Das Alphabet

If you want to spell out your name or address in German you need to know the names of the letters in the German alphabet. Many of them are the same as they are in English, and this makes life easier for you. But there are also a few which are called "false friends" because they look as if they are the same as English letters but are actually not. Until I can record the sounds of the letters I will write out a phonetic pronounciation of each letter for speakers of English.

A  (ah)    B (bay)    C (tsay)    D (day)    E (eh)    F (eff)    G (gay)    H (ha)    I (eee)    J (yot)    K (car)   L (ell)    M (em)    N (enn)    O (oh)     P (pay)    Q (koo)    R (air)    S (ess)    T (tay)    U (ooh)    V (fow)    W (vay)    X (eeks)    Y (oopsilon)    Z (tzed)

To listen to a native German speaker pronouncing the letters of the German alphabet click here.

Try saying the letters aloud. Can you spell out your own name or the name of the place where you live?

German also has an extra letter ß ,called sharp s, scharfes ess or esszet.