Go to the homepage of our German Course The German Consonants 'sp' and 'st' University of Portsmouth
The German consonants 'sp' and 'st' Includes sound files!

Click here to listen to the soundsWhen they occur at the beginning of a word, the German consonant combinations 'sp' and 'st' are pronounced 'schp-' and 'scht-' respectively. To practise these sounds, click either here or on the sound icon on the left. The eight words that you will hear are supplied in the box below along with an English translation:

Straße
(street)
   Stein
(stone)
Stadt
(town; city)
   Stoff
(material)
Sport
(sport)
   Speisekarte
(menu)
Spiel
(sport)
   Sparkasse
(savings bank)


Click here to listen to the soundsBut when 'sp' and 'st' occur in the middle or at the end of a word, then these consonant combinations are pronounced as they would be in English. This means that 'sp' is pronounced as it would be in the English word 'lisp' and 'st' is pronounced as it would be in the English word 'lost'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to listen to six words in which 'sp' and 'st' appear in either medial or final position.

Wespe
(wasp)
   Knospe
(bud)
Donnerstag
(Thursday)
   Gast
(guest)
Liste
(list)
   Husten
(cough)


Click here to listen to the soundsAn exception to the above rule occurs when words beginning with 'sp' and 'st' are used as the final element in a compound noun. Although these sounds are positioned in the middle of the compound noun, the consonant combinations are still pronounced as they would be at the start of a word, i.e. as 'schp-' and 'scht-'. Click either here or on the sound icon on the left to hear four compound nouns containing 'sp' and 'st' in medial position.

Hauptstadt
(capital city)
   Hauptstraße
(high street)
Ballspiel
(ball game)
   Profisport
(professional sport)


Weiter! How to pronounce the German consonant 't'


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