German · Difficult words
How to pronounce acht in German
acht
Eight
Standard German · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
acht is pronounced /axt/ in German. In acht: Keep the back of the tongue near the soft palate and release a stream of air, as in Scottish “loch”. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in acht
The reference transcription for acht is /axt/. Read adjacent consonants together without inserting extra vowels. Listen for the vowel quality and timing in the full recording; this reference does not mark a separate main stress.
1.The back ch sound /x/
In acht: Keep the back of the tongue near the soft palate and release a stream of air, as in Scottish “loch”.
Watch out: Do not close the airflow completely as you would for k.
2.An open vowel
In acht: Open the jaw for the a-like vowel shown in the IPA. Keep it continuous and follow the recording’s tongue position.
Watch out: Do not substitute the English diphthong in “day”.
Hear it in context
Der Bus kommt um acht.
The bus comes at eight.
Listen once, say it aloud, then replay at 1.00×. Keep the word connected to the surrounding sentence rather than giving every syllable equal weight.
Pronunciation and variety
acht is presented using Standard German. Regional accents and connected speech can change details. The isolated word and the example let you compare the dictionary form with a short spoken context.
The English-style respelling is approximate. Use the IPA and recording together for vowel quality and consonants that do not have an exact English equivalent.
Meaning and everyday use
Questions about acht
How do you pronounce acht?
acht is pronounced /axt/ in German. In acht: Keep the back of the tongue near the soft palate and release a stream of air, as in Scottish “loch”. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In acht: Keep the back of the tongue near the soft palate and release a stream of air, as in Scottish “loch”. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
