ä, ö, ü and ß: the German special letters explained

Four letters set German apart from English: the umlauts ä, ö, ü and the sharp s, ß. They look unusual but follow simple rules.

The umlauts

An umlaut (the two dots) changes the vowel sound. Listen closely — the difference is small but important.

The sharp s (ß)

ß is pronounced like a sharp “ss” and only appears after long vowels. It's never used at the start of a word.

Typing them

• No German keyboard? Write ae, oe, ue and ss instead (Strasse).
• On a phone, hold the a, o, u or s key to reveal the special letter.
• Native readers understand both forms, so don't let typing stop you.