156972Episode 2: The German Alphabet

156972

Episode 2: The German Alphabet

Learn the German Alphabet: From A to Z to ß

Das Alphabet – ABC

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, Ä, Ö, Ü, ß

How many letters does the German alphabet have?

If you’re wondering about this question, you’re not alone! Even the experts can’t make up their minds, with some saying 26 while others say 30.

While many say that the German alphabet has 26 letters just like English, there are also four additional letters in the German language: ä, ö, ü and ß. If you count these, this brings the count up to 30 letters.

The main thing to remember is that if you know English, you already have 26 letters under your belt. Once you’ve given some attention to the extra vowels, it’s a matter of learning the letters that look the same as English but sound different.

Thankfully the German language is very orderly – much like German society. Unlike English, it follows consistent phonetic rules and you can sound out the word according to the alphabet and get the right pronunciation in most situations.

The German alphabet is part of Germanic language that’s origins trace back to early 700s. German contains the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet and adds the extra letters ä, ö, ü and ß. All German letter have upper and lowercase version except for ß. The letter ß will never be at the start of a word.

Ready to learn the German alphabet from A to Z?

Das Alphabet

German W sounds like English V.
German V sounds like the English F.
Most of the time the S in German sounds like Z in English when placed at the beginning of a word followed by a vowel.
Learn German Alphabet letters g, ch, and r are pronounced mostly in the back of the throat.

How many letters does the alphabet have?

Many say it has 26 letters, others say it has 29 or even 30 letters.

What is true now? Well, it depends on whether you consider the umlauts and the ß as letters.

It is 26 if you don’t count ä, ö, ü and the ß.
29 it is in Liechtenstein and Switzerland, with umlauts (the ß doesn’t exist there)
30 we have if we include both the ß and the umlauts

In which countries do we use the German alphabet?

Maybe you think that it is only used in states of Germany, but that is not true. It is also used in Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg.

However, the ß is no longer used in Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Instead of the ß, an ss is written there.

What are the vowels of the German alphabet?

The five letters A, E, I, O and U of the German alphabet are called Vokale (vowels), and the other letters are called Konsonanten (consonants) – for example: B, C, D, F, G, … and so on.

Why Learn the German Language?

The German language is known by an estimated 140 Million across Europe and around the world. German is tied with French as the most learned second language in the European Union. The importance of German as played a crucial role for centuries in Europe and on the world stage.

What are the German alphabet letters?

Letter and Name (Pronunciation)