German orthography
This article lists German letters and letter combinations, and how to pronounce them transliterated into SAMPA.
Consonants
One pronounces double consonants as single consonants, although one separately pronounces double consonants in compound words.
- b: at end of syllable: [p]; otherwise: [b]
- c: before ä, e, and i: [ts]; otherwise: [k]
- ch: after a, o, and u: [x]; when initial in a word or before a, o, and u: [k]; otherwise: [C]
- chs: [ks]
- d: at end of syllable: [t]; otherwise: [d]
- dsch: [dZ]
- dt: [t]
- f: [f]
- g: in the ending -ig: [C]; otherwise: [g]
- h: before a vowel: [h]; when lengthening a vowel: silent
- j: in native words: [j]; in foreign borrowings: [Z]
- k: [k]
- l: [l]
- m: [m]
- n: [n]
- p: [p]
- ph: [f]
- ng: [N]
- qu: [kv]
- r: [r]
- s: before and between vowels: [z]; before consonants or when final: [s]; before p or t at the beginning of a word or syllable: [S]
- sch: [S]
- ß: [s]
- t: [t]
- th: [t]
- ti: in -tion: [tsi]; otherwise: [ti]
- tz: [ts]
- v: in foreign borrowings: [v]; otherwise: [f]
- w: [v]
- x: [ks]
- y: [j]
- z: [ts]
Short Vowels
Two or more consonants following a vowel make the vowel short. Also, one pronounces the one-syllable words an, das, es, in, mit, and von with short vowels. Furthermore, one pronounces e's at the ends of words and in the endings -el, -en, and -er as short vowels.
- a: [a]
- ä and e: [e]
- i: [I]
- o: [A]
- ö: [2]
- u: [U]
- ü: [y]
- y: in Greek-derived words: [y]; otherwise: [I]
Long Vowels
A vowel has a long sound if the vowel in question occurs:
- as the final letter
- followed a single consonant
- before a single consonant followed by a vowel
- doubled
- followed by an h
The long vowels sound as follows:
- a, ah, and aa: [1]
- ä, äh, e, eh, and ee: [ej]
- i, ie, ih, and ieh: [2]
- o, oh, and oo: [o]
- ö: [9]
- u and uh: [u]
- ü and üh: [3]
- y: in Greek-derived words: [4]; otherwise: [5]
Dipthongs
- au: [au]
- eu and äu: [}j]
- ei, ai, ey, and ay: [aj]
Stressed Syllables
The first syllable of German words receives stress, with the following exceptions:
- Words beginning with be-, ge-, er-, ver-, zer-, or end- receive stress on their second syllable.
- Compound adverbs, with her, hin, da, or wo as their first part, recieve stress on their second part.
- Many loanwords, especially proper names, keep their original stress.
Examples
The pronunciations of some German words, for the purpose of example:
- der: [dejr]
- die:
- und:
- in:
- den:
- von:
- zu:
- das:
- mit:
- sich:
- des:
- auf:
- sechsundneunzig:
- Fünfmarkstücke:
- Untergrundbahn:
- Geschäftsfreund:
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