øː / œ

German ö

Front rounded vowel — schön, böse, Löffel, können

VowelIPA: /øː / œ/

Practice Words

schönböseLöffelkönnenHöheKölnmöchtehörenVögelzwölf

Accent-Specific Pronunciation Guide

How you approach this sound depends on your English accent. Find yours below for personalised coaching.

American English

New SoundDifficulty: 4/5

Say 'her' — notice tongue position. Keep tongue there, round lips like 'oh'. That rounded 'her' is German ö. Long ö (schön) holds it; short ö (können) is briefer with slightly more open jaw.

Bridge from: bird, her (ɜː)

Common mistakes:

•Not rounding lips
•Rhotic colouring bleeding through
•Not distinguishing long/short

Drill sequence:

her → round lips → /ø/
bird → round → /œ/
her → hö → schön

British English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 3/5

Your 'bird' vowel is close. Add firm lip rounding while keeping tongue in the 'bird' position. Like saying 'bird' through an 'o'-shaped mouth.

Bridge from: bird, nurse (ɜː)

Common mistakes:

•Insufficient rounding
•Diphthongising

Drill sequence:

bird → round lips → schön
nurse → round → hören

Australian / NZ English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

Your biggest advantage again — the Australian 'bird/nurse' vowel is the closest English equivalent to German ö. Just add slightly more lip rounding. Long ö (schön) and short ö (Löffel) need the same mouth shape.

Bridge from: bird, nurse (ɜː)

Common mistakes:

•Under-rounding
•Not distinguishing long from short

Drill sequence:

bird → add rounding → schön
nurse → round → hören

Irish English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 3/5

Your 'bird' vowel is the starting point. Hold tongue there, add strong lip rounding. Push lips forward as if saying 'oo' while tongue stays in 'bird' position.

Bridge from: bird (ɜː)

Common mistakes:

•R-colouring bleeding in
•Not enough lip protrusion

Drill sequence:

bird → drop r → round → schön

Scottish English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 3/5

Hold your 'bird' vowel, drop the r, push lips into a firm round shape. Focus on the vowel, not the r.

Bridge from: bird (ɪr / ʌr)

Common mistakes:

•R-sound persisting
•Vowel too open

Drill sequence:

bird → drop r → round → schön

Indian English

New SoundDifficulty: 4/5

Say 'bird' — notice tongue position. Hold it there and round lips firmly. The combination produces German ö. Hindi doesn't have this vowel. Same technique as French eu.

Bridge from: bird, sir (ɜː / ʌ)

Common mistakes:

•Not rounding enough
•Retroflex r interfering

Drill sequence:

bird → drop r → round → schön
sir → round → hören

South African English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

Your NURSE vowel is already close to German ö — similar to the Australian advantage. Add more deliberate lip rounding.

Bridge from: nurse, bird (ɜː)

Common mistakes:

•Under-rounding
•Not distinguishing long/short

Drill sequence:

nurse → round → hören
bird → round → schön

Nigerian / W. African English

New SoundDifficulty: 4/5

Start from 'bed' vowel. Keep tongue there, round lips firmly. This doesn't exist in Yoruba, Igbo, or Hausa. Same technique as French eu.

Bridge from: bed + rounding (ɛ / ɔ)

Common mistakes:

•Substituting 'o' or 'oo'
•Not enough rounding
•Tongue too far back

Drill sequence:

bed → round lips → /œ/
bird → round → /ø/
Practice steady rounding

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you pronounce the German German ö?▾

The German German ö is written as øː / œ in IPA. Front rounded vowel — schön, böse, Löffel, können. The technique varies by your English accent — scroll down for personalised coaching for American, British, Australian, Irish, Scottish, Indian, South African, and Nigerian speakers.

Is the German German ö hard for English speakers?▾

It depends on your accent. For some English accents, this is a direct transfer (you already make this sound). For others, it's genuinely new. Check the accent-specific section below to see your difficulty rating.

What words use the German German ö sound?▾

Common practice words include: schön, böse, Löffel, können, Höhe, Köln. These are good starting points for drilling this sound.