German spelling keeps a word's letters the same in all its forms, but pronunciation does not. At the end of a syllable, the voiced consonants b, d, g, s and v lose their voicing and become p, t, k, s and f. Hund (dog) sounds like "hunt", Tag (day) like "tahk", and Rad (wheel) is pronounced exactly like Rat (advice). This is called Auslautverhärtung, "final hardening".
The rule
Voiced obstruents (stops and fricatives) become voiceless at the end of a syllable:
| Written | Final sound | Singular / final | Before a vowel |
|---|---|---|---|
| b | [p] | [diːp] | [ˈdiːbə] |
| d | [t] | [hʊnt] | [ˈhʊndə] |
| g | [k] (or [ç] in -ig) | [taːk] | [ˈtaːɡə] |
| s | [s] | [haʊs] | [ˈhɔʏzɐ] |
| v | [f] | [bʁaːf] | [ˈbʁaːvə] |
Nasals, l and r are not affected; they are sonorants, not obstruents.
Words that become homophones
Because of devoicing, some pairs that are spelled differently sound the same:
- (wheel) and (advice): both [ʁaːt]
- (union) and (colourful): both [bʊnt]
- (forest) and wallt (surges): both [valt]
- (death) and (dead): both [toːt]
- (you are, pl.) and (since): both [zaɪt]
- (song) and (eyelid): both [liːt]
Their plurals or related forms separate them again: Räder [d] vs Räte [t], Bünde vs bunte.
It is about syllables, not words
The rule applies at the end of every syllable, including inside compounds and before consonant suffixes:
- : the d is final, [ˈaːbn̩t]; the b starts a syllable, so it stays voiced.
- (glove): Hand + Schuh, so [ˈhantʃuː].
- vs : ta-ge keeps [ɡ], but täg-lich devoices to [k].
- : Erd + beere, [ˈeːɐ̯tbeːʁə].
- : the s is final in les-, [ˈleːsbaːɐ̯].
- : [ˈliːplɪŋ].
Before l, n and r it depends. In words like Adler, Ordnung and Redner, the consonant can belong to the next syllable, and speakers vary: some keep the consonant voiced, as in [ˈaːdlɐ], others devoice it. In compounds and suffixes like -lich and -bar, devoicing is consistent.
Why English speakers find it hard
English keeps voicing contrasts at the end of words: bad/bat, dog/dock, rise/rice. English speakers reading German therefore voice final consonants, pronouncing Hund with a real [d]. It is understood, but it is one of the clearest markers of an English accent. (The reverse is true for German speakers of English, who often say "I have a bat idea".)
One useful detail: in English, the main cue for final voicing is actually the length of the vowel: the vowel in bad is longer than in bat. German does not lengthen vowels before final b, d, g, because they are voiceless. Rad and Rat have the same vowel length.
Practice
Say each pair, making the final consonant voiceless in the first word and voiced in the second:
- / · / · /
- / · / · /
- · · · ·
What is the final sound?
Choose an answer to see the explanation.
1. The final consonant of Weg (path)
- [g]
- [k]
- [x]
Answer: [k]. Final g devoices to [k]: [veːk].
2. The d in Mädchen
- [d]
- [t]
- silent
Answer: [t]. Mäd-chen: the d ends a syllable, so it is [t]: [ˈmɛːtçən].
3. The b in Leben
- [b]
- [p]
Answer: [b]. The b begins the second syllable (le-ben), so it stays voiced.
4. Do Lied and Lid sound different?
- Yes, Lied ends in [d]
- No, both are [liːt]
Answer: No, both are [liːt]. Both are [liːt]: the d devoices, and both have a long i.
Phrases in this drill:
- Der Hund und das Kind sind im Wald.
- Am Abend fahre ich mit dem Rad.
- Guten Tag, lieber Freund!
- Das gelbe Haus ist bald fertig.
- Mein Liebling mag Erdbeeren.
Frequently asked questions
Are Rad and Rat pronounced exactly the same?
For practical purposes, yes: both are [ʁaːt]. Laboratory studies have found tiny acoustic differences in some speakers ("incomplete neutralisation"), but listeners can barely use them, and learners should pronounce both identically.
Does final devoicing happen in Austrian and Swiss German?
In Standard German as spoken in Austria and Switzerland, the same rule applies. Swiss German dialects are different: they generally distinguish consonants by strength (fortis/lenis) rather than voicing, so the rule works differently.
Why is it spelled Hund if it is pronounced "Hunt"?
German spelling follows the principle of stem consistency (Stammprinzip): a stem is written the same way in all its forms. Because the d is heard in Hunde, it is also written in Hund.
Sources and further reading
- Wiese, R. (1996). The Phonology of German, chapter 7.1 on final devoicing. Oxford University Press.
- Brockhaus, W. (1995). Final Devoicing in the Phonology of German. Niemeyer.
- Port, R. F. and O'Dell, M. L. (1985). Neutralization of syllable-final voicing in German. Journal of Phonetics, 13(4), 455–471.
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