Consonants | ||
---|---|---|
IPA | Examples | English approximation |
b | Ball | ball |
ç | ich, durch | 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 | p + f |
ʁ | Rast | French R |
ʀ | French trilled R | |
r | Italian R | |
s | Hast | fast |
ʃ | schal, Stein | shall |
t | Tal | tall |
ts | Zahl | cats |
tʃ | Matsch | match |
v | was | vanish |
x | Bach | loch (Scottish) |
z | Hase | hose |
ʔ | beamtet ([bəˈʔamtət]) |
the glottal stop in uh-oh! |
Non-native consonants | ||
dʒ | Dschungel | jungle |
ʒ | Genie | beige, Zsa Zsa |
Stress | ||
ˈ | Bahnhofstraße ([ˈbaːnhoːfˌʃtʁaːsə]) |
as in battleship |
ˌ |
Vowels | ||
---|---|---|
IPA | Examples | English approximation |
Monophthongs | ||
a | Dach | bra (but shorter) |
aː | Bahn | bra |
eː | Beet | face |
ɛ | Bett, hätte | bed |
ɛː | wähle | as above but longer |
iː | viel | meet |
ɪ | bist | sit |
oː | Boot | somewhat like bone |
ɔ | Post | hospitality |
øː | Öl | somewhat like hurl; French deux |
œ | göttlich | close to hurt or French sœur |
uː | Hut | true |
ʊ | Putz | took |
yː | Rübe | French rue |
ʏ | füllt | much like the above but shorter |
Diphthongs | ||
aɪ | weit | tie |
aʊ | Haut | how |
ɔʏ | Heu, Räuber | boy |
Reduced vowels | ||
ɐ | Ober | fun |
ə | halte | comma |
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]) |