How To Place Your German Vowel Sounds Just Right

This article will become your pocket guide to placing your German vowel sounds just right. Why is it important? If you’re learning German online, you will be able to understand German speakers in the real world more clearly and thus improve your overall comprehension of spoken German. As a result, speaking German will come more easily to you, enhancing your language proficiency and bringing you joy.

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German Vowels

How many vowels are there in the German alphabet? The five basic vowels of the German alphabet are a, e, i, o, and u. But there are also three accented vowels, or vowels with umlauts (Umlaute), which are ä, ö, and ü.

However, if you ask how many vowel sounds there are, the answer is over 15. Why? The basic and accented vowels in the German language can be combined to create new vowel sounds – just like in several other languages.

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Basic German Vowels 

First, we will have a look at the primary – basic – German vowels that can be divided into long or short sounds, depending on the way they are pronounced.

Equally important, long vowel sounds are generally stressed, or emphasized, whereas closed short vowel sounds are left unstressed.

Long basic vowels

Short basic vowels

Vowels with Umlauts

An umlaut is formed with a special mark – in simpler terms, a pair of dots – used over a vowel. Umlauts are present in at least nine other languages besides German.

Long umlauts

Short umlauts

When to use long and when to use short vowel sounds?

When should you use long or short vowel sounds?

Use long sounds when:

• the vowel is followed by one consonant (as in Rat);
• the vowel is followed by an -h (as in Kohl);
• the vowel is doubled (as in Beere).

Use short sounds when:

• the vowel is followed by multiple consonants (as in schrecklich);
• the vowel is followed by a consonant that is doubled (as in Bann);
• the unstressed “e” is placed at the end of a word (as in Diebe, bitte).

Vowel Combinations 

When combined, German vowels can produce sounds that differ significantly or completely from the sounds they produce when used separately.

In our next vowel chart, you will learn the most widely used vowel sound combinations: 

Key Takeaways

Pronouncing German vowels and consonants can be a real challenge. We recommend you take your time and make use of all the resources available to you, whether it be working one on one with a tutor, speaking German with your family, friends, and colleagues, listening to German media, or studying German online with the help of a language app.

Why not use Lingvist to learn real-life German on the go? Thanks to our advanced technology and a scientific approach, you will be speaking German with confidence in no time. Don’t wait another day – start learning today!