All 30 German characters — the 26 standard letters plus ä, ö, ü, and ß — with pronunciation guide, keyboard shortcuts, and letter combinations.
The German alphabet consists of the same 26 letters as the English alphabet, plus four additional special characters that make written German distinctive: the three umlauts (ä, ö, ü) and the Eszett (ß). Together, these 30 characters form the complete set of letters used in standard German (Hochdeutsch) as written in Germany and Austria.
The 26 base letters of the German alphabet have the same forms as their English counterparts and appear in the same alphabetical order. However, their pronunciation differs significantly from English in several cases — particularly the vowels and certain consonants like W, V, Z, and J. The letters Q, X, and Y appear mainly in borrowed foreign words.
The umlauts (Umlaute) are not simply accented vowels — they represent entirely different vowel sounds that change the meaning of words completely: Mutter (mother) vs. Mütter (mothers), schon (already) vs. schön (beautiful), uber (no meaning) vs. über (over/above). The Eszett (ß), also called scharfes S (sharp S), represents a long /ss/ sound and appears only after long vowels and diphthongs. The German alphabet has been largely stable since the early modern period, with the most recent change being the official introduction of a capital ß (ẞ) in 2017.
| Letter | Name in German | Pronunciation Guide | Example Word (DE) | Example Word (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A a | ah | Like "a" in "father" (long) or "u" in "cut" (short) | Apfel | apple |
| B b | beh | Like English "b"; silent/sounds like "p" at end of word | Buch | book |
| C c | tseh | Usually "ts" before e/i; "k" before a/o/u (rare in native words) | Computer | computer |
| D d | deh | Like English "d"; sounds like "t" at end of word | Deutsch | German |
| E e | eh | Long: like "ay" in "say"; short: like "e" in "bed"; unstressed: like schwa "uh" | Essen | food/eating |
| F f | eff | Like English "f" | Fenster | window |
| G g | geh | Hard "g" as in "go"; soft "ch" sound after vowels at word end in some dialects | Garten | garden |
| H h | hah | Like English "h" at start of syllable; silent when following a vowel (lengthens it) | Haus | house |
| I i | ih | Long: like "ee" in "see"; short: like "i" in "hit" | Insel | island |
| J j | yot | Always like English "y" in "yes" — never like English "j" | Jahr | year |
| K k | kah | Like English "k"; never silent | Katze | cat |
| L l | ell | Like English "l" | Lampe | lamp |
| M m | emm | Like English "m" | Mutter | mother |
| N n | enn | Like English "n" | Nacht | night |
| O o | oh | Long: pure "oh" (no diphthong); short: like "o" in "off" | Ofen | oven/stove |
| P p | peh | Like English "p" | Post | mail/post |
| Q q | koo | Always followed by "u"; sounds like "kv": Quelle (KVE-luh) | Quelle | source/spring |
| R r | err | Guttural rolled "r" from the back of the throat; often a vowel-like sound after vowels | Rot | red |
| S s | ess | "z" sound before vowels at start of words; "s" sound elsewhere; "sh" before p/t at start | Sonne | sun |
| T t | teh | Like English "t" — not aspirated like in English | Tisch | table |
| U u | oo | Long: like "oo" in "moon"; short: like "u" in "put" | Uhr | clock/watch |
| V v | fow | Usually like English "f": Vater (FAH-ter); like "v" in borrowed words: Violine | Vater | father |
| W w | veh | Always like English "v": Wasser (VAH-ser), Wein (VINE) | Wasser | water |
| X x | iks | Like English "ks" — mainly in foreign words | Xenon | xenon |
| Y y | üpsilon | Like German "ü" in foreign words; "y" in some borrowed words | Yoga | yoga |
| Z z | tset | Always "ts" like in "cats": Zeit (TSITE = time), Zug (TSOOG = train) | Zeit | time |
| Ä ä | ah-Umlaut | Like "e" in "bed": Äpfel (EHP-fel) | Äpfel | apples |
| Ö ö | oh-Umlaut | No English equivalent: round lips for "o" while saying "e" | schön | beautiful |
| Ü ü | oo-Umlaut | No English equivalent: round lips for "oo" while saying "ee" | über | over/above |
| ß | Eszett / scharfes S | Like "ss": Straße (SHTRAH-seh = street) | Straße | street |
The three German umlauts — ä, ö, ü — are derived from adding an "e" after the base vowel in older German (ae, oe, ue), which evolved into the two-dot notation still used today. When umlauts cannot be typed (on older systems, in URLs, or informal settings), they are written as two-letter substitutes: ä = ae, ö = oe, ü = ue. This is why you may see German street names written as "Muenchen" instead of "München," or "Luebeck" for "Lübeck" in some official travel documents and databases.
