German long vowels

The articulation of German vowels varies according to whether the vowel is long or short. Although the vowel length of each new word must of course be noted the first time that you encounter it, there are a few general rules which may help you to ascertain the duration of German vowel sounds.

1. A German vowel is usually long if it is followed by a single consonant. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words that end with a single consonant and thus have a long vowel sound. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation:

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland rad reproductor windows media player

Sounds 1: Long vowel before a single consonant

Bad(bath)

Rad(wheel)

rot(red)

gut(good)

2. A German vowel is usually long if it is written in a word as a double letter. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing the letters 'aa', 'ee' and 'oo'.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland paar reproductor windows media player

Sounds 2: Long German 'doubled' vowels

Meer(sea)

Paar(pair)

Boot(boat)

Saat(seed)

3. A German vowel is usually long if it is followed by a silent 'h'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing a long vowel + 'h' in either medial or final position.

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Sounds 3: Long vowels before a silent 'h'

Lehrer(teacher)

Fahrer(driver)

roh(raw)

Kuh(cow)

4. The German letters 'ie' usually represent a long German 'i' sound. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words whose 'ie' letters represent a long vowel sound. (N.B. the articulation of 'ie' is of course different if it appears in an unstressed syllable at the end of a word.)

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland spiel reproductor windows media player

Sounds 4: Long 'ie' vowel sounds

vier(four)

Spiel(game)

Lied(song)

schier(sheer)

5. An unstressed vowel at the end of a word is generally long, unless this vowel is an '-e' sound. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words that end in vowels other than '-e':

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Sounds 5: Long vowel sounds at the end of a word

Lotto(lottery)

Vati(daddy)

Sofa(sofa)

Mofa(moped)

German short vowels

The articulation of German vowels varies according to whether the vowel is long or short. Although the vowel length of each new word must of course be noted the first time that you encounter it, there are a few general rules which may help you to ascertain the duration of German vowel sounds.

1. A German vowel is usually short if it is followed by two or more consonants. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words that end in a double consonant and thus have a preceding short vowel sound. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation:

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland rasch reproductor windows media player

Sounds 1: Short vowels before a double consonant

rasch(hasty)

Bett(bed)

bunt(colourful)

Nuss(nut)

2. A German vowel is usually short if it precedes the consonant combination 'ck'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing the letters 'ck' in the middle or at the end.

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Sounds 2: Short German vowels before 'ck'

lecker(tasty)

Socken(socks)

Lücke(hole)

Wrack(wreck)

This is not always the case however. If the root form of a word contains a long vowel, then the vowel in the inflected form remains long, even if the vowel is followed by two consonants in this inflected form. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear two pairs German words that bear out this rule. Both the infinitive 'haben' and the uninflected adjective'groß' have a long vowel, and thus so do their inflected forms.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland gehabt reproductor windows media player

Sounds 3: Long vowels from a long uninflected stem

haben(to have)

gehabt(had)

groß(big)

größte(biggest)

German vowels: long and short 'a'

The long German 'a' vowel

The long German /a:/ vowel - which can be written 'a', 'aa' or 'ah' - is a central and open vowel which is formed with the tip of the tongue touching the lower front teeth. This

means that the tongue is much lower than in the pronunciation of the other German vowels. It equates to the 'a' vowel sound in the English words 'bar' and 'calm'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this long 'a' vowel:

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland klar reproductor windows media player

Sounds 1: The long 'a' vowel

klar(clear)

Glas(glass)

Jahr(year)

Bahn(railway)

Haar(hair)

Aal(eel)

The short German 'a' vowel

The short /a/ vowel - which is only spelled 'a' - is a much more clipped vowel. It is a little like a shorter version of the 'a' vowel in the English word 'man'. This vowel can even tend towards the vowel sound heard in the English word 'but', albeit pronounced in a more open way. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to four German words containing this short vowel sound.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland mann reproductor windows media player

Sounds 2: The short German 'a' vowel

Mann(man)

Hand(hand)

Bank(bank)

Sack(sack)

Distinguishing between long and short 'a' vowels

To practise the difference between the long and short 'a' vowels, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to four pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains a long /a:/ phoneme, whereas the second contains a short /a/ sound.

