IPA Pronunciation Guide – German

Phonetic Symbols/Zeichen der Lautschrift

Vowels/Vokale


matt	[a]
Fahne	[aː]
Vater	[ɐ]
	[ɑː]	calm, part
	[æ]	sat
Chanson	[ã]
Chance	[ɑ̃]
	[ɑ̃ː]	double entendre
Etage	[e]	egg
Seele, Mehl	[eː]
Wäsche, Bett	[ε]
zählen	[εː]
Teint	[ε̃ː]
mache	[ə]	above
	[3ː]	burn, *ear*n
Kiste	[ɪ]	pit, awfully
Vitamin	[i]
Ziel	[iː]	peat
Oase	[o]
oben	[oː]
Fondue	[õ]
Chanson	[õː]
Most	[ɔ]
	[ɒ]	cot
	[ɔː]	born, jaw
ökonomisch	[ø]
blöd	[øː]
Götter	[œ]
Parfum	[œ̃ː]
	[ʌ]	hut
zuletzt	[u]
Mut	[uː]	pool
Mutter	[ʊ]	put
Tyrann	[y]
Kübel	[yː]
Sünde	[Y]

Consonants/Konsonanten


Ball	[b]	ball
mich	[ç]
	[tʃ]	[child
fern	[f]	field
gern	[ɡ]	good
Hand	[h]	hand
ja, Million	[j]	yet, million
	[ʤ]	just
Kind	[k]	kind, catch
links, Pult	[l]	left, little
matt	[m]	mat
Nest	[n]	nest
lang	[ŋ]	long
Paar	[p]	put
rennen	[r]	run
fast, fassen	[s]	sit
Chef, Stein, *Sch*lag	[ʃ]	shall
Tafel	[t]	tab
	[θ]	thing
	[ð]	this
wer	[v]	very
	[w]	wet
Loch	[x]	loch
ﬁx	[ks]	box
singen	[z]	pods, zip
Zahn	[ts]
genieren	[ʒ]	measure

Other signs/Andere Zeichen


\|	glottal stop/Knacklaut
[ʳ]	[r] pronounced before a vowel/vor Vokal ausgesprochenes [r]
[‘]	main stress/Hauptton
[ˌ]	secondary stress/Nebenton

Diphthongs/Diphthonge


weit	[ai]
	[aɪ]	buy, die, my
Haus	[au]
	[aʊ]	house, now
	[eɪ]	pay, mate
	[εə]	pair, mare
	[əʊ]	no, boat
	[ɪə]	mere, shear
Heu, Haüser	[ɔy]
	[ɔɪ]	boy, coin
	[ʊə]	tour, poor

NB: Vowels and consonants which are frequently elided (not spoken) are given in italics:

Vokale und Konsonanten, die häuﬁg elidiert (nicht ausge- sprochen) werden, sind kursiv dargestellt:

convention [kən’venʃən]

attempt [ə’tempt]