German Alphabet ABC

In this lesson you can listen to the German alphabet.

In Germany the alphabet has 26 letters, 3 German umlauts (Ä,Ö,Ü) and one ligature (ß). Some letters are pronounced very similar to the English pronunciation, but some others are a little different.

Just listen many times to the German letters and the sounds will become familiar. Also, don’t get confused by our special letters ä, ö, ü and ß.

How to pronounce the German alphabet?

The pronunciation is not difficult. Some letters sound very similar in German and English. Click the play button and listen to the alphabet in German a few times.

📢 Listen to “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

Understanding the German alphabet is a good start, but fluency in German requires knowing 7 special rules. Curious to learn more? Take the 7 Rule Challenge!

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 the Switzerland, with umlauts (the ß doesn’t exist there)
• 30 we have if we include both the ß and the umlauts

Which article do we use for the German ABC?

All letters of the German alphabet have the same article: das.

• das A
• das B
• das C
• das D and so on

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), the other letters are called Konsonanten (consonants) – for example: B, C, D, F, G, … and so on.

Special features of the German alphabet

In the German alphabet there is a special feature, namely the ß. It has many colloquial names and often causes difficulties and amazement.

Often the spelling with “ss” is chosen in Germany, but it is actually not correct just to replace it.

Conclusion

The German alphabet has 26 letters, a ligature (ß) and 3 umlauts Ä, Ö, Ü. We use the German alphabet not only in Germany but also in Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and in Luxembourg.

The five letters A, E, I, O and U of the German alphabet are called Vokale (vowels). All letters of the German alphabet have the same article: das (das A, das B etc.)

Always remember:

Learning German should be fun! If it’s not enjoyable, learning becomes a waste of time!

If you want to explore the German alphabet in more detail, you can find additional information on the alphabet on Wikipedia.