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Sounds 3: Distinguishing between long and short 'a'

Staat(state)

Stadt(city)

kam(came)

Kamm(comb)

Frage(question)

Flagge(flag)

Kahn(barge)

kann(can)

German vowels: long and short 'ä'

The short German 'ä' vowel

The short German 'ä' sound - which can only be written 'ä' - is articulated in much the same manner as the 'e' vowel in the English words 'get' and 'set'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing this short 'ä' vowel:

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland maenner reproductor windows media player

Sounds 1: The short German 'ä' vowel

Männer(men)

Hände(hands)

Bänke(benches)

hätte(would have)

The long German 'ä' vowel

The long German 'ä' vowel - which can be written 'ä', 'äh', but never 'ää' - has no corresponding long vowel in English. It is best to start with the short German 'ä' vowel outlined above and gradually lengthen it. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing this long 'ä' vowel:

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Sounds 2: The long German 'ä' vowel

Mädchen wählen

(girl) (to vote)

kläglich(pitiful)

Währung(currency)

The most common mistake made by English-speakers in articulating this long vowel sound is to produce a slight diphthongisation, i.e. to glide off into an 'aee' sound heard in English words such as 'day' or 'played'. This temptation must be resisted - German vowels do not glide off into a different vowel sound. Try instead to keep the tongue in the same position throughout a long 'ä' vowel sound.

The German diphthong 'au'

The German 'au' diphthong - which can only be written 'au' - starts off with an /a/ phoneme and then glides towards a 'u' sound. Although there is a similarity with the way that some English speakers would say the vowel sounds in the words 'clown' and 'brown', the German diphthong must have a back starting-point in German. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this diphthong.

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Sounds 1: The German diphthong 'au'

braun(brown)

Zaun(fence)

auch(also)

Haus(house)

laut(loud)

Traum(dream)

The German diphthong 'äu' or 'eu'

The German 'eu' diphthong - which can be written as 'eu' and 'äu', and also as 'oi' or 'oy' in imported loan words - can be equated to the /oi/ sound made in the English words 'toiling' and 'boiling'. The difference however is that the German diphthong requires the lips to be rounded throughout articulation. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear eight German words containing this diphthong.

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Sounds 2: The German diphthong 'eu' or 'äu'

Fräulein(Miss)

Räuber(robbers)

Häuser(houses)

Bräuche(customs)

treu(loyal)

Freude(joy)

scheu(shy)

neu(new)

Differentiating between 'au' and 'äu/eu'

To practise the distinction between the German 'au' and 'eu/äu' diphthongs, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four pairs of German words. The first word in each pair is the singular of a German noun that contains the German 'au' diphthong. The second word in each pair is the plural of the same noun and contains an 'äu' diphthong.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland traeume reproductor windows media player

Sounds 3: Differentiating between 'au' and 'eu/äu'

Traum(dream)

Träume(dreams)

Baum(tree)

Bäume(trees)

Maus(mouse)

Mäuse(mice)

Haut(skin)

Häute(skins)

German vowels: long and short 'e'

The short German 'e' vowel

The short German 'e' sound is articulated in much the same manner as the 'e' vowel in the English words 'get' and 'set'. It represents the same sound therefore as the short German 'ä'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this short 'e' vowel:

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland wenn reproductor windows media player

Sounds 1: The short German 'e' vowel

wenn(if, when)

fett(fat)

Dreck(dirt)

echt(genuine)

Fell(fur)

Nest(nest)

