German Typing Test

Type real German words and sentences, where ä, ö, ü, ß and every capital must be exact.

Type each word and press space after it. The clock starts on your first key. schnell Erklärung drei alle vor Übersetzung Essen wählen sprechen Strauß trägt Gerät Tastatur Klöster öffentlich Katze weiß ist Märchen Geschäft Läden ungefähr überall ich Rhythmus müde gerne häufig dafür Papier Abend acht Stück Bücher sind meine Freunde. gegenüber Wasser Brötchen Väter Das Gemüse ist grün. Brief Zukunft Wien liegt im Osten Österreichs. Ypsilon Nacht Zeichen möchte gewöhnlich Handy Der Mond war schön.
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All 484 words and sentences

The four special letters, with the keys to press 4

  • ß Eszett, also called sharp s. It is an s sound written after a long vowel or a vowel pair, as in Straße and heißen; after a short vowel German writes ss. German keyboard: its own key on the top row, just to the right of 0. US-International layout: right Alt + s. Option key: Option + s. Alt code: hold Alt and type 0223 on the number pad. Phone: touch and hold s. Where ß cannot be typed, ss is the accepted stand-in, and Swiss spelling uses ss everywhere. A capital form, ẞ, has been accepted since 2017.
  • ä Ä a with two dots, the umlaut, as a small letter and as a capital. Every German noun starts with a capital, so both turn up. German keyboard: its own key, two keys to the right of L; add Shift for Ä. US-International layout: " then a, or right Alt + q; use Shift + a for the capital. Option key: Option + u, then a. Alt code: hold Alt and type 0228 on the number pad for ä, 0196 for Ä. Phone: touch and hold a. Where the letter cannot be typed at all, German spelling allows ae instead.
  • ö Ö o with two dots, the umlaut, as a small letter and as a capital. Every German noun starts with a capital, so both turn up. German keyboard: its own key, just to the right of L; add Shift for Ö. US-International layout: " then o, or right Alt + p; use Shift + o for the capital. Option key: Option + u, then o. Alt code: hold Alt and type 0246 on the number pad for ö, 0214 for Ö. Phone: touch and hold o. Where the letter cannot be typed at all, German spelling allows oe instead.
Show all 484 words and sentences (481 more)

The four special letters, with the keys to press, continued

  • ü Ü u with two dots, the umlaut, as a small letter and as a capital. Every German noun starts with a capital, so both turn up. German keyboard: its own key, just to the right of P; add Shift for Ü. US-International layout: " then u, or right Alt + y; use Shift + u for the capital. Option key: Option + u, then u. Alt code: hold Alt and type 0252 on the number pad for ü, 0220 for Ü. Phone: touch and hold u. Where the letter cannot be typed at all, German spelling allows ue instead.

