Table of Contents
Understanding Umlauts and ß
In German you will meet some letters that do not exist in English. These are the umlauted vowels ä, ö, ü, and the special consonant ß. They are part of the normal alphabet for native speakers and appear in many common words and names. In this chapter you will learn what they are, how they sound in a simple way, how they are written, and what to do when you cannot type them.
What umlauts are
An umlaut is a pair of two small dots above a vowel. In German you can have:
- a with umlaut: ä
- o with umlaut: ö
- u with umlaut: ü
They are not decoration. They create new letters with their own sound and often a different meaning. So "a" and "ä" are different letters, and "u" and "ü" are different too.
You will see umlauts in very common words, for example in city names like "München" or in basic vocabulary such as "Mädchen" or "Brötchen".
Important:
"ä", "ö" and "ü" are different letters from "a", "o" and "u". Changing or forgetting the umlaut can change the meaning of a word.
Basic idea of their sounds
At this level you only need a simple idea of the sounds. Exact pronunciation will come later when you practice with audio.
In a very rough way:
- "ä" is often similar to the "e" in "bed".
- "ö" is made with the lips rounded, similar to the "i" in "bird" in some English accents, but with rounded lips.
- "ü" is not in English. You move your tongue like for "ee" in "see", but your lips are rounded like for "oo" in "too".
A helpful trick is to start from the plain vowel and move the tongue a bit forward, while keeping the same lip shape. This gives you a first idea of the umlaut sound.
You do not need to master the exact sound now, but you should recognize the letters and know that they are not the same as a, o, u.
Umlauts and meaning
Because umlauts can change the meaning of a word, it is useful to see some simple examples. The exact meanings of all words are not important yet, but you can see that small changes in spelling matter in German.
| Without umlaut | Meaning (English) | With umlaut | Meaning (English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| schon | already | schön | beautiful |
| Mutter | mother | Mütter | mothers |
| schon | already | schön | beautiful |
| schon | already | schön | beautiful |
| ful | (not a word) | Öl | oil |
| mus | (not a word) | müde | tired |
You will learn vocabulary step by step, but you can already see that one small sign, the umlaut, can create a new word.
Key rule:
Always learn and write German words with their correct umlauts. Writing "schon" for "schön" is a spelling mistake and can change the meaning completely.
Writing umlauts when you cannot type them
Sometimes you cannot type ä, ö, ü, for example on an English keyboard or on some phones. German has a standard way to replace them. You write:
- ä as "ae"
- ö as "oe"
- ü as "ue"
This is not just a random trick. It is an accepted alternative spelling, especially in names.
Examples:
| Correct spelling | Replacement spelling |
|---|---|
| Äpfel | Aepfel |
| Mädchen | Maedchen |
| Österreich | Oesterreich |
| Möbel | Moebel |
| München | Muenchen |
| Müller | Mueller |
If you write emails or use a system that does not support German letters, this replacement is much better than leaving the umlaut away.
Important:
If you cannot type umlauts, always write:
ä → ae, ö → oe, ü → ue.
Do not just write a, o or u instead.
What the letter ß is
German also has a special consonant letter: ß. It is called "Eszett" or "scharfes S" (sharp s). It is used only in German, never at the beginning of a word, and it always represents a kind of double "s" sound.
In lowercase you write ß. In uppercase texts, for example on signs, you usually see "SS" instead. There is also an uppercase "ẞ" in modern German, but you do not need it at this level.
You can think of ß as another way to write "ss" in some words.
Common examples:
| German | English meaning |
|---|---|
| Straße | street |
| heiß | hot |
| groß | big, tall |
| Fußball | football, soccer |
You will learn more about when to use ß instead of ss later, together with spelling rules.
Replacing ß when you cannot type it
On many keyboards there is no ß key. In this case you write "ss" instead. This is the normal and correct replacement.
Examples:
| Correct spelling | Replacement spelling |
|---|---|
| Straße | Strasse |
| groß | gross |
| heißen | heissen |
| Fußball | Fussball |
German speakers understand both versions, but when you learn vocabulary from a book or a course, always memorize the correct form with ß.
Key rule:
If you cannot type ß, always write "ss". Never leave the letter out completely.
Umlauts, ß, and names
You will see umlauts and ß very often in German names for people, places, and brands. Both spellings, with umlaut / ß and with replacement, appear in real life.
Examples with umlauts and ß:
| With umlaut / ß | Without special letter |
|---|---|
| Müller | Mueller |
| Weiß | Weiss |
| München | Muenchen |
| Köln | Koeln |
| Göthe (rare) | Goethe |
When you fill in forms or create online accounts, sometimes the system does not accept umlauts or ß. Then you use the replacement form. In official documents both forms can refer to the same person or place.
Recognizing umlauts and ß in print and handwriting
In printed text umlauts are clear small dots above the letter. In handwriting people sometimes write them as two short lines or strokes. Both count as umlauts.
The letter ß has a shape similar to a long "s" and a "z" together. In some fonts it can look a bit like a "B", but it is not a "B". Context and position help: ß never comes at the beginning of a word and never after another consonant at the start.
When you read German, train your eye to see these special letters as normal parts of the word and not as decoration.
First practice ideas
At this point you know what umlauts and ß look like and how to replace them in writing. To make them feel natural, you can:
Read short word lists and underline all umlauts and ß.
Copy a few words with them several times, both with the original spelling and with the replacement spelling.
Practice typing ä, ö, ü, ß on your device, or practice the ae, oe, ue, ss replacements if you cannot change your keyboard.
The goal for A1 is simple recognition and correct spelling, not perfect pronunciation.
New vocabulary from this chapter
English meanings here are only to help you remember the forms. You will learn them again in later chapters.
| German word | Meaning (English) |
|---|---|
| Umlaut | umlaut (two dots over a vowel) |
| Äpfel | apples |
| Mädchen | girl |
| Österreich | Austria |
| Möbel | furniture |
| München | Munich |
| Müller | Miller (family name) |
| Straße | street |
| heiß | hot |
| groß | big, tall |
| Fußball | football, soccer |
| Weiß | white (as an adjective or family name) |
| Köln | Cologne |