The long German /e:/ vowel

The long German /e:/ vowel - which can be written 'e', 'eh' or 'ee' - has no corresponding long vowel in English. To pronounce it, you must ensure that your tongue remains tense and in the same high position in your mouth throughout articulation - the sound must not glide off into an 'i' at the end as it can do in English words such as 'day'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this long 'e' vowel:

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland mehr reproductor windows media player

Sounds 2: The long German 'e' vowel

sehr(very)

mehr(more)

Meer(sea)

Teer(tar)

Beet(bed)

Gel(gel)

Distinguishing between long and short German 'e' vowels

To practise distinguishing between the long and short German 'e' vowels, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains a long 'e' vowel, whereas the second contains a short 'e' vowel.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland heer reproductor windows media player

Sounds 3: Distinguishing between long and short German 'e' vowels

Heer Herr

(army) (gentleman)

Hehl(secret)

hell(bright)

Beet(flower-bed)

Bett(bed)

Unstressed '-e' vowels

The unstressed 'e' sound is the most common vowel sound in German, appearing very frequently in final position in words such as 'eine' and 'viele'. Also known as a 'schwa', this sound should cause few problems for English speakers, as it equates to the final 'a' sound in the English word 'sofa'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear two German words ending in this unstressed 'e' vowel:

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Sounds 1: The unstressed 'e' vowel

Majonäse(mayonnaise)

Boje(buoy)

Care should be taken to distinguish between an unstressed German '-e' and an unstressed German '-er'. Although ostensibly quite similar, the tongue should be retracted more quickly in German '-er' sounds than it is in an unstressed '-e'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to practise differentiating between the German words 'bitte' and 'bitter':

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland bitter reproductor windows media player

Sounds 2: Distinguishing between '-e' and '-er'

bitte(please)

bitter(bitter)

German unstressed '-er'

Sometimes referred to as a 'dark schwa', the German unstressed '-er' or vocalic 'r' is articulated with the tongue slightly lower and further back in the vowel area than the 'schwa' sound heard at the end of such German words as 'Liebe', 'Katze' and 'Ratte'.

The most common usage of vocalic 'r' is in unstressed "-er" syllables at the end of German words. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words ending in a vocalic 'r'. The words are listed in the box below along with their English translation.

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Sounds 3: Vocalic 'r' in final position

Bruder(brother)

Schwester(sister)

Mutter(mother)

Vater(father)

You will also hear vocalic 'r' in the unstressed German prefixes of verbs and nouns that start with er-, ver-, zer- and her-. Click here or on the sound icon to listen to the vocalic 'r' in four words containing these prefixes.

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Sounds 4: Vocalic 'r' in unstressed prefixes

erlauben(to allow)

vergessen(to forget)

zerstören(to destroy)

hereinkommen(to come in)

German diphthong: 'ei', 'ey', 'ai' and 'ay'

The German 'ei' diphthong - which can be written 'ei', 'ey', 'ai' or 'ay' - starts off with an /a/ phoneme and then glides into an 'i' sound. Its closest equivalent in English is the vowel sound in the English word 'light'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear eight German words containing this diphthong. Note in particular the different ways in which this sound can be spelled.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland saite reproductor windows media player

Sounds 1: 'ei', 'ey', 'ai' and 'ay'

Main(River Main)

Saite(string)

Bayern Karl May

(Bavaria) (German author)

Teil(part)

breit(wide)

Meyer(German surname)

Speyer(German town)

Note that, unlike in English, the pronunciation of the German letters 'ei' remains consistent - it is always pronounced as the diphthong outlined above. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear eight German words containing the letters 'ei'.

