German uses fewer accent marks than Romance languages, but the characters it does use – ä, ö, ü, and ß – are absolutely essential for proper German spelling. Whether you’re learning German, corresponding with German speakers, or simply want to write German words correctly, this comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know.
Learn how to type ä, ö, ü, Ä, Ö, Ü, and ß (Eszett/sharp S) on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, and Chromebook with easy keyboard shortcuts and helpful tips.
German Special Characters Overview
German uses four special characters that don’t exist in English:
Umlauts (¨): ä, ö, ü, Ä, Ö, Ü
Eszett/Sharp S: ß
That’s it! Unlike French with five accent types or Portuguese with tildes and cedillas, German keeps it simple. But these four characters are non-negotiable – you can’t write proper German without them.
Why German Special Characters Matter
German umlauts and the Eszett aren’t optional decorations. They’re essential parts of the German alphabet and change pronunciation, meaning, and grammar.
Different pronunciation:
Umlauts completely change how vowels sound:
- a vs. ä – “ah” vs. “eh”
- o vs. ö – “oh” vs. “uh” (rounded)
- u vs. ü – “oo” vs. “ew”
Different words:
Many German word pairs differ only by an umlaut:
- schon (already) vs. schön (beautiful)
- Mutter (mother) vs. Mütter (mothers)
- konnen (to be able) vs. können (can)
- Bruder (brother) vs. Brüder (brothers)
- Fuss (foot – outdated) vs. Fuß (foot – correct)
Grammatical function:
Umlauts often indicate plural forms or verb changes:
- Buch (book) → Bücher (books)
- Haus (house) → Häuser (houses)
- Vater (father) → Väter (fathers)
The ß distinction:
The Eszett (ß) represents a sharp “s” sound and can’t be replaced with a regular “s”:
- Straße (street) – correct
- Strasse (street) – acceptable only when ß is unavailable
- Masse (mass/bulk) vs. Maße (measurements) – different words!
The Umlauts: ä, ö, ü
Umlauts are two dots placed above a vowel that change its pronunciation.
ä (a with umlaut)
Pronunciation: Like “e” in “bed” or “eh”
Common words:
- Käse (cheese)
- spät (late)
- Mädchen (girl)
- Bär (bear)
- Universität (university)
- März (March)
- Ärger (anger/trouble)
Plural patterns:
Many nouns add ä in plural:
- Gast → Gäste (guest/guests)
- Hand → Hände (hand/hands)
ö (o with umlaut)
Pronunciation: Like “i” in “bird” but with rounded lips
Common words:
- schön (beautiful)
- mögen (to like)
- können (can/to be able to)
- Österreich (Austria)
- Brötchen (bread roll)
- hören (to hear)
- möglich (possible)
Verb conjugations:
Strong verbs often change o to ö:
- ich komme (I come) but du kömmst (you come)
ü (u with umlaut)
Pronunciation: Like saying “ee” with lips pursed/rounded
Common words:
- über (over/above)
- Tür (door)
- Glück (luck/happiness)
- Küche (kitchen)
- früh (early)
- Zürich (Zurich)
- natürlich (naturally/of course)
Plural patterns:
- Buch → Bücher (book/books)
- Stuhl → Stühle (chair/chairs)
The Eszett/Sharp S: ß
The Eszett (ß), also called “sharp S” or “scharfes S,” is a unique German character.
Pronunciation: Sharp “s” sound (like “ss”)
Common words:
- Straße (street)
- groß (big/large)
- weiß (white/know)
- Fuß (foot)
- außer (except)
- heißen (to be called)
- Grüße (greetings)
- Spaß (fun)
When to use ß vs. ss
German spelling rules determine when to use ß:
Use ß after:
- Long vowels: Straße (long “a” sound)
- Diphthongs: weiß (ei is a diphthong)
Use ss after:
- Short vowels: Kuss (kiss – short “u” sound)
- Fluss (river – short “u” sound)
Important note: ß is never used at the beginning of words and appears only in lowercase in traditional usage (though an uppercase ẞ exists since 2017).
Swiss German exception
Switzerland doesn’t use ß at all – they write “ss” instead:
- Germany: Straße
- Switzerland: Strasse
Both are correct in their respective regions.
