s-sounds, vowel lengthening and consonant doubling – basic principles
How it works
In German, the s-sounds mainly distinguish between a voiceless sound like in ‹Haus› and a voiced sound like in ‹Rose›. These sounds are written, depending on the word, with ‹s›, ‹ss› or ‹ß›. For the voiceless ‹s›, the basic rule is: after a short stressed vowel, ‹ss› usually comes; after a long vowel or diphthong, ‹ß› usually comes. A single ‹s› often stands for a voiced ‹s›, but in some words it also stands for a voiceless ‹s›, for example in ‹Glas›. Vowel lengthening marks a long vowel, often by ‹h›, a double vowel or ‹ie›. Consonant doubling usually marks a short stressed vowel by double consonants such as ‹ss›.
First check whether the vowel before the s-sound is short or long and whether the s-sound is pronounced voiceless or voiced. After a short stressed vowel, a voiceless ‹s› is usually written with ‹ss›; after a long vowel or diphthong, usually with ‹ß›. A single ‹s› is often written with a voiced sound, but in some words also with a voicelessly pronounced sound, as in ‹Glas›. Long vowels can also be indicated by ‹h›, a double vowel or ‹ie›.
An example
Which s-sound appears in the word ‹Fluss›?
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50 Exercises
To the learning unit →Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: German. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.