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Sounds 2: The consistency of the German letters 'ei'

frei(free)

Rhein(Rhine)

heil(unhurt)

dreist(sly)

Kreis(circle)

weit(far)

The pronunciation of the letters 'ie' also remains consistent in German. To practise the distinction between these two sounds, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to four pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains an 'ei' sound, whereas the second contains 'ie'.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland leider reproductor windows media player

Sounds 3: Distinguishing between 'ei' and 'ie'

Wein(wine)

Wien(Vienna)

Fleiß(hard work)

fließt(flows)

leider(unfortunately)

Lieder(songs)

steil(steep)

Stiel(stick)

The German short 'i' vowel

The short German 'i' sound is similar to the vowel articulated in the English words 'bit' and 'lip'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this short 'i' vowel at the start of a word:

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Sounds 1: Short German 'i' in initial position

ich(I)

Interesse(interest)

Irland(Ireland)

Insekt(insect)

immer(always)

illegal(illegal)

Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this short 'i' vowel in the middle of a word. Note that this sound can only be written as an 'i'.

Sounds 2: Short German 'i' in medial position

bitte(please)

Mitte(middle)

Tisch(table)

Fisch(fish) Lista reproduccion Deuschtland 90 reproductor windows media player

Winter(winter)

sitzen(to sit)

The German long /i:/ vowel

The long German /i:/ vowel - which can be written 'i', 'ih', 'ie' or 'ieh' - sounds a little like the vowel articulated in the English words 'bee' and 'team'. The German sound however is more open, with the lips widely spread, and the tongue should be further forward during articulation. You should also ensure that your tongue remains tense and in the same position in your mouth throughout articulation - English sounds can tend to glide off into a diphthong. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear five German words containing this long /i:/ vowel at the start of a word:

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Sounds 3: Long German 'i' in initial position

ihnen(to them)

ihr(her)

irisch(Irish)

Iris(iris)

Igel(hedgehog)

Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three German words in which the long /i:/ vowel appears in medial position. The words themselves are provided in the box below along with their English translation.

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Sounds 4: Long German vowel 'i' in medial position

Krise(crisis)

politisch(political)

Linie(line)

When long /i:/ appears in an unstressed syllable in a word, then the same sound is made but with a reduced length. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three reduced length long /i:/ vowel sounds.

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Sounds 5: Reduced length German long 'i' sounds

Idee(idea)

ideal(ideal)

Mikrofon(microphone)

When 'i' occurs before a vowel, it does not constitute a separate syllable, but is instead pronounced very short. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear two German words in which the 'i' vowel appears before another vowel. The words themselves are provided in the box below along with their English translation.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland 88 reproductor windows media player

Sounds 6: German 'i' before another vowel

Station(station)

finanziell(financial)

German vowel sounds: 'ie'

The German sound that is written as 'ie' is not a diphthong, but is simply a long German /i:/ sound. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words where the letters 'ie' represent a long /i:/ sound.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland stier reproductor windows media player

Sounds 1: German 'ie' as long /i:/ vowel

Bier(beer)

viel(much)

Stier(bll)

Frieden(peace)

Unlike in English, where the pronunciation of the letters 'ie' and 'ei' can vary, the sounds represented by these spellings remain consistent in German. To practise the distinction between these two sounds, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to four pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains an 'ei' sound, whereas the second contains 'ie'.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland leider reproductor windows media player

Sounds 2: Distinguishing between 'ei' and 'ie'

Wein(wine)

Wien(Vienna)

Fleiß(hard work)

fließt(flows)

leider(unfortunately)

Lieder(songs)

steil(steep)

Stiel(stick)

German 'ie' at the end of a word

When the letters 'ie' appear at the end of a word, they can be pronounced in two different ways. If the final syllable is stressed, then the letters are pronounced as the long /i:/ vowel outlined above. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words with a stressed final syllable containing 'ie':

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Sounds 3: German 'ie' in a stressed final syllable

Biographie(biography)

Symphonie(symphony)

Akademie(academy)

Philosophie(philosophy)

But when 'ie' appears in an unstressed syllable at the end of a word, then the letters are pronounced as two separate vowel sounds. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words with an unstressed final syllable containing 'ie':

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland familie reproductor windows media player

Sounds 4: German 'ie' in an unstressed final syllable

Familie(family)

Petersilie(parsley)