How to Type German Characters on Windows
Method 1: Alt Codes
Hold Alt and type the code on your numeric keypad:
Umlauts:
- ä = Alt + 132
- ö = Alt + 148
- ü = Alt + 129
- Ä = Alt + 142
- Ö = Alt + 153
- Ü = Alt + 154
Eszett:
- ß = Alt + 225
Method 2: US International Keyboard
- Enable US International keyboard in Windows Settings
- Type quotation mark (“), then the vowel:
- ” then a = ä
- ” then o = ö
- ” then u = ü
For ß, you’ll still need the Alt code or copy-paste method.
Method 3: German Keyboard Layout
Add the German keyboard layout:
- Settings → Time & Language → Language
- Add German keyboard
- Switch keyboards with Windows + Spacebar
The German QWERTZ keyboard has dedicated keys for ä, ö, ü, and ß.
How to Type German Characters on Mac
Mac makes German characters easy with Option key shortcuts:
Umlauts
Option + u, then press the vowel:
- Option + u, then a = ä
- Option + u, then o = ö
- Option + u, then u = ü
For uppercase:
- Option + u, then Shift + A = Ä
- Option + u, then Shift + O = Ö
- Option + u, then Shift + U = Ü
Eszett (ß)
Option + s = ß
That’s it! The Mac shortcuts are intuitive and easy to remember.
German Keyboard Layout
You can also add the German keyboard:
- System Preferences → Keyboard → Input Sources
- Add German keyboard
- Switch with Command + Spacebar or Control + Spacebar
How to Type German Characters on iPhone and iPad
iOS uses the press-and-hold method:
Press and Hold
- Tap and hold the letter
- German characters appear in the popup
- Slide to the character you need
Quick access:
- Hold a → choose ä
- Hold o → choose ö
- Hold u → choose ü
- Hold s → choose ß
German Keyboard
Add the German keyboard for autocorrect:
- Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards
- Add New Keyboard → German
- Toggle between keyboards with the globe icon 🌐
The German keyboard layout includes dedicated keys for umlauts and ß.
How to Type German Characters on Android
Android uses the same press-and-hold method:
Press and Hold
- Press and hold the letter
- Character options appear
- Slide to select the German character
All German special characters are available through this method.
Add German Keyboard
- Settings → System → Languages & input
- Virtual keyboard → Gboard
- Languages → Add keyboard → German
- Switch with the globe icon 🌐
Gboard’s German keyboard provides excellent autocorrect and predictions.
How to Type German Characters on Chromebook
Method 1: US International Keyboard
- Settings → Languages and inputs → Input methods
- Add “US International Keyboard”
- Type quotation mark (“) then vowel:
- ” then a = ä
- ” then o = ö
- ” then u = ü
Method 2: German Keyboard
Add the German QWERTZ keyboard layout for dedicated umlaut and ß keys.
Method 3: On-Screen Keyboard
Enable the on-screen keyboard to access special characters through a visual menu.
Quick Reference: German Characters by Platform
ä (a umlaut):
- Windows: Alt + 132
- Mac: Option+u, then a
- iOS/Android: Hold a
- Chromebook: “a
ö (o umlaut):
- Windows: Alt + 148
- Mac: Option+u, then o
- iOS/Android: Hold o
- Chromebook: “o
ü (u umlaut):
- Windows: Alt + 129
- Mac: Option+u, then u
- iOS/Android: Hold u
- Chromebook: “u
ß (Eszett):
- Windows: Alt + 225
- Mac: Option+s
- iOS/Android: Hold s
- Chromebook: (use German keyboard or copy-paste)
Common German Words with Special Characters
Essential Vocabulary
Greetings:
- Guten Tag (good day) – no special characters
- Tschüß (bye)
- Grüße (greetings)
Common verbs:
- können (can/to be able to)
- mögen (to like)
- hören (to hear)
- fühlen (to feel)
- erklären (to explain)
Everyday words:
- Käse (cheese)
- Brötchen (bread roll)
- Tür (door)
- Küche (kitchen)
- schön (beautiful)
- über (over/above)
- natürlich (of course)
- Straße (street)
Cities and Places
- München (Munich)
- Zürich (Zurich)
- Köln (Cologne)
- Düsseldorf (Düsseldorf)
- Österreich (Austria)
Common Expressions
- Danke schön (thank you very much)
- Viel Glück (good luck)
- Es tut mir leid (I’m sorry)
- Schönes Wochenende (have a nice weekend)
German Umlaut Rules and Patterns
Plural formations
Many German nouns add umlauts in plural form:
a becomes ä:
- Gast → Gäste (guest/guests)
- Hand → Hände (hand/hands)
- Stadt → Städte (city/cities)
o becomes ö:
- Sohn → Söhne (son/sons)
- Boden → Böden (floor/floors)
u becomes ü:
- Buch → Bücher (book/books)
- Stuhl → Stühle (chair/chairs)
- Bruder → Brüder (brother/brothers)
Verb conjugations
Strong verbs often change vowels to umlauts:
- fahren (to drive) → du fährst (you drive)
- schlafen (to sleep) → du schläfst (you sleep)
- laufen (to run) → du läufst (you run)
Diminutives
The suffix -chen (meaning “little”) often adds an umlaut:
- Haus → Häuschen (little house)
- Buch → Büchlein (booklet)
The 2017 Spelling Reform
In 2017, German officially recognized the uppercase Eszett: ẞ
Before 2017:
- Lowercase: ß
- Uppercase: SS (substitute)
- Example: STRAẞE was written as STRASSE
After 2017:
- Lowercase: ß
- Uppercase: ẞ (official capital Eszett)
- Example: STRAẞE
However, using SS for uppercase remains acceptable, and most Germans still use SS in all-caps writing.