Pairs that two dots or an ß keep apart 40

  • Äpfel apples. Without the dots, Apfel is one apple.
  • Böden floors; soils. Without the dots, Boden is one floor, or the soil.
  • Brüder brothers. Without the dots, Bruder is one brother.
  • Buße penance; in Switzerland also a fine. Written with ss, Busse is buses, and is also how Swiss spelling writes Buße.
  • drücken to press, to push. Without the dots, drucken is to print.
  • dürfte might; would be allowed to. Without the dots, durfte is the plain past: was allowed to.
  • Fäden threads. Without the dots, Faden is one thread.
  • fällen to fell a tree. Without the dots, fallen is to fall.
  • fördern to support, to fund. Without the dots, fordern is to demand.
  • Förderung funding, support. Without the dots, a Forderung is a demand or a claim.
  • führen to lead. Without the dots, fuhren is a past form of fahren: we or they drove.
  • Gärten gardens. Without the dots, Garten is one garden.
  • Häfen harbours, ports. Without the dots, Hafen is one harbour.
  • hätte would have. Without the dots, hatte is the plain past: had.
  • hätten would have, with wir, sie or Sie. Without the dots, hatten is the plain past: had.
  • Kästen boxes, crates. Without the dots, Kasten is one box or crate.
  • Klöster monasteries, convents. Without the dots, Kloster is one monastery or convent.
  • könnte could, would be able to. Without the dots, konnte is the plain past: could, was able to.
  • Küchen kitchens. Without the dots, Kuchen is cake.
  • Läden shops. Without the dots, Laden is one shop.
  • läuten to ring, of a bell. Without the dots, lauten is to read or to go, said of a text or a title.
  • Mäntel coats. Without the dots, Mantel is one coat.
  • Maße measurements, dimensions. Written with ss, Masse is mass, or a crowd, and is also how Swiss spelling writes Maße.
  • möchte would like. Without the dots, mochte is the plain past: liked.
  • Müll rubbish. Without the dots, Mull is gauze.
  • müsste would have to. Without the dots, musste is the plain past: had to.
  • Mütter mothers. Without the dots, Mutter is one mother.
  • Nägel nails. Without the dots, Nagel is one nail.
  • Nöte hardships, troubles. Without the dots, a Note is a school mark or a musical note.
  • Öfen ovens, stoves. Without the dots, Ofen is one oven.
  • schön beautiful, nice. Without the dots, schon means already.
  • Stück piece. Without the dots, Stuck is stucco, decorative plaster.
  • Töchter daughters. Without the dots, Tochter is one daughter.
  • Väter fathers. Without the dots, Vater is one father.
  • Vögel birds. Without the dots, Vogel is one bird.
  • Währung currency. Without the dots, Wahrung is the upholding of a right or an interest.
  • würde would. Without the dots, wurde is the plain past: became, or was in a passive.
  • würden would, with wir, sie or Sie. Without the dots, wurden is the plain past: became, or were in a passive.
  • zählen to count. Without the dots, zahlen is to pay.
  • Zählung a count. Without the dots, a Zahlung is a payment.

Words with ä 57

  • ähnlich similar
  • ändern to change
  • Änderung change, alteration
  • Ärzte doctors. The singular is Arzt. A capital Ä is Shift plus the ä key on a German keyboard.
  • äußerst extremely
  • Bäcker baker
  • Bär bear
  • Bäume trees. The singular is Baum.
  • erklärt explains; explained
  • Erklärung explanation
  • Ernährung nutrition, diet
  • erzählt tells; told
  • Fußgänger pedestrian. Two marks in one word: ß and ä.
  • Gäste guests. The singular is Gast.
  • Gebäude building
  • Gemälde painting
  • gemäß in accordance with. Two marks in one word: ä and ß.
  • Gerät device, appliance
  • Geschäft shop, business
  • Gespräch conversation
  • gewählt chosen, elected
  • Hälfte half
  • Hände hands. The singular is Hand.
  • häufig frequent, often
  • Käse cheese
  • Länder countries; the federal states. The singular is Land.
  • länger longer
  • lässt lets, leaves. Spelt läßt before the 1996 reform; ss now follows a short vowel.
  • läuft runs, is running. From laufen.
  • Mädchen girl. A neuter noun, das Mädchen, like every diminutive formed with -chen.
  • Männer men. The singular is Mann; many plurals are made with an umlaut.
  • Märchen fairy tale
  • März March. Months are nouns, so they take a capital.
  • nächste next, nearest
  • Nähe nearness, vicinity
  • nämlich namely, you see
  • Präsident president
  • Qualität quality
  • Rätsel riddle, puzzle
  • regelmäßig regular, regularly. Two marks in one word: ä and ß.
  • Sänger singer
  • spät late
  • später later
  • Städte towns, cities. The singular is Stadt.
  • täglich daily
  • tatsächlich actual, really
  • trägt carries, wears. From tragen. The vowel changes only in the du and er forms.
  • Träume dreams. The singular is Traum.
  • ungefähr approximately
  • Universität university
  • Verkäufer seller, shop assistant
  • wählen to choose, to vote, to dial
  • während during; while
  • wäre would be
  • Wärme warmth
  • Wäsche laundry, washing
  • zunächst at first, first of all