Folie(film, foil)

Materie(matter)

German vowels: long and short 'o'

The short German 'o' vowel

The short German 'o' sound - which can only be written 'o' - is similar to the 'o' vowel in the English words 'not' and 'lot'. The German sound is shorter and more close however and requires the lips to be much more rounded. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing this short 'o' vowel:

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland sonne reproductor windows media player

Sounds 1: The short German 'o' vowel

Sonne(sun)

von(from, of)

Gott(god)

Dorf(village)

The long German 'o' vowel

The long German 'o' vowel - which can be written 'o', 'oh', 'oo', and 'eau' - does not have an exact equivalent in English. It is a little like the vowel 'o' in the English words 'so' and 'go'. In German however, this sound must not be allowed to glide off into a 'u' sound, which English speakers ofen find themselves doing. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to six German words containing this long 'o' vowel. Note in particular the difference in vowel articulation that occurs in those German words below that have a similar form in English.

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Sounds 2: The long German 'o' vowel

Rose(rose)

froh(happy)

Boot(boat)

groß(big)

so(so)

rot(red)

Distinguishing between long and short German 'o' vowels

To practise distinguishing between the long and short German 'o' vowels, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains a long 'o' vowel, whereas the second contains a short 'o' vowel.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland wonne reproductor windows media player

Sounds 3: Distinguishing between long & short German 'o' vowels

wo(where)

Wonne(bliss)

Rose(rose)

Ross(horse)

Wohl(health)

Wolle(wool)

Sohle(sole of shoe)

Soll(debt)

German vowels: long and short 'ö'

The German long 'ö' and short 'ö' are two of the hardest vowel sounds for the English speaker to master, as there are no direct equivalents in the English language.

The long German 'ö' vowel

To form a long German 'ö' vowel - which can be written 'ö', 'öh' or 'eu' (in imported French words only) - first articulate a long German 'e' sound in a word such as 'Sehne' (= tendon). As you say it, gradually purse your lips and the word that emerges is 'Söhne' (= sons). If you try the same procedure with the German word 'Hefe' (= yeast), then the word that emerges when you purse your lips will be 'Höfe' (= courtyards). Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to six German words containing this long 'ö' vowel:

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Sounds 1: The long German 'ö' vowel

Flöte(flute)

blöd(stupid)

böse(evil)

stöhnen(to groan)

Löhne(wages)

Kröte(turtle)

The short German 'ö' vowel

The short German 'ö' sound - which can only be written 'ö' and never features at the end of a word - is best described as a shorter, tenser and much more open version of the sound outlined above. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing this short 'ö' vowel:

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Sounds 2: The short German 'ö' vowel

Hölle(hell)

Stöcke(sticks)

Löffel(spoon)

Öffnung(opening)

Distinguishing between German 'o' and 'ö' vowels

To practise distinguishing between German 'o' and 'ö' vowels, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear seven pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains a 'o' vowel, whereas the second contains a 'ö' vowel.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland kroenen reproductor windows media player

Sounds 3: Distinguishing between German 'o' and 'ö' vowels

Krone(crown)

krönen(to crown)

groß(big)

größer(bigger)

Koller(anger)

Köln(Cologne)

schon(already)

schön(beautiful)

offen(open)

öffnen(to open)

Flotte(fleet)

Flöte(flute)

Telefon(telephone)

Fön(hairdryer)

German vowels: long and short 'u'

The short German 'u' vowel

The short German 'u' sound - which can only be written 'u' - is similar to the 'u' vowel in the English words 'push' and 'foot'. The German sound is shorter however and requires the lips to be much more rounded. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words containing this short 'o' vowel:

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland butter reproductor windows media player

Sounds 1: The short German 'u' vowel

Hund Butter

(dog) (butter)

Wunsch(wish)

Pult(desk)

The long German 'u' vowel

The long German /u:/ vowel - which can be written 'u' or 'uh' - does not have an exact equivalent in English. It is a little like the vowel sound in the English words 'hoot' and 'boot' but the lips are much more rounded in German and the sound must not be allowed to glide off into a diphthong. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to six German words containing this long 'u' vowel.

