EI And IE Pronunciation In German (The Only Rule You Need)

September 19, 2022

The German EI is pronounced like the letter I in the English alphabet. The German IE is pronounced like the letter E in the English alphabet.

These vowel combinations will sound like this:

To pronounce these vowel combinations correctly, there is a helpful rule we can follow. The rule goes like this - When E and I go walking, the last one does the talking!

1. What are word pairs that can help me practice?

It is likely easy for you to physically make the sounds required by the German EI and IE. The tricky part can be remembering which vowel combination makes which sound. Remember our tip. When E and I go walking, the last one does the talking.

Experiment with these EI and IE word pairs now:

Know that in real-life conversation with context, pronunciation nuances will rarely hinder communication. So, keep pushing to share your thoughts, even when you are unsure of the exact sounds! The more you do this, the more your pronunciation will improve naturally.

2. How do I pronounce EI in German?

The German EI is pronounced like the letter I in the English alphabet. When you see the vowel combination EI, remember our rule. When E and I go walking, the last one does the talking. In the combination EI, the letter I comes last, so I does the talking.

An important word containing the EI combination is the word ein, which is one of the indefinite articles meaning “a” in German. The word ein is used with neutral and masculine nouns, and you will use this word all the time. If you ever need a reminder of how to pronounce the German EI, think of the common word ein.

See if you can hear the letter I do the talking in these EI words:

3. How do I pronounce IE in German?

On the other hand, the German IE is pronounced like the letter E in the English alphabet. When you see the vowel combination IE, again remember our rule. When E and I go walking, the last one does the talking. In the combination IE, the letter E comes last, so E does the talking.

An important word containing the IE combination is the word die, which is one of the definite articles meaning “the” in German. The word die is used with feminine nouns, and you will use this word all the time. If you ever need a reminder of how to pronounce the German IE, think of the common word die.

See if you can hear the letter E do the talking in these IE words:

4. How is the German vowel E pronounced by itself?

Now that you can pronounce the EI and IE combinations, you may be wondering how these German vowels are pronounced when not in combination. So, let’s see how to pronounce the stand-alone German vowel E.

Like all German vowels, the vowel E has a long pronunciation and a short pronunciation:

• Long E: The long German E does not have a perfect equivalent sound in English. We like to say it’s kind of similar to the sound when shrugging your shoulders at something mediocre and saying “ay”.
• Short E: The short German E is like the E in the English word bet.

The German E actually has a third pronunciation when occurring at the end of a word. At the end of a word, the E is a short, unstressed sound, and it’s more like the A in the English word adorable.

Listen for the three different pronunciations of the vowel E in these examples:

5. How is the German vowel I pronounced by itself?

Now, let’s see how to pronounce the German vowel I, when not combined with another vowel.

As with all vowels, we have both a long and a short pronunciation for the German vowel I:

• Long I: Takes some getting used to, but the long German I is actually like the E sound in the English word “eat.”
• Short I: The Short German I is like the I in the English word “in.”

Listen for the two different pronunciations of the vowel I in these examples:

6. How can I strengthen my understanding of EI and IE words?

When it comes to these vowel combinations, you can likely already produce the required sounds. The key is remembering to associate each combination with the right sound. This connection will solidify as you use more EI and IE words.

1. Listen actively: Listen for potential EI and IE words used in conversation around you. Each time you hear one, jot down the spelling you believe to be accurate based on the sounds you heard. Reserve a set time to check your work, keeping a running list of EI and IE words you've encountered.
2. Get productive feedback on your pronunciation: Check out the interactive video pronunciation lessons in Kleo. You can receive feedback on your pronunciation for specific sounds and words, as if you were practicing face-to-face with German friends. Feli from Germany even hosts a popular lesson on the EI and IE vowel combinations. With her guidance, you can try out many of the words we've covered here.