This introduction covers ch, sch, st, sp — Die deutschen Zischlaute within ch, sch, st- and sp- (ich-Laut and ach-Laut) for GCSE German. Revise ch, sch, st- and sp- (ich-Laut and ach-Laut) in Phonics: German Sounds and Spellings for GCSE German with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 1 of 4 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
🔊 ch, sch, st, sp — Die deutschen Zischlaute
German has sounds that simply don't exist in English, and spelling combinations that sound nothing like they look on the page. The word Stadt sounds like "shtat", and spielen begins with a "shp" — yet you never write an "sh". Master these four combinations and you'll spell correctly in dictation and sound genuinely German the moment you start speaking.
Practice questions for ch, sch, st- and sp- (ich-Laut and ach-Laut)
How is the 'ch' pronounced in the German word 'Buch' (book)?
How is 'st' pronounced at the START of the German word 'Straße' (street)?
Quick recall flashcards
die Straße — how does it begin?
'SHTRAH-suh'. The 'st-' at the start is pronounced 'sht', and the ß is a sharp 'ss' sound. Noun: die Straße, die Straßen.
ich — how is the 'ch' pronounced?
Soft ich-Laut: 'ish'. Because the 'ch' comes after the vowel 'i', it is the soft, hissing sound, never the throaty ach-Laut. The same applies to mich (mish) and dich (dish).