Drei E-Laute
Three E Sounds
German has 3 E sounds: long closed /eː/ (Meer, sehen) — like French 'é', short open /ɛ/ (Bett, Eltern) — like English 'bed', and Schwa /ə/ (bitte, Gurke) — neutral unstressed. The difference between /eː/ and /ɛ/ changes meaning!
Sounds
| IPA | Beispiel | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| /eː/ long | Meer | sea |
| /ɛ/ short | Bett | bed |
| /ə/ Schwa | bitte | please |
Minimal Pairs
weg /vɛk/
away
Weg /veːk/
path
Meer /meːɐ/
sea
Messer /mɛsɐ/
knife
Tips
Long /eː/ = smile position, lips spread. Short /ɛ/ = mouth more open, like English 'bed'.
weg (short, away) vs Weg (long, path) — same spelling, different vowel, different meaning!
Common Mistakes
Making all E-sounds the same
Related Sounds
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