German › Pronunciation › Alphabet
In short: German uses 26 familiar letters + 4 special ones — ä, ö, ü and the mysterious ß (eszett). Every letter below is spoken aloud with an example word. The two spelling surprises: w says “v” (Wasser = VAH-sser) and v says “f” (Vogel = FOH-guhl). 👇
ß
eszett · the letter that looks like B but says a sharp “ss” — Straße
All 30 letters, spoken aloud
| Letter | Its name / sound | Example | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | ah | Apfel — apple | |
| B | beh | Banane — banana | |
| C | tseh | Computer | |
| D | deh | Dach — roof | |
| E | eh | Elefant — elephant | |
| F | ef | Fenster — window | |
| G | geh | Garten — garden | |
| H | hah | Haus — house | |
| I | ee | Igel — hedgehog | |
| J | yot — says “y” | Jacke — jacket | |
| K | kah | Katze — cat | |
| L | el | Lampe — lamp | |
| M | em | Maus — mouse | |
| N | en | Nacht — night | |
| O | oh | Ofen — oven | |
| P | peh | Papier — paper | |
| Q | koo | Quelle — spring | |
| R | er — throaty or rolled | Rose — rose | |
| S | es | Sonne — sun | |
| T | teh | Tisch — table | |
| U | oo | Uhr — clock | |
| V | fow — says “f”! ⭐ | Vogel — bird | |
| W | veh — says “v”! ⭐ | Wasser — water | |
| X | iks | Xylophon | |
| Y | üpsilon | Yoga | |
| Z | tset — like “ts” | Zebra | |
| Ä | like the “e” in “bed” | Äpfel — apples | |
| Ö | say “eh”, then round your lips | Öl — oil | |
| Ü | “ee” with rounded lips | Übung — exercise | |
| ß | eszett — sharp “ss” | Straße — street |
💡 The two swaps: German w = English “v”, German v = English “f”. So Volkswagen is “FOLKS-vah-guhn” — both swaps in one word. ⭐ marks them in the table.
The umlaut trick everyone can learn
Umlauts intimidate beginners, but the recipe is mechanical: say the vowel, round the lips. Ö = “eh” + rounded lips. Ü = “ee” + rounded lips. Your mouth does something slightly gymnastic, a real German sound comes out, and yes — it feels ridiculous the first ten times. That’s normal. Day eleven, it’s yours.
🇩🇪 Spelling on the phone: Germans spell aloud with names — “A wie Anton, B wie Berta”. Our example words work the same way: “B wie Banane” gets you understood at any German hotline, and sounds charming from a learner.
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Practice: quick check
1. How do you actually say “Volkswagen”?
FOLKS-vah-guhn — v says “f” and w says “v” . Both swaps, one car.
2. What’s the difference between schon and schön?
Everything! Schon = “already”, schön = “beautiful” — the ö does all the work. Two dots, different word. Umlauts are never optional.
3. Can I just write “ss” instead of ß?
In Switzerland, always; in Germany, only when you have no ß available — Straße written as Strasse is understood everywhere . But knowing the real ß marks you as someone who did their homework.
Frequently asked questions
How many letters does the German alphabet have?
26 standard letters plus four special characters: the umlauts ä, ö, ü and the eszett ß — 30 in total. The umlauts are real vowels in their own right, not decorated a/o/u.
What is the ß (eszett) and how do I pronounce it?
ß is a sharp double-s, as in Straße (SHTRAH-suh). It never starts a word, and Switzerland doesn’t use it at all — the Swiss write ss instead.
How do I pronounce the German umlauts ä, ö, ü?
Ä is an open “eh”. Ö: say “eh” while rounding your lips into an o. Ü: say “ee” while rounding your lips into an u. The lip-rounding trick works every time — hear each one above.