound unexpected: s in die Silbe is [z], z in die Zahl is [ts], w in das Wort is [v], st in die Stadt is [ʃt], au in der Laut is [aʊ̯]. Rules in lessons 2 and 3.
Common mistakes:
• NOT [ˈmiːtə] (long) — two consonants make the vowel short: die Mitte.
• NOT [pəˈpɪɹ] — ie is one long [iː]: das Papier.
• NOT [bæn] — h after a vowel is a length mark: die Bahn.
• NOT [ʃtat] for both — der Staat is long, die Stadt is short.
• NOT “wort” in lowercase: das Wort.