- Use it as a reference page to learn the IPA symbols of the German language.
- Use it to familiarize yourself with the sounds of the German language if you’re just beginning your studies.
Consonants | |||
IPA | Examples | Listen | English approximation |
b | Ball | ▸ | ball |
ç | durch, ich | ▸ | hue |
d | dann | ▸ | done |
f | Fass, Vogel | ▸ | fuss |
ɡ | Gast | ▸ | guest |
h | hat | ▸ | hut |
j | ja | ▸ | yard |
k | kalt | ▸ | cold |
l | Last | ▸ | last |
m | Mast | ▸ | must |
n | Naht | ▸ | not |
ŋ | lang | ▸ | long |
p | Pakt | ▸ | puck |
pf | Pfahl | ▸ | cupfull |
ʀ | rast | ▸ | red (Northumbrian Burr) |
s | Hast | ▸ | fast |
ʃ | schal, Stein | ▸ | shall |
t | Tal | ▸ | tall |
ts | Zahl | ▸ | cats |
tʃ | Matsch | ▸ | match |
v | was | ▸ | vanish |
x | Bach | ▸ | loch (Scottish English) |
z | Hase | ▸ | hose |
ʔ | beamtet ([bəˈʔamtət]) | ▸ | the glottal stop in uh-oh! |
Non-native consonants | |||
dʒ | Dschungel | ▸ | jungle |
ʒ | Genie | ▸ | pleasure |
Stress | |||
ˈ | Bahnhofstraße ([ˈbaːnhoːfˌʃtʁaːsə]) | ▸ | as in battleship /ˈbætəlˌʃɪp/ |
ˌ | Bahnhofstraße | ▸ | Secondary Stress |
Vowels | |||
IPA | Examples | Listen | English approximation |
Monophthongs | |||
a | Dach | ▸ | bra (but shorter) |
aː | Bahn | ▸ | bra |
eː | Beet | ▸ | feet |
ɛ | hätte, Bett, | ▸ | bed |
ɛː | wähle | ▸ | says |
iː | viel | ▸ | feel |
ɪ | bist | ▸ | sit |
oː | Boot | ▸ | roughly like law (British English) |
ɔ | Post | ▸ | cost |
øː | Öl | ▸ | roughly like hurt |
œ | göttlich | ▸ | roughly like hurt |
uː | Hut | ▸ | true |
ʊ | Putz | ▸ | took |
yː | Rübe | ▸ | roughly like few |
ʏ | füllt | ▸ | much like the above but shorter |
Diphthongs | |||
aɪ | weit | ▸ | tie |
aʊ | Haut | ▸ | how |
ɔʏ | Heu, Räuber | ▸ | roughly like boy |
Reduced vowels | |||
ɐ | Ober | ▸ | fun |
ə | halte | ▸ | comma (when pronounced without stress) |
Semivowels | |||
ɐ̯ | Uhr | ▸ | comma |
i̯ | Studie | ▸ | studio |
u̯ | aktuell | ▸ | actual |
Non-native vowels | |||
e | Methan | ▸ | (short [eː]) |
i | vital | ▸ | city (short [iː]) |
o | Moral | ▸ | (short [oː]) |
ø | Ökonom | ▸ | (short [øː]) |
u | kulant | ▸ | (short [uː]) |
y | Psychologie | ▸ | (short [yː]) |