Words with ö 48

  • Bevölkerung population
  • Brötchen bread roll
  • Flöte flute
  • fröhlich cheerful
  • Frösche frogs. The singular is Frosch.
  • gehören to belong
  • gehört belongs; heard
  • gewöhnlich usual, ordinary
  • Größe size. Two marks in one word: ö and ß.
  • größer bigger
  • größte biggest
  • höchste highest
  • Höhe height
  • höher higher
  • Höhle cave
  • hören to hear, to listen
  • Knöpfe buttons. The singular is Knopf.
  • Köche cooks, chefs. The singular is Koch.
  • Köln Cologne
  • König king
  • können can, to be able to
  • Körper body
  • Löffel spoon
  • löschen to delete; to put out a fire
  • Lösung solution
  • Löwe lion
  • Möbel furniture
  • möglich possible
  • Möglichkeit possibility, opportunity
  • nördlich northern, north of
  • nötig necessary
  • öffentlich public
  • öffnen to open
  • Öffnungszeiten opening hours
  • Öl oil
  • Österreich Austria. A capital Ö is Shift plus the ö key on a German keyboard.
  • östlich eastern, east of
  • persönlich personal, in person
  • plötzlich suddenly
  • Schönheit beauty
  • Söhne sons. The singular is Sohn.
  • stören to disturb
  • ungewöhnlich unusual
  • veröffentlicht published
  • völlig completely
  • Wörter words. The singular is Wort.
  • Wörterbuch dictionary
  • zwölf twelve

Words with ü 63

  • begrüßen to greet, to welcome
  • Brücke bridge
  • Brüssel Brussels
  • Bücher books. The singular is Buch.
  • Bühne stage
  • Bürger citizen
  • Büro office
  • dafür for it; in favour
  • dürfen may, to be allowed to
  • Flügel wing; grand piano
  • früher earlier, formerly
  • Frühling spring
  • Frühstück breakfast. Two ü in one word.
  • Führung leadership; guided tour
  • fünf five
  • fünfzig fifty
  • für for
  • Füße feet. The singular is Fuß.
  • Gefühl feeling
  • gegenüber opposite; towards
  • Gemüse vegetables
  • Glück luck; happiness
  • Glückwunsch congratulations
  • grün green
  • Grüße greetings. Viele Grüße is a common way to sign off a letter or an email.
  • hübsch pretty
  • Küche kitchen
  • kühl cool
  • Künstler artist
  • Küste coast
  • Menü set meal; a menu on a screen. The list of dishes in a restaurant is the Speisekarte.
  • müde tired
  • München Munich
  • müssen must, to have to
  • Mütze cap, woolly hat
  • natürlich natural; of course
  • Nürnberg Nuremberg
  • Prüfung exam, test
  • Rücken back (of the body)
  • Schlüssel key
  • Schüler pupil, school student
  • schützen to protect
  • Stühle chairs. The singular is Stuhl.
  • Süden south
  • südlich southern, south of
  • süß sweet
  • Süßigkeiten sweets. Two marks in one word: ü and ß.
  • tschüss bye
  • Tür door
  • über over, above; about
  • überall everywhere
  • überhaupt at all, in general
  • Überraschung surprise
  • Übersetzung translation. A capital Ü is Shift plus the ü key on a German keyboard.
  • übrigens by the way
  • Übung exercise, practice
  • Wünsche wishes. The singular is Wunsch.
  • wünschen to wish
  • Würfel dice; cube
  • Wüste desert
  • Züge trains. The singular is Zug.
  • Zürich Zurich
  • zurück back

Words with ß 28

  • außen outside
  • außer except, apart from
  • außerdem besides, as well
  • bloß merely; bare
  • draußen outside, outdoors
  • dreißig thirty. The only ten that ends in -ßig; the others end in -zig.
  • fleißig hard-working
  • fließen to flow
  • Fuß foot. Long u, so ß. Fluss, river, has a short u, so ss.
  • Fußball football
  • genießen to enjoy
  • gießen to pour; to water plants
  • groß big, tall. In Switzerland it is written gross: Swiss German spelling has no ß.
  • Großeltern grandparents
  • Großstadt big city
  • Gruß greeting
  • heißen to be called; to mean
  • ließ let, left. The past of lassen. The ie is long, so ß follows.
  • reißen to tear
  • Reißverschluss zip fastener. Both spellings in one word: ß after the long ei, ss after the short u.
  • schließen to close
  • schließlich finally; after all
  • Soße sauce
  • Spaß fun
  • Strauß bunch of flowers; also ostrich
  • Straße street, road. Strasse in Switzerland.
  • Straßenbahn tram
  • weiß white; also knows, from wissen

