Old Spelling Patterns

The German language did not settle into (more or less) consistent spelling patterns until the latter half of the 19th century, and spelling was not officially regulated until 1902. (The most recent "official" spelling changes were instituted in 1996 but that's not what this page is about.)

If you are familiar with older spelling patterns, you may be able to find words in a modern German dictionary that you thought weren't there. Knowledge of the general rules of pronunciation will also help you guess at alternative spellings if you can't find a word under one spelling. Here are some common old spelling variations:

OLD

MODERN

EXAMPLES

REMARKS

b

p

Probst>Propst

Following a vowel, b and p are both voiceless.
 

c

k

Casse>Kasse

Common in words of Latin origin before a, o, and u
 

c

z

Centner>Zentner

Common in words of Latin origin before vowels e and i
 

ch

K

Churfürst>Kurfürst

Seen in 17th-century documents
 

ck, ckh

k

Tagwerckh>Tagwerk

The h was used more often in the 17th century
 

dt

t, d

Brodt>Brot
Feldt>Feld

Both consonants are unvoiced at the end of a syllable
 

e

ä

Mer(t)z>März
Becker>Bäcker

These two vowels are pronounced the same in many German-speaking areas.
 

eu

ei

Heurath>Heirat

Reflects dialect pronunciation (hoy>high)
 

ey, ay

ei, ai

Baiern>Bayern
Heyrath>Heirat
zwey>zwei

All four of these diphthongs are pronounced the same (rhyme with English eye)
 

g

ch

Mädgen>Mädchen

Reflects dialect pronunciation
 

ß (=ss)

s

Hanß>Hans
Haußfrau>Hausfrau

often used interchangeably with unvoiced s in older texts
 

th

t

Thür>Tür, Wirth>Wirt

German th is pronounced like t
 

tz

z

Mertz>März
Frantz>Franz

German z is pronounced like tz (as in Mozart)
 

ü

i

Hülfe>Hilfe

German ü is pronounced like i in some dialects
 

u

au

uf>auf

German ü is pronounced like i in some dialects
 

umb

um

warumb>warum