German Alphabet at a Glance
- 26 basic letters: 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 21 consonants [1]
- Uses Latin script for writing [1]
- Features 3 umlaut letters (ä, ö, ü) and the Eszett (ß) character [1]
- Uppercase (A–Z) and lowercase (a–z) pairs plus uppercase ß (ẞ) are encoded in Unicode [1]
- West Germanic language of the Indo-European family [2]
- Orthography (including umlauts and ß rules) is standardized by the Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung [3]
- Official rules specify when ß contrasts with double s, ensuring consistent spelling across German-speaking countries [3]
German Vowel Letters
The German alphabet has 5 basic vowel letters: a, e, i, o, u—each defined with uppercase and lowercase forms in Unicode's Latin script data [1].
German Vowels (Lowercase)
German Vowels (Uppercase)
German Umlaut Letters
German has 3 umlaut letters: ä, ö, ü (and their uppercase forms Ä, Ö, Ü), which the Amtliche Regelung treats as distinct letters for spelling and alphabetical ordering [3].
German Umlaut Letters (Lowercase)
German Umlaut Letters (Uppercase)
German Eszett (ß)
The Eszett (ß/ẞ) represents the sharp “s” sound in specific contexts, and the official orthography sets out when ß must be used instead of "ss", including the uppercase ẞ for all-capital text [3].
German Consonant Letters
German has 21 consonant letters in its Latin-script inventory, complementing the umlauts and Eszett to cover the standard spelling system [1].
German Consonants (Lowercase)
German Consonants (Uppercase)
Special Characters in German
German writing uses punctuation marks and symbols such as the decimal comma and quotation marks („ “) according to the Amtliche Regelung [3].
Digits in German
German uses the standard Arabic numerals 0–9 within the same Unicode Latin script repertoire used for its letters [1].
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
References:
- [1] Unicode Consortium. "Unicode CLDR - Languages and Scripts". Retrieved from Unicode CLDR Scripts
- [2] Glottolog. "Standard German (High German)". Retrieved from Glottolog: German
- [3] Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung. "Amtliche Regelung der deutschen Rechtschreibung". Retrieved from German Spelling Council
Sambhu Raj Singh · 