Nouns, which always start with a capital 68

  • Abend evening
  • Antwort answer
  • Arbeit work
  • Art kind, sort; manner. It does not mean art, which is Kunst.
  • Auto car
  • Bahnhof railway station
  • Baum tree
  • Bild picture
  • Billion a million million. An English billion is a Milliarde.
  • Brief letter, the kind you post. It does not mean brief.
  • Brot bread
  • Buch book
  • Buchstabe letter of the alphabet
  • Chef boss. It does not mean a cook, who is a Koch.
  • Deutsch German, the language. Languages take a capital as nouns: Ich lerne Deutsch.
  • Eltern parents
  • Essen food, a meal. With a small e, essen is the verb to eat.
  • Fabrik factory. It does not mean fabric.
  • Familie family
  • Farbe colour
  • Fisch fish
  • Frage question
  • Frau woman; Mrs or Ms before a name
  • Freund friend
  • Geld money
  • Haus house
  • Herd cooker, stove. It does not mean a herd.
  • Hose trousers. It does not mean a hose.
  • Hund dog
  • Hut hat
  • Jahr year
  • Januar January. Austria also says Jänner.
  • Kaffee coffee
  • Kind child. It does not mean kind.
  • Leben life. With a small l, leben is the verb to live.
  • Lehrer teacher
  • Lied song
  • Mann man
  • Meer sea
  • Mensch person, human being
  • Milch milk
  • Mittwoch Wednesday. Literally mid-week.
  • Mond moon
  • Montag Monday. Days of the week are nouns, so they take a capital.
  • Morgen morning. With a small m, morgen means tomorrow.
  • Musik music
  • Nacht night
  • Papier paper
  • Samstag Saturday. In the north and east you will also hear Sonnabend.
  • Schule school
  • Sommer summer
  • Sonne sun
  • Sonntag Sunday
  • Spiel game; match
  • Sprache language
  • Stadt town, city
  • Tag day
  • Tastatur keyboard
  • Taste key on a keyboard; a button. It does not mean taste.
  • Tisch table
  • Uhr clock, watch; o'clock
  • Umlaut the vowel change marked by two dots, and the name for ä, ö and ü
  • Wand wall, inside a building
  • Wasser water
  • Weg way, path. With a small w, weg means away.
  • Welt world
  • Woche week
  • Wort word

Words with z and y, the two keys that swap on a German keyboard 48

  • Arzt doctor
  • Baby baby
  • Bayern Bavaria
  • benutzen to use
  • ganz whole; quite
  • Gymnasium a secondary school that leads to university. It does not mean a gym.
  • Handy mobile phone. An English-looking word that English does not use this way.
  • Herz heart
  • Hobby hobby
  • Holz wood, the material
  • jetzt now
  • Katze cat
  • kurz short, briefly
  • Lyrik poetry. It does not mean song lyrics.
  • Party party
  • Pilz mushroom
  • Platz place, square; seat
  • Pony pony; also a fringe of hair
  • Rezept recipe; prescription. It does not mean a receipt, which is a Quittung.
  • Rhythmus rhythm
  • Salz salt
  • Satz sentence; set
  • schwarz black
  • Schweiz Switzerland. Always with its article: die Schweiz.
  • sitzen to sit
  • sympathisch likeable, nice. It does not mean sympathetic.
  • System system
  • Typ type; guy
  • typisch typical
  • Witz joke
  • Yoga yoga
  • Ypsilon the name of the letter y
  • zehn ten
  • Zeichen sign, character
  • Zeit time
  • Zeitung newspaper
  • Zimmer room
  • zu to; too
  • Zucker sugar
  • zufrieden satisfied, content
  • Zug train
  • Zukunft future
  • zusammen together
  • zwanzig twenty
  • zwei two
  • zwischen between
  • Zylinder cylinder; top hat. Both swapped keys in one word: Z first, then y.
  • Zypern Cyprus. Both swapped keys in one word.

