W, v, z, ß and word endings

Avoid a few familiar-letter traps before article practice.

Familiar letters, different habits

W is normally /v/. Z is /ts/. V is /f/ in Vater, but /v/ in Vase: learn it with the word. ß is unvoiced /s/, used after a long vowel or diphthong in the spelling taught here.

Wasser · Zeit

water · time

A consonant can lose its voice at the end

Written b, d and g are often pronounced p, t and k at the end of a syllable. Rad ends in /t/; in Räder, the d is voiced. Do not change the written spelling.

Rad · Räder

wheel · wheels