The sound can be elongated in some words, but make sure it does not slide into an “ay” sound. Ä sounds like the short “eh” sound in the English word “head”. Ä is the umlaut vowel with the closest sound equivalent in English. While ä, ö, and ü are sounds we don’t typically use in the English language, your mouth can learn these sounds with just ein bisschen (a little) effort. The umlaut just means that the letter has its own sound, and is not pronounced the same as the normal vowel without the umlaut. What are the four extra letters in German? Vowels with Umlauts: Ä, Ö, and Üĭon’t let the extra vowels in German scare you away! These three letters are created by adding what’s called an umlaut – two dots – to the top of the vowels. Unlike English, it follows consistent phonetic rules and you can sound out the word according to the alphabet and get the right pronunciation in most situations. Thankfully the German language is very orderly – much like German society. Once you’ve given some attention to the extra vowels, it’s a matter of learning the letters that look the same as English but sound different. The main thing to remember is that if you know English, you already have 26 letters under your belt. If you count these, this brings the count up to 30 letters. While many say that the German alphabet has 26 letters just like English, there are also four additional letters in the German language: ä, ö, ü and ß. If you’re wondering about this question, you’re not alone! Even the experts can’t make up their minds, with some saying 26 while others say 30. Once you can recognize the letters that might trip you up, you’ll be ready to test your skills! How many letters does the German alphabet have? German has all the same letters as English, plus a few more thrown in for fun. The good news is that you already know more than you realize. Intimidated by the German alphabet? You might be tempted to skip it altogether and jump ahead to handy phrases, but taking the time to learn the basic German sounds will take you farther than you think.
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