Die Grundlagen · Unit 1 of 10 · 12 min

Das Alphabet

The alphabet

All 26 letters plus Ä, Ö, Ü and ß — with their German names, not their English ones.

Before you learn words you need the letters — and above all their German names, because that is what you hear when somebody spells a street, a surname or a booking reference to you on the phone.

Learning objectives

Say all 26 letter names in German, plus Ä, Ö, Ü and ß.
Tell J, W, V and Z apart by name and by sound.
Spell your own name and an email address aloud.

Can-Do outcomes

I can spell my name in German when asked.
I can understand a short spelled word or code.
I can ask someone to spell something or slow down.

Native-speaker review required

Two names for every letter

You already know these shapes. What is new is what each letter is called in German — and that is what you will hear when someone spells a street, an email address or a confirmation number to you.

So J is written the same way, but it is called Jot, and inside a word it sounds like the English Y in “yes”. Keep the two apart: the name of the letter, and the sound it makes.

Das deutsche Alphabet

A a
German letter name
Ah
Approximate pronunciation
ah
Example
Apfel apple
B b
German letter name
Beh
Approximate pronunciation
bay
Example
Buch book
At the end of a word B sounds closer to P: Dieb.
C c
German letter name
Tseh
Approximate pronunciation
tsay
Example
Computer computer
D d
German letter name
Deh
Approximate pronunciation
day
Example
Drucker printer
Final D sounds closer to T: Hund.
E e
German letter name
Eh
Approximate pronunciation
ay
Example
Esel donkey
F f
German letter name
Eff
Approximate pronunciation
eff
Example
Fenster window
G g
German letter name
Geh
Approximate pronunciation
gay
Example
Garten garden
Final G sounds closer to K: Tag.
H h
German letter name
Hah
Approximate pronunciation
hah
Example
Haus house
After a vowel, H is silent and just makes the vowel long: fahren.
I i
German letter name
Ih
Approximate pronunciation
ee
Example
Insel island
J j
German letter name
Jot
Approximate pronunciation
yot
Example
ja yes
In German words, J usually sounds like the English Y in “yes.”
K k
German letter name
Kah
Approximate pronunciation
kah
Example
Kaffee coffee
L l
German letter name
Ell
Approximate pronunciation
ell
Example
Lampe lamp
M m
German letter name
Emm
Approximate pronunciation
emm
Example
Maus mouse
N n
German letter name
Enn
Approximate pronunciation
enn
Example
Netzwerk network
O o
German letter name
Oh
Approximate pronunciation
oh
Example
Ohr ear
P p
German letter name
Peh
Approximate pronunciation
pay
Example
Papier paper
Q q
German letter name
Kuh
Approximate pronunciation
koo
Example
Quelle source
Qu is pronounced “kv”: Quelle sounds like KVEL-le.
R r
German letter name
Err
Approximate pronunciation
air
Example
rot red
More than one R is acceptable — see Unit 4.
S s
German letter name
Ess
Approximate pronunciation
ess
Example
Sonne sun
Before a vowel, S is voiced like English Z: Sonne.
T t
German letter name
Teh
Approximate pronunciation
tay
Example
Tisch table
U u
German letter name
Uh
Approximate pronunciation
oo
Example
Uhr clock
V v
German letter name
Fau
Approximate pronunciation
fow (rhymes with “now”)
Example
Vater father
V often sounds like F in native words, like V in borrowed words (Video).
W w
German letter name
Weh
Approximate pronunciation
vay
Example
Wasser water
W is pronounced like an English V.
X x
German letter name
Iks
Approximate pronunciation
iks
Example
Taxi taxi
Y y
German letter name
Ypsilon
Approximate pronunciation
IPP-see-lon
Example
Yoga yoga
Z z
German letter name
Tsett
Approximate pronunciation
tset
Example
Zeit time
Z is pronounced “ts”, never like an English Z.
Ä ä
German letter name
Ah-Umlaut
Approximate pronunciation
eh
Example
Mädchen girl
Spoken aloud as “A-Umlaut”.
Ö ö
German letter name
Oh-Umlaut
Approximate pronunciation
ur (lips rounded)
Example
schön beautiful
Ü ü
German letter name
Uh-Umlaut
Approximate pronunciation
ew
Example
Tür door
ß ß
German letter name
Eszett
Approximate pronunciation
ess-TSET
Example
Straße street
Also called scharfes S. It is a sharp S sound — not a B.

Hear and select

Which letter did you hear?

Letter sequence

Listen to 4 letters, then type them in order.

Your answer

Spell your name

Wie buchstabieren Sie Ihren Namen?

How do you spell your name?

Type anything you need to spell

J – E – F – F

Jot, Eh, Eff, Eff

Practice interaction

Wie heißen Sie?: What's your name?
Ich heiße Jeff.: My name is Jeff.
Wie buchstabiert man das?: How do you spell that?
J-E-F-F.: Jot – Eh – Eff – Eff.

Practical spelling

First and last name
Jeff Brooks
Email address
j.brooks@firma.de
Street name
Lindenstraße
Company name
Nordlicht GmbH
Confirmation number
QX7-2481
Wi-Fi name
Cafe_Ostwind
Username
jbrooks99

Übungen — spelling and letters

1 / 7

Tell J, W, V and Z apart

Welcher Buchstabe klingt wie das englische „Y“ in yes?

Which letter sounds like the English Y in “yes”?

Useful expressions

Five phrases that buy you time when someone spells too fast.

Wie schreibt man das?How do you write/spell that?
Wie buchstabiert man das?How do you spell that?
Können Sie das bitte buchstabieren?Could you please spell that?
Noch einmal, bitte.Once again, please.
Langsamer, bitte.More slowly, please.

Say it aloud

Aussprachetrainer

Wie heißen Sie?

What is your name? (formal)

WieheißenSie

vee HY-sen zee

Aussprachetrainer

Ich heiße Jeff.

My name is Jeff.

IchheißeJeff

ikh HY-se Jeff

Aussprachetrainer

Wie buchstabiert man das?

How do you spell that?

Wiebuchstabiertmandas

vee bookh-shta-BEERT man dass

Wortschatz

derBuchstabe— letterPlural: die Buchstaben
derName— namePlural: die Namen
dieE-Mail-Adresse— email addressPlural: die E-Mail-Adressen@ is spoken „at“, the dot is „Punkt“.
buchstabieren— to spell out
wiederholen— to repeat

Übungen

1 / 7

Tell J, W, V and Z apart

Welcher Buchstabe klingt wie das englische „Y“ in yes?

Which letter sounds like the English Y in “yes”?

Optional between-session assignment

Buchstabiere deinen Alltag

Spell your everyday life

Real-world action · about 8 min · Self-reported completion

1.Choose five things around you with a written name: a street, a shop, a colleague, a brand, a station.
2.Spell each one aloud using the German letter names.
3.Note the two letters that slowed you down most.

In-app alternative · No German words nearby? Spell your own name, your email address and three words from this unit using the spelling practice above.

Self-reported: not checked by anyone. Skipping never breaks your streak or blocks A1.

Willkommen zurück!

Return checkpoint

Two or three quick checks the next time you open this unit. Attempting it is what counts — anything you miss becomes a review recommendation, not a failure.

1. Which letter is called “Jot”?
2. Someone says “Fau”. Which letter did they spell?
3. How do you ask someone to spell something?

Completion summary

Das Alphabet abgeschlossen

You can now spell in German and understand letters spelled to you — the single most useful skill in your first week.

Unit 2 turns those letters into vowel sounds.

Marking a unit complete adds its Can-Do outcomes to your spaced-repetition queue. Perfect scores are never required.