Learn German Alphabets with Their Pronunciations and Grammar

How Many Alphabets Are There in the German Language?

There are in total 30 alphabets in German language, where 26 are similar to the English alphabet and ä, ö, ü, and ß (eszett) are extra 4 letters. These are called umlauts. Furthermore, the umlauts are variations of the letters a, o, and u, and the eszett is a combination of the letters s and z. Here, the catch is that the sound or pronunciation of those 26 letters is different from that of the English alphabet. So, in the next section, you will get the list of German alphabets with their pronunciations.

List of German Alphabets with Pronunciation

Here, you will get the German alphabets a to z and an extra four letters with their pronunciations. So, go through them to learn the basics of the German language.

These are the German alphabets and pronunciations with examples for a better understanding. Also, the first 26 letters are similar to the English alphabet, so it will be easy to learn them. However, the extra 4 letters are new to all students. Therefore, read about them in the below section.

What are the Four Extra Letters in German?

There are 4 extra alphabets in German language. They are Ä, Ö, Ü and ẞ. So, read below to know every necessary detail about them.

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Vowels with Umlauts: Ä, Ö, and Ü

These three letters are created by adding an umlaut, that are two dots on top of the vowels. Here, the umlaut means that the letter has its unique sound, which is different from the normal vowels. Moreover, the sounds of these German alphabets are:

Ä: eh

Ö: ouh

Ü: uuh

The Eszett: ß

 The German letter ß is a ligature and is also called a “scharfes s” (sharp s). A ligature is when two sounds or letters are put together to make a new letter. Here, the sound of this German alphabet is simple, which is a ‘double s’. If you want to write German alphabets in English, then ß can be written as ‘ss’. For instance, Straße becomes Strasse.

This is the necessary information about these extra alphabets in the German language. Moreover, several factors make the German language a bit phonetic. So to understand these, read the section below and learn the relationship between the letters and their sounds.

You may also like to read: Months in German language

Relation Between German Letters and Their Sounds

The reason that the German language is more phonetic is because of the strong correlation between the German alphabets and their sounds. Some important things to note about the same are:

Pronunciations

Some letter combinations sound different from the way they are spelled. For example:

1. ‘ch’: When "ch" comes after an "e" or "i", it sounds like "tss".

When "ch" comes after an "a", "o", or "u", it sounds more like the English alphabet "h".

1. "st" and "sp": If they are in the middle or at the beginning of the word, the letter "s" is pronounced as ‘sh’.

Vowels

Vowels can be short or long. Short vowels often follow a consonant. However, the long vowels are followed by a single consonant or appear at the end of a word.

Umlauts

The umlauts ä, ö, and ü represent modified vowel sounds. Moreover, umlauts are diacritical marks (two dots) placed over a vowel in certain languages, such as German.

‘W’ and ‘V’

The German "w" makes a sound like "v" in English and the German "v" sounds like "f" in the English language.

So, these were the relations between the German letters and their sounds, that made this language more phonetic. Not only these, but digraphs and trigraphs are also other unique elements of the German language. Thus, read about them in the next section.

German Digraphs and Trigraphs

Other unique elements of the German language are digraphs and trigraphs. These are also the reason that makes this language phonetic. Moreover, digraphs are the combination of two letters representing a single sound. Likewise, trigraphs are combinations of three letters representing a single sound.

How to Use the Digraph "ch"?

This is the most common and unique feature of the German language alphabets. Here, the pronunciation of ‘ch’ depends on whether it appears at the beginning, middle, or end of a word. So, the pronunciation of these words is:

1. Hard "ch": this is a heavy sound produced in the back of the throat, similar to the "ch" in the English word "hole." This sound is common when "ch" is preceded by "a," "o," "u," and "au."
2. Soft "ch": this sound is airier and softer, similar to an "h" sound in English words like hidden" or "hit." It is typically found when "ch" follows "e," "i," "ä," "ö," "ü," "ei," "eu," and "äu."
3. At the beginning of words, "ch" is pronounced as a "k" sound.

How to Use the Trigraph "sch"?

The "sch" digraph is pronounced as ‘sh’ in English and is similar to the sound you hear at the beginning of the English words "ship” or “shop”.

Here are a few examples of German words that include the "sch" digraph:

1. "Schule" /shule/ - school.
2. "Tisch" /tish/ - table.
3. "Fisch"/fish/ - fish.
4. "Schön" /sh`oen/ - beautiful.

This pronunciation remains consistent no matter where "sch" appears in a word, at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. It also stays the same regardless of the vowel that follows or precedes it.

This was the uniqueness of the German alphabets. Moreover, learning the German language can be a bit complicated and time-consuming. Therefore, read the section below to learn how Gradding.com will help you prepare for German.

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Conclusion

This was all about the German alphabets and its proper pronunciations. So, you now know that there are 4 extra letters in the German language and the reason why this is the most phonetic language. However, if you face any issues while learning the German language, then join the German online coaching at Gradding.com to prepare under an expert’s guidance while being in your comfort place. So, register today and get ready for your higher education in Germany.

FAQs

What are Umlauts in German?

The Umlaut is the two dots that sometimes appear above the vowels a, o, and u to make ä, ö, and ü.

What are the Letters of the German Alphabet?

The German alphabet is very similar to the English alphabet. The only difference is their pronunciation and 4 extra letters. Here's what the German alphabet looks like:

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, Ä, Ö, Ü, ß.

Are There Any Differences Between the German Alphabet and the English Alphabet?

The total number of alphabets in German is 30 and in English, it is 26. The German alphabet includes unique letters like the Umlauts (Ä, Ö, Ü) and the Eszett (ß), and its letters are often pronounced differently.

What are ä, ö, ü Called?

These are the vowels with different sounds than the originals. The name given to them is Umlauts.

Are There Any Silent Letters in German?

All the German letters are pronounced in a word except the letter ‘h’. Its purpose is to make the preceding vowel long. However, all the vowels followed by a silent h don't need to be long.