Pronunciation
of German
vowels
& consonants
The correct pronunciation, as an English
speaker
can pronounce German vowels and consonants:
English
pronounced
like: Example:
a
ah "a" in
"bar"
b
b "b" in
"book"
c ts before
"e", "i": "ts" in "hints"
c
k before
"a", "o", "u" & consonants: "k" in
"kitchen" (ch below)
d
d "d" in
"day"
e
eh "ay" in
"day"
f
f "f" in
"foot"
g
g "g" in
"garden"
h h
"h" in "house"
i
ee "ee" in
"heel"
j
y "y" in
"yes"
k k,
ck "k" in
"kitchen", "ck" in "truck"
l
l "l" in
"land"
m
m "m" in
"man"
n
n "n" in
"no"
o
oh "o" in "pop"
p
p "p" in
"people"
q
kw "qu" in
"queen"
r
r "r" in
"red"
s
s "s" in
"mouse"
(ß and sch see below)
t
t "t" in
"table"
u
oo "oo" in
"book"
v
mostly f; v "f" in
"father"; "v" in "voice"
w
w "v" in
"voice"
x
ks "x" in
"axe"
y y,
ü, ee "y" in
"yes", ("ü" see below), "ee" in "heel"
z
ts "ts" in
"hints"
The umlauts "ä", "ö", and
"ü" are best described with the French
Language (or even in Turkish :-) ):
French
pronounced
like: Example:
ä
ai "ai" in
"mais" = English "but"
ö
oe "oe" in
"boeuf" = English "bull"
ü
u "u" in
"rue" = English "street"
"ch" is not a consonant, e.g. like
in Spanish; in German "ch" sounds in
three different ways:
1. after an "a", "o" and
"u" (German words: Dach = roof, Loch = hole,
Buch = book):
English
pronounced
like: Example:
ch
k "ch" in
Scottish "loch" (like a rough "h", created in
the throat)
2. after an "e", "i",
"ä", "ö" and "ü" (German words:
Recht = right,
Licht = light, Dächer = roofs, Löcher =
holes, Küche = kitchen):
ch
sh "sh" in
"fish"
Suggestions for an English pronunciation in
fact are not really correct,
But come close to the real High German
pronunciation (but in our local
Dialect here in southern Hesse, the second
"ch" really sound like "sh")
3. In words of foreign origin mostly
depending on the original
pronunciation:
ch
ch, sh "ch" in
"China", "sh" in "fish"
ß comes from the combination of the old
German script "s" with the
script "z", thus it is
"sz" or currently "ss":
English
pronounced
like: Example:
ß
ss "ss" in
"kiss"
"sch" is not a consonant, either:
English
pronounced
like: Example:
sch
sh "sh" in
"shell"
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Written by: Jürgen Fritsche (Germany)
genealogy@ib-fritsche.de