Minimal pair · Standard German in Germany; stressed citation forms
German /oː/ vs /øː//oː/ / /øː/
Learn to hear the difference between oː and øː in German words.
Practice these sounds/oː/
A long, back rounded vowel
The lips stay rounded and the tongue is farther back than for /øː/.
As inschon
/øː/
A long, front rounded vowel
The lips stay rounded while the tongue is farther forward than for /oː/.
As inschön
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
Schon/schön, Rohre/Röhre and rote/Röte keep the surrounding sounds within each pair. The stressed rounded vowel changes from back to front.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
A common trap
Rohre is plural, while Röhre is singular; rote is an adjective form and Röte a noun. In the exercise, match the stressed vowel category across words, without using spelling or meaning.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each wordschon
/ʃoːn/alreadyRohre
/ˈʁoːʁə/pipesrote
/ˈʁoːtə/red, inflectedSohlen
/ˈzoːlən/solesSohn
/zoːn/sonschön
/ʃøːn/beautifulRöhre
/ˈʁøːʁə/tubeRöte
/ˈʁøːtə/rednessHöhle
/ˈhøːlə/cavelösen
/ˈløːzən/to solve or releaseSöhne
/ˈzøːnə/sons11 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.