The German special characters
German has four letters not found in English:
| Letter | Name | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| ä | a-Umlaut | similar to "e" in bed |
| ö | o-Umlaut | similar to French eu or "i" in bird (without the r) |
| ü | u-Umlaut | similar to French u — round your lips for "oo" but say "ee" |
| ß | Eszett / scharfes S | like "ss" — a sharp s sound |
When do umlauts appear?
Umlauts often arise from vowel modification (Umlaut) in grammar:
| Context | Example |
|---|---|
| Some noun plurals | der Apfel → die Äpfel |
| Stem-changing verbs | fahren → er fährt |
| Comparative of adjectives | alt → älter |
| Possessive with umlaut | Vater → väterlich |
ß vs ss
Both sound like "ss". German uses ß after a long vowel or diphthong, and ss after a short vowel:
| ß (after long vowel/diphthong) | ss (after short vowel) |
|---|---|
| die Straße (the street) | der Fluss (the river) |
| heißen (to be called) | wissen (to know) |
| groß (big) — long o | essen (to eat) — short e |
| schießen (to shoot) | küssen (to kiss) — short ü |
Capital letters — no ß
ß has no uppercase form traditionally (a capital ẞ exists but is rarely used). Capitalize ß as SS:
- die Straße → die STRASSE
- heißen → HEISSEN
Typing umlauts when no special keyboard is available
| Character | Substitute |
|---|---|
| ä | ae |
| ö | oe |
| ü | ue |
| ß | ss |
So schön can be written schoen, and Straße becomes Strasse.
Real world: German product names and menus
German menus are full of umlaut nouns: „Würstchen €2,50", „Brötchen €1,00", „Käseplatte €8,00" — Würstchen (little sausage), Brötchen (bread roll), Käse (cheese) all contain umlauts. Getting the pronunciation right (ü, ö, ä) instantly sounds more authentic.
Real world: verb forms in transport announcements
Train announcements use strong verbs with umlauts: „Zug fährt auf Gleis 3 ein." (Train arriving at platform 3 — fahren → fährt) „Der Zug hält an allen Stationen." (halten → hält) These announcements are heard at every German station, and the umlaut vowel change is crucial.
Real world: street names and city signs
Many German street names and place names contain umlauts: „Göthestraße", „Schillerplatz", „Münster", „Düsseldorf", „Köln". Typing or writing these correctly matters — replacing ü with u or ö with o produces a completely different word or unrecognizable name.
If you cannot type umlauts on your keyboard, use the standard substitutes: ä → ae, ö → oe, ü → ue, ß → ss. So Müller becomes Mueller and Straße becomes Strasse. This is officially accepted in Germany for situations where special characters are unavailable.
Practice Problems
Plural of der Apfel — add umlaut
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ß or ss? Das Wa__er ist kalt. (water — long a in base)
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ß or ss? Er hei__t Thomas.
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What is the substitute typing for: schön?
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Capitalize: die Straße → DIE ____