A1 Pronunciation
The a umlaut, written ä, is the friendliest of the three German umlauts. Unlike ö and ü, its sound already exists in English, so most learners can say it correctly within minutes. The trick is knowing which English sound to borrow, when the vowel is long or short, and how to type the letter when your keyboard doesn’t have it. This guide covers all of that, with example words you can listen to and a short quiz at the end.
Quick answer
The German ä sounds like the “e” in English bet when it is short (Männer, men) and like a long, open “eh”, close to the vowel in air without the r, when it is long (Käse, cheese). To type ä, use Alt+0228 on Windows, Option+u then a on a Mac, or long-press a on a phone. If you can’t type it, write ae.
This lesson belongs to our German alphabet and pronunciation guide. If you’re new to the letters themselves, start with the German alphabet.
What Is ä?
Ä is an umlaut: the letter a with two dots on top. The dots show that the vowel has shifted forward in the mouth. Historically, the dots were a small e written above the letter, which is why ä can still be replaced by ae today.
In German alphabetical order, ä isn’t a separate letter; dictionaries usually file it with a. But it changes meaning, so it is never optional. Apfel is one apple, Äpfel are several. Mann is a man, Männer are men. Many plurals and comparatives are formed exactly this way: alt, älter (old, older), warm, wärmer (warm, warmer).
| Without umlaut | With ä | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| der Apfel (apple) | die Äpfel (apples) | plural |
| der Mann (man) | die Männer (men) | plural |
| alt (old) | älter (older) | comparative |
| ich fahre (I drive) | du fährst (you drive) | verb stem change |
| hatte (had) | hätte (would have) | Konjunktiv II |
How to Pronounce ä
German vowels come in long and short versions, and ä is no exception. A simple rule of thumb: ä is usually short before a double consonant (Männer, hätte) and long before a single consonant or an h (Käse, ähnlich).
Short ä
Short ä [ɛ] is the vowel in English bet, bed or get. It sounds exactly like a short German e, so Ärger (trouble) and Erker (bay window) start with the same vowel.
- Männer (men)
- Äpfel (apples)
- hätte (would have)
- Hände (hands)
Long ä
Long ä [ɛː] is the same open “eh” sound, just held longer. Think of the vowel in English air or fair, but stop before the r. Keep your jaw a little open.
- Käse (cheese)
- spät (late)
- Mädchen (girl)
- Universität (university)
Regional note: In much of northern Germany, people pronounce long ä like a long German e, so Käse sounds like “Keh-ze”. Both are correct. The open “eh” is the standard taught in textbooks and is understood everywhere.
Mouth position
- Say the English word bed and hold the vowel: “eh”.
- Keep your tongue low and forward, behind your bottom teeth.
- Keep your lips relaxed, neither rounded nor spread into a smile.
- For long ä, hold the same position for about twice as long.
If your ä sounds like the a in cat, your jaw is too low. If it sounds like the ay in say, you’re gliding at the end; keep the vowel steady.
Why ä is easier than it looks
The brain treats unfamiliar symbols as unfamiliar sounds, so learners often “overpronounce” ä into something exotic. It isn’t. Link the letter to a word you already own, like bed, and say “ä as in bed” five times. Anchoring a new symbol to an existing sound memory is much faster than learning a sound from scratch.
Common Words With ä
These everyday words are a good starting set. Click any word to hear it.
| German | English | Long or short |
|---|---|---|
| das Mädchen | girl | long |
| der Käse | cheese | long |
| spät | late | long |
| ähnlich | similar | long |
| der Bär | bear | long |
| die Universität | university | long |
| die Männer | men | short |
| die Hände | hands | short |
| der März | March | short |
| das Getränk | drink | short |
| erklären | to explain | long |
| ungefähr | about, approximately | long |
Das Mädchen isst gern Käse.The girl likes eating cheese.
Es ist schon spät.It’s already late.
Im März sind die Tage länger.In March the days are longer.
How to Type ä
Windows
- ä: hold Alt and type 0228 on the number pad
- Ä: hold Alt and type 0196
- Or add the German (QWERTZ) or United States-International keyboard in Settings › Time & language › Language. With US-International, type ” then a.
Mac
- Press Option+u, release, then press a for ä (or Shift+a for Ä).
- Or press and hold the a key and choose ä from the menu.
Phone (iPhone and Android)
Press and hold the a key until a menu appears, then slide to ä. Adding a German keyboard also gives you German autocorrect.
For web and code
In HTML you can write ä (ä) or Ä (Ä). The Unicode code points are U+00E4 and U+00C4.
Writing “ae” Instead of ä
When a keyboard, form or web address can’t handle umlauts, Germans replace ä with ae: Maedchen, Kaese, Universitaet. This is the official fallback, not a mistake, and you’ll see it in email addresses, URLs and airline tickets.
Don’t simply drop the dots, though. Manner (without the umlaut) isn’t a German word, and hatte (had) is a different word from hätte (would have). If you can’t type ä, always use ae.
Quick Quiz
1. Is the ä in “Käse” long or short?
Long. It’s followed by a single consonant.
2. Which English word has the same vowel as short ä?
Bed (or bet, get).
3. What is the plural of “der Apfel”?
die Äpfel
4. How do you type ä on a Mac?
Press Option+u, release, then press a.
5. How do you write “Mädchen” without an umlaut?
Maedchen
FAQs
How do you say a with umlaut in German?
Short ä sounds like the e in bed; long ä is the same open “eh” held longer, like the vowel in air without the r.
What is the IPA for ä?
Short ä is [ɛ] and long ä is [ɛː]. In northern Germany long ä is often pronounced [eː].
Is ä the same as e in German?
Short ä and short e sound the same. Long ä is more open than long e in standard German, though many speakers merge them.
Can I write ae instead of ä?
Yes. ae is the official substitute when ä isn’t available, for example in URLs and email addresses.
What is the alt code for ä?
Alt+0228 for ä and Alt+0196 for Ä on a Windows number pad.
Conclusion
The German ä is the English “eh” sound in a new outfit: short as in bed, long as in air without the r. Learn a handful of anchor words like Mädchen, Käse and Männer, set up one typing shortcut, and use ae as a fallback. Next, tackle its rounder cousins: the German ö and the German ü.
Sources and further reading: Duden and the DWDS dictionary (pronunciation and audio), Unicode character U+00E4.
Keep learning → Ö (O umlaut): how to pronounce and type the German ö
