Writing on signs in Germany
Ä, ö, ü and ß
German adds ä, ö and ü to the Latin alphabet, and the special ß. Words are often long compounds.
- ß, as in Straße, is only German.
- Long words like Bäckerei or Apotheke.
- sch and ei appear everywhere.
11 photos, grouped by the clue they show.
Key clue Shop sign 8
Key clue Street sign 3
Germany: what its writing looks like
German adds ä, ö and ü to the Latin alphabet, and the special letter ß, as in Straße. Words are often long, built from smaller ones.
sch and ei appear in many words, like Bäckerei (bakery), Apotheke (pharmacy) and Schuhe (shoes).
German is used in Germany, Austria and much of Switzerland. This game uses German photos.
Look-alikes: how to tell them apart
Sweden
EstoniaSwedish has ä and ö too, but adds å. Estonian has ä, ö and ü, and adds õ.
Questions about the writing in Germany
Which letter is only German?
ß, the sharp s, as in Straße. Switzerland writes ss instead.
What does Bäckerei mean?
Bakery.