Free course

German from Zero: Sounds & Spelling (L1)

CEFR A1 · German spelling is more consistent than English — once you learn the rules, you can read any word aloud, including the famously long ones. Master the two ch sounds, the umlauts, final devoicing, and the trick that makes compound nouns readable.

BeginnerGermanCertificate
4 modules 28 lessons 10 enrolled ~8h of material
German from Zero: Sounds & Spelling (L1)

By the end

What you'll build

  • Produce both German ch sounds and know which one a word takes
  • Pronounce the umlauts ä, ö and ü, and hear the difference they make to meaning
  • Apply final devoicing, so Rad and Rat sound identical as they should
  • Read any German word aloud from its spelling, including long compounds
  • Split a compound noun into its parts and work out what it means
  • Place the stress correctly, including on separable-prefix verbs

The shape of it

How this course works

Short lessons

28 lessons across 4 modules, each small enough to finish in one sitting.

Practice as you go

Every lesson ends with a small space for what you noticed — the doing is the learning.

A certificate at the end

Finish the course and earn a certificate anyone can verify with a link.

Ready when you are.

Make an account and this course opens up — your progress is saved from the very first lesson.