German Consonants
Welcome to this free German lesson on consonants!
Most German consonants are pronounced similar to English, but there are some differences. These German consonants are fairly easy to pronounce, and easier to master than the vowel sounds, as long as you remember the rules.
Resources for further reading:
Let's check out the German consonants!
How to pronounce German consonants
| Consonant | *Pronunciation | German Word (With translation) |
|---|---|---|
| B | p | Lieb (kind) |
| D | t | Bad (bath) |
| G | k | Tag (day) |
| St | sht | Student (student) |
| Sp | shp | Sprache (language) |
| J | y | Jacke (jacket) |
| W | v | Woche (week) |
| Z | ts | Zimmer (room) |
| Ch | k/kh | Bauch (stomach), Kirche (church), Chaos (chaos) |
Consonants 'b,' 'd,' and 'g' are pronounced like 'p,' 't,' and 'k' when at the end of a word.
When ‘ch’ follows the short/long vowel sounds of ‘a, o, u, or ‘au’, the sound is produced towards the back of the throat, similar to making a ‘k’ sound. However, it is less abrupt still letting through air, eg. Bauch (stomach), Tochter (daughter).
When ‘ch’ follows the short/long versions of the vowels ‘e, i, ä, ö, ü’ and ‘ei, eu, äu’ the sound is produced more at the front of the mouth, the tongue and the mouth being a lot flatter. Imagine the sound of gas leaking or a hissing cat, eg. ich (I), Kirche (church) 'Ch' can also be pronounced like a 'k', for example Chaos (chaos) or Wachs (wax).
More German consonants
Consonant: ß
Pronunciation: ss
ß
'ß' is a consonant that does not exist in the English language, but it is pronounced with a double 'ss' sound, as in the English "miss", or the German 'weiß' (white). The general rule is that ß is used in front of long vowels, otherwise the double 'ss' is used.
Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record
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Weiß
white
Consonant: Ig
Pronunciation: like "ich"
Ig
When at the end of a word, 'ig' this is pronounced like the soft 'ch' sound, as in 'ich' or 'Kirche' above. Words like 'traurig' (sad), use this sound.
Traurig
sad
Consonant: Qu
Pronunciation: kv
Qu
'Qu' is pronounced like 'kv', as in 'bequem', (comfortable).
Bequem
comfortable
Consonant: Ng
Pronunciation: like in "singer"
Ng
'Ng' does not have a hard sound in German, like in the English 'singer'.
Hunger
hunger
Consonant: Tion
Pronunciation: tsion
Tion
The cluster 'tion', as in 'Endstation' (end of the line), is pronounced with a 'z' sound.
Endstation
end of line
Consonant: Age
Pronunciation: like the French"j"
Age
At the end of French-imported nouns, the 'g' in 'age' has a French 'j' sound.
Garage
garage
Here are a few recommended German lessons to try next!
- Check out this lesson on the German dative.
- Click here for a lesson on the German genitive.
- Know your German irregular verbs.
Bis bald!
Paul Weber: Rocket German
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