The German alphabet
A1 · Beginner · Basics
The rule
26 letters plus ä, ö, ü and ß. Every letter is pronounced; ß = "ss" after long vowels.
How it works
German uses the 26 Latin letters of English plus ä, ö, ü and the sharp s, ß. Most letters are pronounced consistently, which makes reading easier than in English. The ß replaces "ss" after a long vowel or diphthong, so Straße but Fluss.
When to use it
Use it to read and spell German words aloud and to understand how umlauts and ß are written.
Use cases
- Spelling German words when you write emails or fill in forms
- Looking up words in a dictionary, where ä, ö and ü are sorted as a, o and u
- Typing German on a keyboard without umlauts by writing ae, oe, ue and ss
Examples
- Straße – street
- schön – beautiful
- Schön, dass du da bist. – Nice that you are here.
- Die Straße ist lang. – The street is long.
- Ich wohne in Köln. – I live in Cologne.
Common mistake
Pronouncing w like English "w" (it is a "v" sound) or v like "v" (it is usually "f").
Memory tip
Learn the three umlauts ä, ö, ü and ß as separate letters from the start, so spelling never trips you up.
Read the wider picture in our guide: German Pronunciation Guide for English Speakers.