The German Consonant 'ch'
The consonant sounds represented graphically by the German letters 'ch' often cause English native speakers major problems. This is firstly because the sounds do not occur naturally in the English language and secondly because the articulation of the letters 'ch' varies considerably in sound depending on their position in the word and the sound which precedes 'ch'. Many speakers of English mistakenly articulate the sound as a /k/ phoneme, and thus mispronounce the German word 'doch' as if it were 'dock', and 'ich' as if it were 'ick'. This temptation must be resisted.
1. 'ch' after 'a', 'o', 'u' and 'au'
When the letters 'ch' follow the German 'back' vowels 'a', 'o', 'u' and 'au', the sound produced corresponds to the 'ch' heard when Scots talk about 'Loch Ness'. It is articulated therefore with the back of the tongue close to or touching the soft palate. If this is not a sound with which you are familiar:
- make a 'h' sound, remembering to let the air flow freely. While you are making this sound, reduce the gap between the roof of your mouth and the back of your tongue until friction becomes audible.
Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say ten German words containing this form of the sound written as 'ch'. The words themselves are given in the box below along with an English translation:
Sounds 1: 'ch' after 'a', 'o', 'u' and 'au' |
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ach
(oh!) |
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Bach
(stream) |
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Krach
(noise) |
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Loch
(hole) |
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Tochter
(daughter) |
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mochte
(liked) |
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Buch
(book) |
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Tuch
(cloth) |
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Bauch
(stomach) |
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Rauch
(smoke) |
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2. 'ch' after the front vowels 'e', 'ä', 'i', 'ei', 'eu', 'äu' and 'ö', or after a consonant
When the letters 'ch' follow the front vowels 'e', 'ä', 'i', 'ei', 'eu', 'äu' and 'ö', or a consonant, a different sound is required that is articulated much further forward in the mouth. It resembles the 'h' sound made at the start of English words such as 'huge', 'humour' or 'humane', but the German sound needs to be articulated more vigorously and with the sound drawn out. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear ten German words which contain this version of the German letters 'ch'. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation:
Sounds 2: 'ch' after a front vowel or consonant |
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Blech
(tin) |
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Stich
(sting) |
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Bäche
(streams) |
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möchte
(would like) |
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Bücher
(books) |
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euch
(you (informal)) |
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Bräuche
(customs) |
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Dolch
(dagger) |
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Mönch
(monk) |
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Storch
(stork) |
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Next, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four German words in which the front 'ch' sound appears in medial position. Note that the diminutive '-chen' is always pronounced in this way regardless of whether it follows a front or back vowel:
Sounds 3: Front 'ch' in medial position |
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Hähnchen
(chicken) |
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fechten
(to fence) |
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Becher
(cup, tub) |
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stechen
(to sting) |
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Now click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear a native speaker say seven German words in which the front 'ch' sound appears at the end of a word. The words themselves are supplied in the box below along with an English translation.
Sounds 4: Front 'ch' in final position |
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ich
(I) |
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dich
(you (informal)) |
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mich
(me) |
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euch
(you (informal)) |
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Milch
(milk) |
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weich
(soft) |
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reich
(rich) |
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Note that the consonant sound in an -ig suffix is also pronounced as a front "ch". Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear six '-ig' words which you can read in the box below:
Sounds 5: The "-ig" suffix |
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richtig
(correct) |
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Honig
(honey) |
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lustig
(funny) |
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traurig
(sad) |
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eilig
(hurried) |
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fertig
(finished) |
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Differentiating between back and front 'ch'
In phonetics, the two 'ch' sounds are represented by different phonemes.
- The phoneme /x/ is used to represent the sound made when 'ch' follows the back vowels 'a', 'o', 'u' and 'au'.
- The phoneme /ç/ is used to represent the sound made when 'ch' follows the front vowels 'e', 'ä', 'i', 'ei', 'eu', 'äu' and 'ö', or if it follows a consonant.
To practise differentiating between front and back 'ch' sounds, click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear five pairs of words in which the sounds occur. In each pair, the back 'ch' of the singular becomes a front 'ch' in the plural, requiring the letters to be articulated in a very different way:
Sounds 6: Differentiating between front and back 'ch' sounds |
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Brauch
(custom) |
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Bräuche
(customs) |
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Strauch
(bush) |
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Sträucher
(bushes) |
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Buch
(book) |
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Bücher
(books) |
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Loch
(hole) |
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Löcher
(holes) |
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Tuch
(cloth) |
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Tücher
(cloths) |
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How to pronounce the German sound 'ch' at the start of words
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