The German alphabet and its sounds
Meet the letters, hear their names, and practise spelling your name.
12 minutes · A free lesson from First steps: alphabet and everyday basics · Roman and Urdu pronunciation guides and English meanings are shown under each phrase
Welcome! No previous German is needed. Start with five letters at a time. Listen, repeat, then cover the pronunciation guide and try again.
Alphabet — letter names
German has 26 main letters, plus ä, ö, ü and ß. Letter names help you spell; their sounds change inside words. ei sounds like 'eye'; ie like 'ee'; sch like 'sh'. For ü, say 'ee' while rounding your lips; for ö, round your lips while saying 'eh'. The ch in ich is a soft hiss with the tongue high in the mouth, not exactly English 'sh' or Urdu ش. After a, o and u, ch is closer to Urdu خ. Listen and copy the sound before reading the guide.
| ei | Say ai (as in 'eye') | آئ | |
| ie | Say ee | ای | |
| sch | Say sh | ش | |
| ü | Say ue (rounded lips) | ایُ (ہونٹ گول) | |
| ö | Say oe (rounded lips) | اوے (ہونٹ گول) | |
| ch | Say kh (soft after i) | خ (نرم آواز) | |
| ich | Say ikh (soft ch) | اِخ (نرم آواز) | Means: I |
Say it out loud (30 seconds): Say the letters in your first name, slowly. Repeat them once without looking at the guide.
Quick check: What is the best way to learn a new sound?
- Only read its spelling
- Listen, repeat and compare with the audio
- Skip every unfamiliar letter
Show the answer
B: Listen, repeat and compare with the audio — Use the reading guide to get started, then copy the sound you hear.
Lesson quiz
Check what you have learned. Choose an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
Quick check: What do the Roman and Urdu “Say:” lines give you?
- An approximate guide to the sound
- The meaning of the word
- A spelling rule to learn
Show the answer
A: An approximate guide to the sound — They are reading aids for the sound. The English “Means:” line is the one that gives the meaning.
Quick check: What should you do when a letter sounds different inside a word from its name?
- Always say the letter's name
- Leave the word out
- Copy the sound you hear in the audio
Show the answer
C: Copy the sound you hear in the audio — Letter names are for spelling. Inside a word, listen and copy the sound.
Quick check: Which line tells you what a word means?
- The Roman line, “Say:”
- The English line, “Means:”
- The Urdu line, “Say:”
Show the answer
B: The English line, “Means:” — The two “Say:” lines help with the sound. The “Means:” line gives the English meaning.