Common words with no marks 92

  • aber but
  • acht eight
  • aktuell current, up to date. It does not mean actual.
  • alle all, everyone
  • also so, therefore. It does not mean also, which is auch.
  • alt old
  • auch also, too
  • auf on, onto
  • aus out of, from
  • bald soon. It does not mean bald.
  • bei at, near, with
  • bekommen to get, to receive. It does not mean to become, which is werden.
  • bis until, up to
  • bitte please; you're welcome
  • danke thank you, thanks
  • dann then
  • das the (neuter); that
  • dass that, joining two clauses. Spelt daß before the 1996 reform.
  • der the (masculine); also of the, to the
  • die the (feminine and plural)
  • doch yes, contradicting a no; but, after all
  • drei three
  • du you, to one person you know well
  • durch through, by
  • einfach simple, easy; simply
  • elf eleven. It does not mean an elf.
  • eventuell possibly. It does not mean eventually.
  • fast almost. It does not mean fast, which is schnell.
  • gehen to go, to walk
  • gelb yellow
  • gerne gladly. Ich lese gerne: I like reading.
  • gibt gives. Es gibt means there is or there are.
  • gut good, well
  • haben to have
  • hallo hello
  • hat has. It does not mean a hat, which is a Hut.
  • heute today
  • hier here
  • ich I. Only a capital at the start of a sentence, unlike English I.
  • immer always
  • in in, into
  • ist is
  • ja yes
  • kann can
  • keine no, not any
  • klein small
  • kommen to come
  • lesen to read
  • links left, on the left
  • man one, people in general. It does not mean man, which is Mann.
  • mehr more
  • mit with
  • muss must, has to. Spelt muß before the 1996 reform.
  • nach after; to (a place)
  • nein no
  • neu new
  • neun nine
  • nicht not
  • nichts nothing
  • noch still, yet
  • nur only
  • oder or
  • oft often
  • ohne without
  • rechts right, on the right
  • richtig right, correct
  • schnell fast, quickly
  • schreiben to write
  • sechs six
  • sehr very
  • sein to be; also his, its
  • Sie you, the polite form. Always a capital. With a small s, sie means she or they.
  • sieben seven
  • sprechen to speak
  • stark strong. It does not mean stark.
  • und and
  • verstehen to understand
  • viel much, a lot
  • vier four
  • von of, from
  • vor before, in front of; ago
  • war was, the past of ist
  • was what
  • weil because
  • wenn if, whenever
  • wer who. It does not mean where.
  • werden to become; will
  • wie how; like, as
  • wieder again
  • will wants. It does not mean will. From wollen, to want.
  • wir we
  • wo where. It does not mean who.

