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:

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.

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.

Sounds 3: Long vowels from a long uninflected stem haben (to have)    gehabt (had) groß (big)    größte (biggest)

 Long and short German 'a' vowels

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