Topic 1: German Alphabet & Pronunciation Guide (A1)

Learning German starts with the alphabet. The best part is that the German alphabet is very similar to English, making the beginning much easier for learners.

German language uses the same 26 letters as English, but it also has four extra characters that you need to learn early on. These extra letters affect pronunciation and meaning, so understanding them is essential.

The German Alphabet

A, B, C, D, E, F, GH, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

Special Letters in German

• Ä ä

• Ö ö

• Ü ü

• ß (called Eszett)

How To Pronounce These: They change how words sound and sometimes even their meaning.

• A – ah

• B – beh

• C – tseh

• D – deh

• E – eh

• F – eff

• G – geh

• H – hah

• I – ee

• J – yott

• K – kaa

• L – el

• M – em

• N – en

• O – oh

• P – peh

• Q – koo

• R – ehr

• S – es

• T – teh

• U – oo

• V – fau

• W – veh

• X – iks

• Y – ypsilon

• Z – tsett

• ä – eh

• ö – ö

• ü – ü

• ß – es-tsett

Note:These letters are not optional. They change how words sound and sometimes even their meaning.

Key Pronunciation Differences

• W is pronounced like English V→ Wasser = Vasser

• V is pronounced like English F→ Vater = Fater

• J sounds like English Y→ Ja = Ya

• Z sounds like TS→ Zeit = Ts-ite

Example Words

• Haus (house)

• Katze (cat)

• Apfel (apple)

German pronunciation is mostly consistent. Once you learn the rules, words sound exactly how they’re written. This is one of the biggest advantages of learning German.