IPA: /aː/ vs /a/

Lange vs kurze Vokale

Long vs Short Vowels

Vowel length changes meaning in German. Long vowels: open syllable (da, so), before single consonant, after silent h (fahren, Uhr), double vowel (Meer, Boot). Short vowels: before double consonant (Bett, kommen), before ck/tz (Brücke, Katze).

Sounds

IPA	Beispiel	Translation
/aː/	Staat	state
/a/	Stadt	city
/iː/	Miete	rent
/ɪ/	Mitte	middle

Minimal Pairs

Staat

state

Stadt

city

Miete

rent

Mitte

middle

Hüte

hats

Hütte

cabin

Tips

Count consonants after the vowel: one consonant = long, two or more = short.

Silent 'h' after a vowel signals it's long: fahren, Uhr, gehen. Don't pronounce the h!

Common Mistakes

Making all vowels the same length

Fix: Exaggerate the difference at first — stretch long vowels, cut short ones

Not recognizing silent h as length marker

Fix: The h after a vowel is NEVER pronounced — it just makes the vowel long

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