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Sounds 2: The long German 'u' vowel

Tuch(cloth)

Grube(ditch)

Uwe(boy's name)

Ute(girl's name)

Stuhl(chair)

Uhr(clock)

Distinguishing between long and short German 'u' vowels

To practise distinguishing between the long and short German 'u' vowels, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains a long 'u' vowel, whereas the second contains a short 'u' vowel.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland busch reproductor windows media player

Sounds 3: Distinguishing between long & short German 'u' vowels

Buch(book)

Busch(bush)

Huhn(chicken)

Hund(dog)

Pfuhl(pond)

Pfund(pound)

Ufer(riverbank)

unten(below)

German vowels: long and short 'ü'

The German long 'ü' and short 'ü' are two of the hardest vowel sounds for the English speaker to master, as there are no direct equivalents in the English language.

The long German 'ü' vowel

To form a long German 'ü' vowel - which can be written 'ü', 'üh' and sometimes 'y' - first articulate a long German 'ie' sound in a word such as 'Tier' (= animal). As you say it, gradually purse your lips and the word that emerges is 'Tür' (= door). If you try the same procedure with the German word 'Kiel' (= North German town), then the word that emerges when you purse your lips will be 'kühl' (= cool). Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to six German words containing this long 'ü' vowel:

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland tuer reproductor windows media player

Sounds 1: The long German 'ü' vowel

früh(early)

Tür(door)

grün(green)

über(above)

Bühne(stage)

Lüge(lie)

The short German 'ü' vowel

The short German 'ü' sound - which can be written 'ü' and sometimes 'y' - is best described as a shorter version of the sound outlined above, but with slightly less lip-rounding. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words containing this short 'ü' vowel:

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Sounds 2: The short German 'ü' vowel

Stück(piece)

Münze(coin)

Brücke(bridge)

Perücke(wig)

dünn(thin)

glücklich(happy)

Distinguishing between German 'u' and 'ü' vowels

To practise distinguishing between German 'u' and 'ü' vowels, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear nine pairs of German words. The first word in each pair contains a 'u' vowel, whereas the second contains a 'ü' vowel.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland jung reproductor windows media player

Sounds 3: Distinguishing between German 'u' and 'ü' vowels

jung(young)

jünger(younger)

gut(good)

Güte(goodness)

Schule(school)

Schüler(schoolboy)

Kuh(cow)

Kühe(cows)

Stuhl(chair)

Stühle(chairs)

Busch(bush)

Büsche(bushes)

Kuss(kiss)

Küsse(kisses)

drucken(to print)

drücken(to press)

Bruch(break)

Brüche(breaks)

The German Letter 'y'

The German letter 'y' can be pronounced in a number of different ways, depending on its position in a word or syllable. If it is used as a vowel, it sounds like the German long or short vowel 'ü'. The fact that this letter often appears in words in whose English equivalent it would be pronounced as an 'i' makes the German 'y' a sound that it can be very easy to mispronounce. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six German words which all contain 'y' in medial position. How would their equivalents be pronounced in English?

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland typisch reproductor windows media player

Sounds 1: Words containing the letter 'y' in medial position

typisch(typical)

Physik(physics)

Pyramide(pyramid)

Gymnasium(grammar school)

Rhythmus(rhythm)

Hymne(hymn)

If 'y' stands at the beginning or end of a word, then it is pronounced in the same way as it would be in English. The word in which it appears is very probably an import from English in the first place. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear three words which end with the German letter 'y' and one word that starts with this letter.

Lista reproduccion Deuschtland hobby reproductor windows media player

Sounds 2: Words with 'y' in initial and final position

Hobby(hobby)

Yoga(yoga)

Party(party)

Handy(mobile phone)