Short sentences 36

  • Bitte rufen Sie zurück. Please call back. Sie with a capital again: the polite you. Tatoeba sentence 11996565 by Naina.
  • Bücher sind meine Freunde. Books are my friends. Tatoeba sentence 13511184 by mhr.
  • Danke für den Brief! Thank you for the letter! Brief is a letter you post, not the English word brief. Tatoeba sentence 13380700 by Waldelfe.
  • Das Gemüse ist grün. The vegetables are green. Tatoeba sentence 8320515 by MisterTrouser.
  • Das Mädchen ist linkshändig. The girl is left-handed. Tatoeba sentence 12026046 by mayabe.
  • Der Apfel ist groß. The apple is big. Tatoeba sentence 13790984 by mhr.
  • Der Mond war schön. The moon was beautiful. Tatoeba sentence 12584991 by Waldelfe.
  • Die Küche ist unten. The kitchen is downstairs. Tatoeba sentence 3783220 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Die Türen sind offen. The doors are open. Tatoeba sentence 10774687 by toivo.
  • Draußen ist ein Kätzchen. There is a kitten outside. Tatoeba sentence 11267604 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Du hattest wirklich Glück. You were really lucky. Tatoeba sentence 10029456 by wolfgangth.
  • Essen Sie gerne Käse? Do you like eating cheese? The capital S in Sie makes it the polite you. Tatoeba sentence 10179093 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Füchse sind echt süß! Foxes are really sweet! Tatoeba sentence 11031659 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Geh über die Straße. Cross the street. Tatoeba sentence 8087424 by driini.
  • Haben Sie später Zeit? Do you have time later? Tatoeba sentence 10399308 by wannieh.
  • Hier sind fünf Bleistifte. Here are five pencils. Tatoeba sentence 927085 by Sudajaengi.
  • Ich bin zwölf Jahre alt. I am twelve years old. Tatoeba sentence 3461787 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Ich esse oft Äpfel. I often eat apples. Tatoeba sentence 8088500 by Luiaard.
  • Ich frühstücke oft hier. I often have breakfast here. Tatoeba sentence 6144984 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Ich höre eine Katze. I can hear a cat. Tatoeba sentence 13698240 by mhr.
  • Ich höre gerne Podcasts. I like listening to podcasts. Tatoeba sentence 13698210 by mhr.
  • Ich kann Probleme lösen. I can solve problems. Tatoeba sentence 13785450 by Biderl.
  • Ich komme aus Österreich. I come from Austria. Tatoeba sentence 4687549 by tarsier.
  • Ich komme um fünf. I will come at five. Tatoeba sentence 12293482 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Ich schreibe dir später. I will write to you later. Tatoeba sentence 12413037 by mhr.
  • Mehr weiß ich nicht. That is all I know. Tatoeba sentence 13732581 by Waldelfe.
  • Möchten Sie Frühstück haben? Would you like some breakfast? Tatoeba sentence 8916520 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Natürlich helfen wir dir! Of course we will help you! Tatoeba sentence 12154639 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Schwimmen ist eine gute Übung. Swimming is good exercise. Tatoeba sentence 8308450 by GuidoW.
  • Tennis spielen macht Spaß. Playing tennis is fun. Tatoeba sentence 11783867 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Viel Spaß im Kino! Have fun at the cinema! Tatoeba sentence 12088375 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Wien liegt im Osten Österreichs. Vienna is in the east of Austria. Tatoeba sentence 10738673 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Wir spielen gerne Fußball. We like playing football. Two capitals are nouns here, and Fußball needs its ß. Tatoeba sentence 6826726 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Wir sprechen über Katzen. We are talking about cats. Tatoeba sentence 12594857 by Waldelfe.
  • Wird es draußen kalt? Is it getting cold outside? Tatoeba sentence 12448005 by Pfirsichbaeumchen.
  • Wohin möchtest du denn? Where would you like to go, then? Tatoeba sentence 13728928 by Waldelfe.

