Umlauts aren’t just decorations for your favorite vowels—they’re a way to alter the sounds and even the meanings of German words. Getting used to their pronunciation and when to use them can be a challenge to an English tongue learning how to speak German. Nevertheless, you’ll find them indispensable as you expand your German language skills. Read on to find out what those two little dots above some German vowels are, how to pronounce them, and tips for typing umlauts on an English keyboard.
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What are umlauts?
Umlauts are a diacritical mark, which is a fancy term meaning that they change the sound a letter makes. (Some call them accent marks, too.) You’ll see them in the Austrian and German languages as two small dots above either the letter “a,” “o,” or “u.”
The umlaut isn’t unique to German grammar—many languages like Swedish, Finnish, and Estonian also make use of them. Even the English language has borrowed some words with German umlauts like “doppelgänger.” Understanding how umlauts are pronounced and how to use them are critical for achieving full fluency in the German language.
The history behind umlauts
Since both English and German are Germanic languages, history buffs and language enthusiasts are keenly familiar with the close history shared between them. The ancient Proto-Germanic is considered the father language for modern German as well as English, though some vowels changed form when other vowels were added to the word.
We can see the same process in both German and English with the words foot and feet, as shown here:
| Proto-Germanic | fōts and fōtiz |
| German | Fuß and Füße |
| English | foot and feet |
As German became more modernized, writers needed a consistent way to represent this changed sound in the German dialect, so they began adding the letter “e” to changed vowels. At the time, the cursive “e” had two parallel lines which, over time, was reduced to the iconic two dots over the vowel we see in German today.
The first use of the modern German umlaut
History tells us that the first person to use the word umlaut (as we know it) was Jacob Grimm of The Brothers Grimm. He coined the term in 1819, referring specifically to the verb’s sound change described above. Over time, the term also came to refer more specifically to the small dots that showed where a vowel sound had changed.
When to use umlauts in German
Umlauts play a crucial role in German because they can completely change the meaning of a word. While some German nouns such as Käse (cheese) or Mädchen (girl) come with an umlaut already included, other words have them added to give the reader context on plurality, conjugation, or comparison.
Below is a handy chart showing German words spelled with umlauts by default to give you context:
| German | English |
| Ärmel | sleeve |
| Äquator | equator |
| Bär | bear |
| Böse | evil |
| Döner | doner kebab |
| Frühstück | breakfast |
| Gänsehaut | goosebumps (literally, “goose skin”) |
| Hälfte | half |
| Körper | body |
| Lärm | noise |
| Löwe | lion |
| Möbel | furniture |
| Müde | tired |
| Öffnen | to open |
| Tür | door |
Using German umlauts for plurality
A common example of when to use umlauts in German is when you have more than one of a noun. For instance, Apfel (apple) becomes Äpfel (apples) or Maus (mouse) becomes Mäuse (mice)—hopefully only in a story of some horrific turn of domestic events.
See umlauts in action for plural German nouns here:
| Singular German Noun | Plural German Noun | English Translation |
| Bach | Bäche | stream/streams |
| Ball | Bälle | ball/balls |
| Baum | Bäume | tree/trees |
| Buch | Bücher | book/books |
| Dach | Dächer | roof/roofs |
| Fach | Fächer | subject/subjects |
| Fluss | Flüsse | river/rivers |
| Gast | Gäste | guest/guests |
| Hand | Hände | hand/hands |
| Klang | Klänge | sound/sounds |
| Land | Länder | country/countries |
| Mann | Männer | man/men |
| Schloss | Schlösser | castle/castles |
| Vogel | Vögel | bird/birds |
| Wand | Wände | wall/walls |
German verb conjugation with umlauts
Similarly, we see this in the German conjugation of some German verbs, where laufen (to run) conjugates to er läuft (he runs). Check out other examples of conjugated verbs adding umlauts in the chart below:
| German Infinitive Verb | Conjugated German Verb | English Translation |
| backen | bäckt | to bake |
| behalten | behält | to keep |
| braten | brät | to roast |
| fahren | fährt | to drive |
| fallen | fällt | to fall |
| graben | gräbt | to dig |
| halten | hält | to hold |
| lassen | lässt | to let |
| schlafen | schläft | to sleep |
| stoßen | stößt | to push |
| tragen | trägt | to carry |
| wachsen | wächst | to grow |
How umlauts can show comparisons
You’ll also find umlauts used to compare things to each other when speaking a German dialect in comparative and superlative forms. For example, alt (old) becomes älter (older) as the years go by and am ältesten (oldest) when the greatest maturity has been reached.
