Free German Lesson 6: The Alphabet and Spelling
Level A0–A1 · Free beginner lesson · About 15–20 minutes.
Learn the names of the 26 basic German letters and the additional characters Ä, Ö, Ü and ß. The letter names below are simplified written representations, not verified phonetic transcriptions or pronunciation guides. Listening to native German audio is necessary for accurate pronunciation. German letter names can sound different from the letters inside words.
1. German alphabet
| Letter | German letter name (written) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A | a | A as in Apfel |
| B | be | B as in Brot |
| C | tse | C as in Café |
| D | de | D as in Deutsch |
| E | e | E as in Eis |
| F | eff | F as in Fisch |
| G | ge | G as in Garten |
| H | ha | H as in Haus |
| I | i | I as in Insel |
| J | jott | J as in Jahr |
| K | ka | K as in Kind |
| L | ell | L as in Lampe |
| M | emm | M as in Mutter |
| N | enn | N as in Name |
| O | o | O as in Obst |
| P | pe | P as in Post |
| Q | ku | Q as in Quelle |
| R | err | R as in Radio |
| S | ess | S as in Sonne |
| T | te | T as in Tag |
| U | u | U as in Uhr |
| V | fau | V as in Vater |
| W | we | W as in Wasser |
| X | iks | X as in Xylophon |
| Y | ypsilon | Y as in Yoga |
| Z | tsett | Z as in Zeit |
Special German characters: Ä ä (A-Umlaut), Ö ö (O-Umlaut), Ü ü (U-Umlaut), ß (Eszett, also called scharfes S). For spelling names, teachers may use standard letter names and clarify umlauts.
2. Practical phrases
Wie schreibt man das? — How do you write/spell that?
Wie buchstabiert man Ihren Namen? — How do you spell your name? (formal)
Können Sie das bitte buchstabieren? — Could you please spell that?
Mein Name ist Sara. — My name is Sara.
Ich buchstabiere: S – A – R – A. — I spell it: S – A – R – A.
3. Important pronunciation points
The names of the letters V and W are fau and we. In many common German words, V sounds like English F (for example Vater) and W sounds like English V (for example Wasser). Pronunciation depends on the word and cannot always be predicted from the letter name alone.
Important: Written letter names and English explanations are not a substitute for verified native German audio. Audio and independently reviewed Urdu/Hindi pronunciation guides are in preparation.
4. Self-check
- How do you politely ask someone to spell a word?
- What is the German name of the letter W?
- What is the German name of the letter V?
- Which three vowels can take umlauts in German?
- Spell the name “Sara” letter by letter.
Show answers
- Können Sie das bitte buchstabieren?
- we
- fau
- Ä, Ö and Ü (umlauted forms of A, O and U)
- S – A – R – A
Next practice: Spell your first name aloud, then ask a friend to spell theirs.