How this list was compiled: Words chosen for this site from the Wiktionary frequency list 'Mixed web 3M', a Wortschatz Leipzig list built, as its page says, from the 2011 Mixed typical, 2017 Web (EU), 2019 Web public (Austria, Switzerland, Germany) and 2021 German Wikipedia 1M-sentence corpora (no film-subtitle list was used), https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Frequency_lists/German/Mixed_web_3M and its second page https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Frequency_lists/German/Mixed_web_3M/10000-50000, both read 2026-09-19. The list is older than it looks in places (it still ranks the pre-1996 spellings daß and muß and the Swiss spellings grosse and Strasse), and none of those spellings is used as an item. Every word, and every twin without its dots or ß that a note names, was checked on 2026-09-19 to have a German entry at https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ followed by the word. The English meanings were written for this site and compared with those entries, and words whose main sense is rude or slang were cut. Spelling facts quoted in the notes (ß after a long vowel or a vowel pair and ss after a short one, Buße and Busse, ss for ß in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, ss when ß is unavailable, the capital ẞ accepted in 2017): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9F. Capitals on every noun and on the polite Sie, and ae, oe, ue when the umlauts cannot be typed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_orthography. daß to dass and muß to muss in 1996: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_orthography_reform_of_1996. Diminutives in -chen always neuter: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-chen. Key positions (Z and Y swapped, Z being far more common than Y in German and often next to T; ü to the right of P; ö and ä to the right of L; ß to the right of 0): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QWERTZ and the key map at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_keyboard_layout. US-International key presses: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QWERTY (the " dead key) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AltGr_key (right Alt + q, p, y and s). Alt codes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt_code. Option key presses: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/French/Appendices/Typing_characters (Option + u is the two-dot dead key), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Option_key and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QWERTZ (Option + s for ß). Touch and hold on a phone: https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/type-with-the-onscreen-keyboard-iph3c50f96e/ios. All checked 2026-09-19. The 36 sentences come from the Tatoeba corpus, https://tatoeba.org, found 2026-09-19 with its search set to German sentences of four to eight words that have an owner who is a self-declared native speaker and a direct English translation; sentences in the pre-1996 spelling were passed over. Each is credited with its Tatoeba number and author and opens at https://tatoeba.org/en/sentences/show/ followed by the number. The English line with each sentence was checked against the linked Tatoeba translation and is often the same. Every word and sentence was read against a blocklist of rude and upsetting words. A word that fits several drills is printed once in this list, under the first heading that fits it. The drill in the Practise menu still includes it. Licence: own work (selection, grouping, glosses and notes; words checked against Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, CC BY-SA). The items in the sentences group are from Tatoeba, https://tatoeba.org, under CC BY 2.0 FR, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/fr/, each credited to its author by user name. Where the English line is the same as a Tatoeba translation, that translation is under the same licence and its author is named on the linked sentence page.

How it works

A German typing test on an English keyboard trips over four letters, ä, ö, ü and ß, and over the capital on every noun. A plain u where ü belongs is a miss, and so is strasse for Straße. The words lean on those letters on purpose, so expect a lower WPM than plain text gives.

Read the full guide

Nine drills, scored in words per minute

Nine drills sit in the Practise menu, which opens on Everything: all 484 words and sentences, shuffled. Pick one and a Test length: 15, 30 or 60 seconds. The space bar ends each word, and you get WPM and accuracy. The pairs drill shows what the dots decide: schön is beautiful and schon is already. Four drills take one letter each, from Mädchen to Fußball. The nouns drill trains Shift: Morgen is morning and morgen is tomorrow. One drill swaps z and y for a German layout, and 36 Tatoeba sentences combine everything. For a speed closer to everyday German, choose Common words with no marks.

Where ß and the dots go

ß follows a long vowel or a vowel pair, as in Fuß and heißen. After a short vowel German writes ss, which is why the 1996 spelling reform changed dass and muss. Dots often mark a plural: one Apfel, two Äpfel.

  • On a German layout Z sits between T and U, and Y drops to the bottom left. That is why Zylinder can come out as Yzlinder.
  • For German typing practice on the US-International layout, the double quote is a dead key: press it, then a, o or u. Add a space for a real quotation mark.
  • Each noun takes Shift, and so does the polite Sie: with a small s, sie means she or they.

Questions and answers

How do I type ä, ö, ü and ß without a German keyboard?

Every method is in the first group under Show all 484 words and sentences. On a Mac, press Option + u then the vowel, and Option + s for ß. On Windows, hold Alt and type 0228, 0246, 0252 or 0223 on the number pad, or use the US-International layout, where right Alt + s gives ß. On a phone, touch and hold the plain letter.

Why was ae or ss marked wrong?

The match is letter for letter. German accepts ae, oe, ue and ss only as stand-ins when the real letters cannot be typed. Dots also change the word: zählen is to count and zahlen is to pay.

Does the Swiss spelling Strasse count as correct?

Not here. Switzerland and Liechtenstein write ss for every ß, so Strasse is right there, but this test follows the standard spelling used in Germany and Austria and wants Straße.

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