The German alphabet: pronunciation and spelling names

A letter name is different from its sound in a word

When someone asks Wie schreiben Sie das?, they need the written letters. Say their German names one at a time. To spell Eva, say E – Vau – A; do not try to stretch the sounds of the spoken name. This distinction is useful even if you can already read familiar German words.

Compare the name Ha for H with Haus. The word does not start with a whole ha syllable. In Schule, the three letters s – c – h work together; when spelling, however, name all three separately. An alphabet chart therefore helps you communicate spelling. It is not a rule that tells you every sound in every word.

The 26 German letter names

The middle column writes each name as a German word; the final column uses the International Phonetic Alphabet. A colon-like ː marks a long vowel, and ˈ marks the following stressed syllable. These are broad pronunciation guides, not a demand that every speaker has an identical accent. R in particular has more than one pronunciation.

Do not read the name column using English spelling rules. German E is a steady long vowel, while I names the sound [iː]. Start with five or six letters, then check them against the Goethe-Institut alphabet video linked in the sources. This page itself does not play or assess audio.

Ä, Ö, Ü and ß when spelling

Name Ä, Ö, Ü as A-Umlaut, O-Umlaut, U-Umlaut when you want to make the dots explicit; you can also hear the vowel names themselves. These are not optional decorations: Muller and Müller are different written forms. The letter ß is called Eszett or scharfes S. It is one letter, not B.

Spell the fictional name Müller as Emm – U-Umlaut – Ell – Ell – E – Er. Say the two Ls individually or clarify zweimal L. Do not silently remove an umlaut or change someone’s official name. Choosing between ß and ss in normal writing is a separate spelling task; here the job is to identify the letter already on the page.

Give these letters extra attention

Practise E – I, G – J, B – P and V – W as contrasts. German J is commonly named Jott; G is Ge. V is Vau, while W is We. If a listener writes the wrong one, repeat the letter, then give a familiar word as an informal clarification: W wie Wasser. That is a helpful example, not a claim about an official spelling code.

The chart gives one common naming model. Regional alternatives exist, including variation in J and Y names or their stress. Listen to the person’s full sequence before deciding a familiar-looking letter is different. For a name from another language, preserve its actual written form; you need not give the name a German spelling just because you are speaking German.

A short spelling exchange

A: Wie schreiben Sie Ihren Nachnamen?
B: Kern. Ka – E – Er – Enn.
A: Mit einem N am Ende?
B: Ja, mit einem N.

The listener checks one uncertain detail instead of asking for the entire answer again. For independent practice, copy three fictional names onto cards, say the letter names without looking at this chart, then write what you said. Compare the written sequence with the original. First check missing or repeated letters; then check whether you used German rather than English names. This separates spelling accuracy from the pronunciation of the whole name.

Six spelling checks

Try each item before opening its answer. Say the sequence aloud if that is comfortable, or write the German letter names. The names below are practice examples; do not use private personal details.

1. Spell Eva.

   Show answer and reason

   E – Vau – A. V has the name Vau even though the pronunciation of V inside words varies.

2. Which letter has the name We?

   Show answer and reason

   W. Do not confuse its German name with Vau, the name of V.

3. Spell Jens.

   Show answer and reason

   Jott – E – Enn – Ess. J and G have different names: Jott and Ge.

4. Spell Öz while making the umlaut explicit.

   Show answer and reason

   O-Umlaut – Zett. O-Umlaut identifies Ö, not plain O.

5. A listener writes Kernn for Kern. Clarify the last letter.

   Show answer and reason

   Nur ein N am Ende: Kern. You are correcting the extra N; the rest of the spelling can stay.

6. Does spelling Schule begin with one letter called sch?

   Show answer and reason

   Ess – Ce – Ha – U – Ell – E. The word contains S, C and H as separate letters, even though sch represents a sound combination when you read it.

Use spelling in your next practice task

Choose a short fictional name, a longer one with repeated letters, and one with an umlaut. Ask a partner to write each sequence, or record yourself privately and write it back later. A correct written result tells you the spelling was recoverable; it does not certify your overall pronunciation or level. Return to just the letters that caused confusion.

For speech sounds, continue with German pronunciation practice or the focused ich, ach and sch guide. To put a name into a complete exchange, use the public greeting lesson.

Questions about this topic

Sources and further learning

• Goethe-Institut: Starte Deutsch — das deutsche Alphabet (A1 video on 24h Deutsch)
• IDS grammis: Amtliches Regelwerk — Laut-Buchstaben-Zuordnung
• Duden: Das Grundschulwissen Deutsch und Mathematik — publisher sample, letter names
• Duden: Ypsilon

Source links checked: 2026-10-15.

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