The German Consonant: K
The German letter 'k' is pronounced as in the English word 'book'. As already stated, in German there is no silent letters. Thus, English speakers might be confused a little when encountering the German 'kn' combination; as both the 'k' and the 'n' are pronounced.
Click on the examples in the table below to hear how words containing the letter 'k' are pronounced in the German language.
| Examples with Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Letter 'k' in initial position | ||
| kaufen - to buy | Kopf - head | König - king |
| Krieg - war | Klang - tone | Küche - kitchen |
| Letter 'k' in medial position | ||
| Apotheke - drugstore | denken - to think | Dokument - document |
| dunkel - dark | nackt - naked | Laken - bed sheet |
| Letter 'k' in final position | ||
| züruck - back | Streik - strike | Glück - luck |
| blank - bright | Kalk - lime | Tabak - tobacco |
| 'kn' letter combination | ||
| Knie - knee | Knopf - button | Kneipe - pub/bar |
As you could see, the German letter 'k' is pretty simple. Just remember that it's always pronounced, unlike in English, where it might be silent in some words.