Free German pronunciation test
Say five short German words — nicht, Buch, über, rot, zwei — and get instant AI scores for each word and each sound in it. The five words cover German's signature sounds: both ch sounds, the ü, the back-of-mouth r, and the /ts/ of z. Two minutes, no account needed.
nicht
For the soft ch, say a long 'y' as in 'yes' but push more air and switch the voice off — the air hisses gently over the middle of the tongue.
not
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Scores rank your own sounds against each other so you know what to drill first. They are not an accuracy certificate and not an exam grade.
The sounds that decide your accent
The long ü (über)
Say the long 'ie' of 'Liebe' and, keeping the tongue exactly there, round the lips into a tight circle as for whistling: über, früh, Bücher.
The short ü (fünf)
Say the short 'i' of 'bitte' and round the lips while the tongue stays forward: fünf, müssen, Glück. Shorter and looser than the ü in 'über'.
The long ö (schön)
Say the long 'e' of 'gehen' and keep the tongue there while rounding the lips forward. Hold it long and steady: schön, hören.
The short ö (möchte)
Say the short 'e' of 'Bett' and, without moving the tongue, round the lips into a small circle. The lip rounding is what makes it ö.
The soft ch (nicht)
Say a long 'y' as in English 'yes' but push more air and switch the voice off: the middle of the tongue rises high near the front and the air hisses gently over it. Comes after e, i, ä, ö, ü and in the -ig ending.
The hard ch (Buch)
The back of the tongue rises toward the roof of the mouth — the 'k' place — but instead of blocking the air it lets it scrape through. Comes only after a, o, u, au.
Questions
How does the test work?+
You record five words in your browser. Each recording is scored by a commercial speech-assessment engine, word by word and sound by sound, against its reference model of standard German. You see your results immediately.
What do my scores mean?+
German scoring is ranking-based: scores compare your attempts against the engine's reference model, so the useful reading is relative — which of your sounds score lowest, and whether a sound improves when you re-record it. They are not per-sound accuracy percentages.
Do I need an account or the app?+
No. The test runs free in the browser with no signup. To keep practicing after the test — full word library, per-sound drills, progress over time — you continue in the free TonePerfect app.
What do I need for it to work?+
A microphone and a quiet room. Allow mic access when the browser asks, speak at normal volume about a hand's width from the mic, and say only the word shown.
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