Umlauts completely change word meaning: Mutter (mother) vs. Mütter (mothers); schon (already) vs. schön (beautiful); uber (not a word) vs. über (over, above, via). In translation, failing to recognize an umlaut means misreading the word entirely. In all-caps text, umlauts are written AE, OE, UE: MÜNCHEN → MUENCHEN.
The Eszett (ß) — also called scharfes S or sharp S — is used after long vowels and diphthongs to represent the /ss/ sound: Straße (street), Fuß (foot), heißen (to be called), Maße (measurements). In Switzerland, the ß is not used at all — Swiss standard German writes "ss" in all cases: Strasse, Fuss, heissen. When sorting, ß is treated as "ss." In 2017, an official capital Eszett (ẞ) was introduced for all-caps text: STRASSE is now officially STRAẞE, though SS remains widely accepted.
Using Alt codes with the numeric keypad (Num Lock must be ON): hold Alt and type the number code, then release Alt.
| Character | Alt Code | HTML Entity |
|---|---|---|
| ä | Alt + 132 | ä |
| Ä | Alt + 142 | Ä |
| ö | Alt + 148 | ö |
| Ö | Alt + 153 | Ö |
| ü | Alt + 129 | ü |
| Ü | Alt + 154 | Ü |
| ß | Alt + 225 | ß |
Alternatively, go to Settings → Time & Language → Language → Add a language, add German, and switch keyboards with Win+Space.
Hold Option + u, then type the vowel: Option+u → a = ä; Option+u → o = ö; Option+u → u = ü. For capital umlauts: same shortcut, then type a capital letter.
Long-press the vowel key (a, o, u) on the keyboard to reveal a popup with umlaut options. Slide your finger to select ä, ö, or ü. Long-press the "s" key to access ß. You can also go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → German to get a full German keyboard layout.
Long-press any vowel key to reveal accented variants including umlauts. The ß can usually be found by long-pressing the "s" key. Alternatively, add a German keyboard via Settings → System → Language & Input → Add keyboard → German.
German pronunciation is highly consistent — almost every word is pronounced exactly as it is spelled, following predictable rules. This makes German easier to pronounce than English once you learn the rules. Here are the key patterns that differ from English:
Vowel length: German vowels are either long or short, which changes word meaning. A vowel is generally long when followed by a single consonant or a silent "h": Weg (VAYG = way, long e). Short when followed by two or more consonants: Essen (short e). Double vowels (aa, ee, oo) are always long.
The "ch" sound: German "ch" has two pronunciations. After back vowels (a, o, u, au), it's the "ach-Laut" — a guttural sound made in the back of the throat, like clearing your throat: Bach, ach, Buch, auch. After front vowels (e, i, ä, ö, ü) and consonants, it's the "ich-Laut" — a soft hissing sound made near the front of the mouth, like a whispered "sh" or exaggerated "h": ich, nicht, möchten, Milch.
The German "r": Standard German "r" is a guttural trill or fricative produced at the back of the throat, not the tongue tip. After vowels at the end of words or before consonants, it becomes a vowel-like sound, almost like a weak "uh": Mutter (MOO-tuh), hier (HEER).
W, V, Z, J: German W = English V (Wasser = VAH-ser). German V = English F in most native words (Vater = FAH-ter). German Z = English "ts" (Zeit = TSITE). German J = English Y (Jahr = YAAR, ja = YAH). These four letters are the most common pronunciation mistakes for English speakers.
ie vs. ei: German "ie" = "ee" (sie = ZEE). German "ei" = "eye" (mein = MINE). The second letter tells you the sound. This is a fundamental pattern that must be memorized.
sp and st at word start: At the beginning of a word or syllable, "sp" = "shp" and "st" = "sht": Sprache (SHPRAH-khuh = language), Stadt (SHTAHT = city), Strom (SHTROHM = current/electricity).