Common German Character Mistakes
Don’t skip umlauts:
Wrong: Kase
Right: Käse
They’re not decoration – they change the word!
Don’t substitute “oe” for “ö” in formal writing:
Acceptable only when umlauts are unavailable:
- Email without umlaut support: Koeln (for Köln)
- Formal writing: Always use ö
Don’t confuse ß with B (beta):
ß is a German letter, not the Greek letter beta (β), though they look similar.
Remember ß rules:
Wrong: Straße → Strasse (only acceptable in Switzerland)
Right: Use ß after long vowels and diphthongs in German German
Don’t forget umlauts in plurals:
Wrong: Bucher
Right: Bücher
Typing German Faster
Learn the patterns:
Recognize common umlaut plurals and verb changes.
Enable German autocorrect:
Add the German keyboard to your device for automatic corrections.
Memorize common words:
Focus on frequently used words like können, schön, über, Straße.
Use German spell check:
Most applications can check German spelling and flag missing umlauts.
Practice the shortcuts:
The Mac Option+u method becomes automatic with practice.
When Umlauts Are Unavailable
If you absolutely cannot type umlauts, German has accepted workarounds:
ae, oe, ue instead of ä, ö, ü:
- Käse → Kaese
- Köln → Koeln
- München → Muenchen
ss instead of ß:
- Straße → Strasse
These substitutions are understood but should only be used when technical limitations prevent proper character usage (like old systems or certain forms).
German Characters in Different Applications
Microsoft Word
- Set language to German: Review → Language → German
- Enable German autocorrect
- Use Insert → Symbol for occasional characters
Google Docs
- File → Language → German
- Tools → Preferences for custom substitutions
- Install German keyboard for your system
Email and Social Media
- Use your device’s German keyboard
- All platforms support German characters
- Umlauts and ß count normally in character limits
Domain Names and Email
Modern domain names and email addresses can include umlauts:
- müller.de is a valid domain
- However, ASCII equivalents are still common for compatibility
Learning German with Proper Characters
Why it matters for learners:
Using correct umlauts and ß from the beginning helps you:
- Learn proper pronunciation
- Understand spelling patterns
- Avoid confusion between similar words
- Develop good habits
Practice tips:
- Always type umlauts, even when starting out
- Use German spell check to catch mistakes
- Read German texts to see characters in context
- Don’t rely on workarounds (ae, oe, ue)
Regional Variations
Germany and Austria
Use ä, ö, ü, and ß following standard rules.
Switzerland
Uses ä, ö, ü but replaces ß with ss:
- Germany: Straße
- Switzerland: Strasse
Liechtenstein
Follows the same conventions as Switzerland.
For detailed platform instructions, see our guides for Windows and Mac, iPhone and iPad, Android, and Chromebooks. To learn about other languages, check out our Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian accent guides.
Conclusion
German special characters – ä, ö, ü, and ß – are essential for proper German writing. While German uses fewer accent marks than Romance languages, the ones it does use are non-negotiable parts of the alphabet.
Key takeaways:
- German uses only four special characters: ä, ö, ü, ß
- Umlauts change pronunciation and meaning
- ß represents a sharp “s” after long vowels
- Every device offers easy typing methods
- Proper character usage is essential for clear German
Whether you’re learning German, corresponding with German speakers, or simply want to spell German words correctly, mastering these characters ensures accurate, respectful communication.
Viel Erfolg! (Good luck!)