German Sounds Decoded: Vowels, Umlauts & Diphthongs

Think German’s hard? Wait till you meet its vowels. In this episode, we break down the sounds that confuse learners, terrify tourists, and make German speakers silently judge you. From plain old vowels to those spicy little Umlauts (yes, the dots matter), plus diphthongs that twist your tongue and your dignity, we’re covering it all. You'll finally understand why “ie” and “ei” are basically linguistic booby traps, and why “ö” isn’t just a weird “o.”

Inspired by Berlitz’s blog article “How to pronounce German vowels, diphthongs and the Umlaute.” Buckle up. Your pronunciation glow-up starts now.

• Created with AI using original content from Berlitz US.