Language
German
Unit
Konsonanten
IPA
/ʔ/
Practice words
5

Sample pronunciation audio — Open the full phoneme overview

Start with one sample audio file for plosive - /ʔ/.

Quick tip

Plosives are made by blocking airflow and then releasing it suddenly.

Letters and IPA

Letters

(no dedicated letter; pre-vowel onset, e.g. Apfel /ˈʔapfəl/, beachten /bəˈʔaxtn̩/)

/ʔ/

Practice words

  • Apfel

  • Arbeit

  • Esel

  • Oma

  • Uhr

Minimal pairs

How to produce this sound

Close your vocal folds briefly before the vowel, then release: a short stop at the start of the syllable.

Common mix-ups

Closest comparison

Dieser Laut ist im Englischen nicht regelmäßig phonemisch; am ähnlichsten ist ein kurzer Einsatz vor Vokal am Wortanfang.

Hear "Apfel" pronounced by German natives

Listen to native speakers and see real-world usage on these reference sites. Each link opens in a new tab.

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