IPA: /aɪ, aʊ, ɔʏ/

Diphthonge (ei, au, eu)

Diphthongs (ei, au, eu/äu)

German has 3 diphthongs: ei/ai = /aɪ/ (like 'eye'), au = /aʊ/ (like 'cow'), eu/äu = /ɔʏ/ (like 'boy'). The #1 confusion: 'ei' = /aɪ/ (like 'eye') and 'ie' = /iː/ (like 'ee'). They are NOT the same! eu and äu always sound identical.

Sounds

IPA	Beispiel	Translation
ei /aɪ/	Eis	ice
ai /aɪ/	Mai	May
au /aʊ/	Haus	house
eu /ɔʏ/	heute	today

Minimal Pairs

Bein

leg

Biene

bee (ei vs ie!)

Haus

house

Häuser

houses (au→äu)

Tips

ei = 'eye'. ie = 'ee'. This is the #1 confusion for learners. Drill it!

eu and äu always sound identical: /ɔʏ/. Häuser = Hoyzer.

Common Mistakes

Confusing 'ei' with 'ie'

Fix: ei = /aɪ/ (Eis = ice), ie = /iː/ (Bier = beer). Always opposite of what you'd expect!

Pronouncing 'eu' as two separate vowels

Fix: eu is ONE sound /ɔʏ/ — like 'boy', not 'e-u'

Explore More

Tools

Helpful tools for anyone learning German. No signup required.

Alternatives

See how de-de works alongside popular German learning tools.

Pronunciation

Master German sounds with IPA guides and practice tips.

Use Cases

German courses tailored to your goals.

Verbs

Conjugation tables for the 100 most important German verbs.

News

10 daily news from Germany, adapted to your language level

Ready to speak German?

Start your AI-powered German course today. No subscription — just your OpenAI API key (~$0.50/week).