German Long and Short Vowels
Tell long from short vowels by ear, predict length from spelling, and keep pairs like Stadt/Staat and Mitte/Miete apart.
In German, vowel length changes meaning: Stadt is a city, Staat is a state. English speakers tend to make all vowels roughly the same length, which blurs these words together.
The good news: German spelling tells you the length almost every time.
Tap any word to hear it.
Five vowels, two lengths
Long vowels are held about twice as long and are tense and pure. For e, i, o and u the mouth shape changes too, not just the length.
long a[aː]
'a' in 'father', held
short a[a]
the same 'a', just quick
long e[eː]
'ay' in 'day' minus the glide
short e[ɛ]
'e' in 'bed'
long i[iː]
'ee' in 'see', lips spread
short i[ɪ]
'i' in 'bit'
long o[oː]
pure 'oh', lips round, no 'w' glide
short o[ɔ]
close to British 'hot'; US 'hot' is too open
long u[uː]
'oo' in 'food', lips well rounded
short u[ʊ]
'oo' in 'book'
same vowel, only length differs
open short e vs tense long e
Spelling signals for a long vowel
A silent h, a double vowel or ie almost always mean long. A single consonant followed by another vowel usually means long too.
vowel + h (ah, eh, oh, uh)[aː, eː, uː]
h is silent; it only stretches the vowel
double vowel (aa, ee, oo)[aː, eː, oː]
one long vowel, never two sounds
ie[iː]
long 'ee'; short only in vierzehn, vierzig
vowel + one consonant + vowel[aː, oː, eː]
open syllable, so usually long
short i vs long ie
double t short, ie long
Spelling signals for a short vowel
A double consonant, ck or tz after a vowel keeps it short and crisp. Two different consonants usually do the same.
double consonant (ll, mm, nn, ss, tt…)[a, ɔ, ʊ]
the vowel before is short
ck, tz[ʊ, a]
ck is a double k, tz a double z
two or more consonants[a, ɪ, ʊ]
usually short
double m short, single m long
open short o vs closed long o
Exceptions worth knowing
Many short everyday words have a short vowel despite a single consonant. A few words stay long before two consonants.
Ich bin mit dem Boot in der Stadt.
I'm in the city with the boat.
Die Miete in der Mitte der Stadt ist hoch.
Rent in the middle of the city is high.
Common mistakes
✗ short a, so it sounds like Stadt
✓ [ʃtaːt] — hold the a twice as long
Length alone separates 'state' from 'city'.
✗ “beet” with an English 'ee'
✓ [beːt] — a pure, long 'ay'
Double e is long e, never 'ee'.
✗ short i, like 'bitten'
✓ [ˈbiːtn̩] — long 'ee'
ie spells a long 'ee', not a short i.
✗ “zone-uh” with a long 'oh'
✓ [ˈzɔnə] — short, open o
Double n keeps the o short.
How to practise
- Clap once for short, twice for long: Stadt – Staat, Bett – Beet.
- Read Kamm, kam, offen, Ofen, exaggerating the long vowels at first.
- In any German text, circle double consonants and underline ie and vowel + h.
- Record Mitte – Miete and check that the difference is clearly audible.
Questions learners ask
How do you know if a German vowel is long or short?
Look at what follows: a double consonant, ck or tz means short; h, a double vowel or ie means long. A single consonant followed by another vowel usually means long (Name, Ofen).
Does vowel length change the meaning of German words?
Yes. Stadt/Staat, Bett/Beet and Mitte/Miete are different words that differ only in vowel length.
Is the h in 'Zahl' pronounced?
No. After a vowel, h is silent and only shows that the vowel is long; it is pronounced only at the start of a syllable, as in Haus.