Today we are talking all about German pronunciation. This lesson is split into four parts. Over the next several pages, you will learn all you need in order to pronounce any German word you come across. The pronunciation guide in this post does go into a lot of detail, but you can see and hear examples for each sound when you download the Beginner German e-book or the pronunciation guide.
This lesson is a part of Herr Antrimās new e-book āBeginner German with Herr Antrimā. Within the e-book, this lesson includes a worksheet and answer key to practice the skills you are about to learn. You will also get access to online flashcards and a whole lot more. Find out more about the e-book here.
Beginner German with Herr Antrim E-Book Sample from the Pronunciation Chapter
Below you can see a couple of pages out of Herr Antrimās new e-book āBeginner German with Herr Antrimā. When you purchase the e-book, you also gain access to a ton of extra materials including:
- worksheets for all of the lessons (except the pronunciation chapters)
- answer keys for each of the worksheets
- mp3 downloads to help you practice your pronunciation
- access to online flashcards
- and more!


Beginner German with Herr Antrim
Herr Antrimās new e-book āBeginner German with Herr Antrimā is your guide to having your first conversation in German. Within the e-book, each lesson includes a worksheet and answer key to practice the skills in that lesson. You will also get access to online flashcards and a whole lot more. Find out more about the e-book here.
Lessons within “Beginner German with Herr Antrim”
- Download the E-Book
- #1 – Pronunciation
- #2 –Ā Greetings
- #3 –Ā Farewells
- #4 –Ā Du vs Ihr vs Sie
- #5 –Ā How to Say You Don’t Speak German
- #6 –Ā das Alphabet
- #7 –Ā 24 Most Common Verbs with Example Sentences
- #8 –Ā Subject PronounsĀ &Ā Conjugation
- #9 –Ā Basic Questions & Answers
- #10 –Ā Formation of Questions
- #11 –Ā Describe Yourself in German
- #12 –Ā Present Tense of “sein”
- #13 –Ā Present Tense of “haben”
- #14 –Ā Family Vocabulary
- #15 –Ā The Ultimate Guide to German Numbers
- #16 –Ā Word Order with Time
- #17 –Ā Read & Write Dates in German
- #18 –Ā Word Order Basics
- #19 –Ā Shopping
- #20 –Ā A Beginner German Conversation
German Vowel Pronunciation
Long Vowel vs Short Vowel Rules
For every vowel in German there are two pronunciation options. Short vowel sounds are used before multiple consonants. The long vowel sound can be formed in many different ways including: before single consonants, before the letter āHā, and when the vowel is doubled. In this vowel pronunciation guide, you will see examples of each of these for each vowel.
A
The sound is the same for both the short and long āAā sounds in German, but the length of the sound is different. The German short āAā sound is just a short burst of sound, while the German long āAā sound is a bit longer. Most of the time, this wonāt really matter much and you really canāt tell the difference unless you are really paying attention. There are occasions, however, when it matters a bit more.
The German long āAā sound is the same as when your doctor tells you to open your mouth and say āAhā. You are supposed to hold your mouth open for a while when your doctor says that, so you should keep your mouth open when saying the long āAā in German, too. In order to make sure that you say the German short āAā correctly, you simply act like you a teenage girl who is offended by something. Dad – āNo, you canāt go to the mall.ā Teenager – āAh, thatās like so unfair.ā (If your head bobbed to the side when you read that, you are doing it correctly.)
E
The short āEā sound in German is almost identical to the short āEā in English as used in words like every, pen, and met. In addition to the normal rule of using the short āEā before multiple consonants, you also use the short āEā when it is the non-stressed syllable at the end of a word. This most commonly occurs in German verbs. The long āEā sound in German is most closely related to the long āAā sound in English. Just be careful that you donāt add that āWā or āYā sound to the end of the vowel like English speakers often do.