On the other hand, kalt (cold) changes to kälter (colder) in the autumn months and am kältesten (coldest) describes when winter is at its peak. The umlaut signals to the reader a degree of comparison, giving vital context to your message.
How to pronounce Ä, Ö, and Ü
How do you, as an English speaker, learn how to pronounce “Ä,” “Ö,” and “Ü” vs. “ä,” “ö,” and “ü”? The good news is there’s no real difference in pronunciation between these vowels in their uppercase and lowercase forms, which cuts the work on your end in half and makes German easy to learn!
Pronouncing the “a umlaut”
Learning how to pronounce the “a umlaut” or “Ä” is an excellent way to get started because this seems to be the easiest one for English speakers to get the knack of. All you have to do is pronounce this vowel like you would say the “e” in the word “bed.” It’s like an “eh” sound. Try it out by reading German words like Käfer (beetle), Hände (hands), and März (March).
Pronouncing the “o umlaut”
The “o umlaut” or “Ö” sound can be trickier for English speakers, but you’ll get the hang of it with a little practice. You can start pronouncing this letter of the German alphabet by forming an “o,” with your lips and pronouncing the sound similar to the “e” in “her.” A good example is the word schön (beautiful), where the “Ö” is essential to differentiate this word from schon (already). Listening to native speakers and repeating words with Ö aloud will help you master this vowel over time.
Pronouncing the “u umlaut”
Finally, the “u umlaut” or “Ü” is perhaps the most challenging umlaut for English speakers because it doesn’t have a direct equivalent in English. Start by forming your mouth as if you’re planning to say the “oo” sound like in “food.” Then, while keeping your lips rounded, move your tongue forward and upward, almost like you’re aiming for the “ee” sound in “cheese.” With the stars aligned and your mouth prepared, proudly pronounce that “ee” noise through your lips to get the iconic German “Ü” sound found in über (over) and Glück (luck). Practice makes perfect here!
Tips for typing umlauts on any device
As you incorporate these umlauts into your speech and writing, you’ll notice a distinct lack of these diacritical marks on your English keyboard. But fear not! There are still plenty of ways to use them even without ordering a separate German keyboard, regardless of your device.
Umlauts on a PC
Make sure your number lock is on, then hold down the left-side ALT key and type the following numbers to call up various umlauts:
| Windows Code | Corresponding Letter |
| 228 | ä |
| 246 | ö |
| 252 | ü |
| 196 | Ä |
| 214 | Ö |
| 220 | Ü |
Umlauts on a Mac
On a Mac computer, hold down OPTION and push “u,” then release and type the base letter you need: a, o, u, A, O, or U. Couldn’t be easier!
Umlauts on an iOS or Android device
Either in the notes app or any app that uses the virtual keyboard, press the key for the vowel you want and hold it until the pop-up menu appears. Slide your finger over to select the umlauted letter you need. This process is the same on both iOS and Android devices.
Key takeaways for German umlauts
Mastering German umlauts can make a big difference in your ability to speak, write, and understand the language effectively. Here are a few key points to keep in mind:
- Umlauts are diacritical marks, meaning they are symbols used to change how a letter sounds when pronounced.
- You’ll see umlauts in German as two dots above the vowels “a,” “o,” and “u.”
- Umlauts are often used to form plurals, create verb conjugations, and compare adjectives.
- Any device meant for typing is capable of typing a German umlaut vowel, even if the keyboard is originally meant for the English language.
Say “Natürlich!” (naturally!) to learning proper pronunciation with Rosetta Stone’s TruAccent speech recognition engine!
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