Go to the homepage of our German Course German vowels: long and short 'ö' University of Portsmouth
German vowels: long and short 'ö'  Includes sound files!

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.

Click here to listen to the soundsThe 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:

Flöte
(flute)
   blöd
(stupid)
böse
(evil)
   stöhnen
(to groan)
Löhne
(wages)
   Kröte
(turtle)


Click here to listen to the soundsThe 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:

Hölle
(hell)
   Stöcke
(sticks)
Löffel
(spoon)
   Öffnung
(opening)


Click here to listen to the soundsDistinguishing 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.

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)


Weiter! German long and short 'u' vowels


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