I
The German short āIā sound is the same as the short āIā in the English words it, since, and pin. The German long āIā sound is more closely related to the English long āEā sound as in feet, seat, and meal. The same rules as with the other German vowels apply here. Short sounds are used with more than one consonant after the vowel. Long sounds are used before single consonants and the letter āHā. There arenāt any words in which two āIāsā are pronounced together in German. There are a few words where there are two āIāsā next to each other, but those are always pronounced as individual letters.
O
The German short āOā is similar to the English short āOā sound. It can be heard in words like cost, boss, and odd. The long āOā sound is exactly like in English, but when we say āOā in English, we generally close our mouths a bit to make it sound like it is followed by a āWā or a āYā, but in German the mouth stays in the same position from the beginning to the end of the letter
U
The long āUā sound can be formed in the same ways as the other German long vowel sounds. After a single consonant or add āHā. There arenāt any German words with two āUāsā next to each other, so you canāt make the long āUā sound that way. The only exception is Vakuum, but I donāt think that counts since they are pronounced individually. The German short āUā sound is pretty much the same as the English version in the words up, under, and pun. The German long āUā sound is more similar to the sound of two āOāsā in English than the English long āUā. For example: boot, shoot, and fool. Just make sure you donāt add that āWā sound that usually accompanies the English version.
Y
In the odd case that the letter āYā shows up in a German word you are trying to pronounce, it will likely be pronounced the same as the āĆā. I explain that in more detail later. Your mouth should start in the position that you need for the long āUā described above. Then you bring your tongue to the top of your mouth so it touches your side teeth along the inside edge. The result is very similar to the short āIā sound, but with a āUā aftertaste.
Y at the Front or End of a Word
If it is at the beginning or end of a word, it will be pronounced like the English sounding āYā.
Umlauts
An umlaut is an accent mark that goes over a letter to change the sound. It looks like two dots above the letter. In German this can be added to the letters āAā, āOā, and āUā to create āĆā, āĆā, and āĆā. The effect of the umlaut is like adding the letter āEā behind the vowel. This explains why the pronunciation is the same as the long vowel letter mixed with an āEā. It also explains why it is acceptable to write āAEā, āOEā, or āUEā instead of āAā, āOā, or āUā if you donāt have the umlaut option on your keyboard.
Ć
The āĆā is the easiest to pronounce for English speakers, because it sounds exactly like the German long āEā sound. It is most closely related to the English long āAā sound.
Ć
The letter āOā can also take an umlaut. This is a bit more difficult to pronounce than the āAā with an umlaut. Start with the long āOā sound and then bring your tongue up to meet your teeth. Another way to think about it is combining the German long āOā and the English long āEā sound. Say them back-to-back, faster and faster until they form one sound. The result should be the āĆā sound.
Ć
The āUā umlaut is pronounced in a similar way to the āOā with an umlaut. Start with your mouth in the position for the German long āUā and push your tongue to the edge of your teeth. Alternatively, start with the German long āUā sound and add an English long āEā to the end of it or. Mix the two letters together until they become one. The end result is really more closely related to the sound of an English short āIā than the āUā.
Diphthongs
Diphthong is a fancy word for saying that two vowels are next to each other and they make one sound. In German the diphthongs include: āAIā, āAUā, āĆUā, āEUā, āEIā, and āIEā.
AI
The combination of āAā and āIā make the sound like the English long āIā sound.
AU
This is pronounced like someone stepped on your toe. In fact, the German spelling for āowā is āauaā. It is pronounced like a person with a Boston accent saying āhourā.
ĆU
Adding an umlaut, those two little dots above the letter āAā, makes it sound like you are trying to get someoneās attention in a British pub. Ću mate.
EU
This is pronounced in exactly the same way as āĆUā. If you remember from earlier, āĆā is pronounced like the German long āEā sound. This means that āEUā would logically have the same pronunciation as āĆUā.
EI & IE
This same sound you get when combining āAā and āIā, can also be created using a combination of āEā and āIā. If you are an English speaker, the two possible combinations of E and I are incredibly confusing. They are generally pronounced in the opposite way English speakers think they should be. When the āIā is second, it is the English long āIā sound. If the āEā is second, it sounds like the English long āEā sound.