| Combination | Pronunciation | Example Word | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sch | sh (as in "shoe") | Schule | school | One of the most common German sounds |
| ch | ach-Laut (back) or ich-Laut (front) | Bach / ich | stream / I | Context determines which sound |
| sp | shp (at word start) | Sprache | language | Only at start of syllable |
| st | sht (at word start) | Stadt | city | Only at start of syllable |
| ng | ng (as in "sing") | singen | to sing | Never "ngg" — no hard g after ng |
| ck | k (short, doubled) | Stück | piece | Signals short vowel before it |
| tz | ts | Platz | square/place | Always "ts"; signals short vowel before it |
| pf | pf (both sounds together) | Pferd | horse | No English equivalent; both p and f are pronounced |
| qu | kv | Quelle | source | Not like English "kw" |
| ph | f | Philosophie | philosophy | Only in Greek-origin words |
| ie | ee (long i) | Liebe | love | The e gives the sound |
| ei | eye (like English "I") | Stein | stone | The i gives the sound |
| eu / äu | oy (as in "boy") | deutsch / Häuser | German / houses | Both sound the same |
| au | ow (as in "house") | Haus | house | Like English "ow" |
The German alphabet has 26 standard letters — the same as English. Including the four special characters (ä, ö, ü, ß), German uses 30 characters in total. The umlauts and ß are not officially listed as separate letters in the alphabet sequence but are treated as modified versions of their base letters (a, o, u, and ss respectively).
The ß (Eszett or scharfes S) represents the /ss/ sound after long vowels and diphthongs. It appears in words like Straße (street), Fuß (foot), and heiß (hot). Switzerland does not use ß — Swiss German always writes "ss." In all-caps, ß was historically written as "SS" but since 2017 an official capital ẞ exists. When ß is unavailable on a keyboard, "ss" is the correct substitute.
German umlauts are the vowels ä, ö, and ü — each with a different sound from their base letters. Ä sounds like "e" in "bed." Ö has no English equivalent — round your lips for "o" while saying "e." Ü also has no English equivalent — round your lips for "oo" while saying "ee." They completely change word meaning: schon (already) vs. schön (beautiful).
Windows: Alt codes — ä=Alt+132, ö=Alt+148, ü=Alt+129, ß=Alt+225 (numeric keypad, Num Lock on). Mac: Option+u then the vowel for umlauts; Option+s for ß. iOS/Android: long-press vowel keys or "s" to access German special characters. Alternatively, install a German keyboard layout on any device.
German "ch" has two sounds. After back vowels (a, o, u, au), it's the ach-Laut — a guttural sound from the back of the throat: Bach, ach, Buch. After front vowels (e, i, ä, ö, ü) and consonants, it's the ich-Laut — a softer sound near the front of the mouth: ich, nicht, möchten. There is no direct English equivalent for either, but both are learnable with practice.
German "w" is always pronounced like English "v": Wasser (VAH-ser = water), Wein (VINE = wine), wie (VEE = how). Conversely, German "v" is usually pronounced like English "f": Vater (FAH-ter = father), vier (FEER = four). This is one of the most common pronunciation errors English speakers make when reading German aloud.
In German, "ie" = "ee" (as in see): sie (ZEE = she), viel (FEEL = much). "ei" = "eye" (like English "I"): mein (MINE = my), Stein (SHTINE = stone). The second letter always tells you the sound — the "e" in "ie" gives the ee-sound; the "i" in "ei" gives the eye-sound. This is opposite to English intuition and is one of the most important German reading rules.
In German alphabetical ordering, umlauts are typically sorted as their base vowels: ä = a, ö = o, ü = u. So "Äpfel" appears in the "A" section. Some older German dictionaries sort umlauts after their base letters as separate entries. The ß is sorted as "ss." When handling German-language lists, databases, or indexes, be aware that German sorting may differ slightly from pure ASCII/English alphabetical order.
At the beginning of a word or syllable, German "sp" is pronounced "shp" and "st" is pronounced "sht": Sprache (SHPRAH-khuh = language), Stadt (SHTAHT = city), Strom (SHTROHM = current), spielen (SHPEE-len = to play). In the middle or end of a word, "sp" and "st" revert to their individual letter sounds. This rule is consistently applied throughout German speech.