The Letter "E" in German In Standard German

"E" is the sixth letter of the German alphabet. Its sound changes a lot: it can be long and clear, short and open, very weak, or even silent.

Uppercase Form	E
Lowercase Form	e
Name	e
Common Sounds	/eː/, /ɛ/, /ə/, /ɐ/

Pronouncing "E"

The sound of "e" depends on whether it carries the stress, what letters follow it, and which language the word originally comes from.

"E" as /eː/

This sound appears at the end of many words, when a word adds an extra vowel in its inflected forms, or when it comes before another vowel.

Example

je → /jeː/

ever / each

drehen → /ˈdreːən/

rotate

proteisch → /proˈteːɪʃ/

protean

"E" as /ɛ/

This sound appears when it is followed by two or more consonants that stay together in all forms of the word. Double consonants are a clear sign.

Example

Dress → /drɛs/

tracksuit / dress

Pech → /pɛç/

bad luck

"E" as /ə/ or /e/

In weak positions - like word endings, the prefixes "be-" and "ge-", or before the main stress - "e" becomes a very light sound: either the neutral /ə/ (like "a" in "about") or a quick /e/.

Example

These → /ˈteːzə/

thesis

Besuch → /bəˈzuːx/

visit

Melodie → /ˌmeləˈdiː/

melody

"E" as /ɐ/

When an unstressed "e" comes right before a final "r" (as in the ending "-er"), it merges into a weak "a"-like sound /ɐ/.

Example

Lehrer → /ˈleːʁɐ/

teacher

"E" and Vowel Length

Long /eː/ and short /ɛ/ can create different words. Watch the spelling and listen closely.

Example

beten → /ˈbeːtn̩/

to pray

Betten → /ˈbɛtn̩/

beds

"E" in Letter Combination

Fixed groups of letters with "e" produce reliable sounds in German.

"ee"

Double "e" always means a long /eː/.

Example

Seele → /ˈzeːlə/

soul

"eh"

"e" plus "h" also marks a long /eː/.

Example

sehen → /ˈzeːən/

to see

"ei"

"ei" sounds like the English word "eye".

Example

klein → /klaɪ̯n/

small

"eu"

"eu" sounds like the "oy" in "boy".

Example

Zeug → /tsɔʏk/

stuff

"E" in Loanwords

In loanwords, the pronunciation of "e" depends on origin and phonetic environment.
In English loanwords, it may be /iː/, vary between /eː/ and /ɛɪ/, or become /œːɐ̯/ before "r".
In French loanwords, it can be /eː/, /ɛ̃ː/, or /øːɐ̯/. The group "eau" is /oː/.