German · Difficult words
How to pronounce Kopfschmerzen in German
Kopfschmerzen
Headache
Standard German · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
Kopfschmerzen is pronounced [ˈkɔp͡fˌʃmɛʁt͡sən] in German. In Kopfschmerzen: Keep a narrow channel for air and use a soft “sh” sound. In clusters, connect it directly to the following consonant. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in Kopfschmerzen
Read Kopfschmerzen in these IPA segments: ˈkɔp͡f · ˌʃmɛʁt͡sən. Dots and stress marks identify the boundaries shown in the reference; these symbols are not English spelling. The mark /ˈ/ comes immediately before the main stressed syllable. Give that syllable a little more prominence without swallowing the others.
1.The sh sound /ʃ/
In Kopfschmerzen: Keep a narrow channel for air and use a soft “sh” sound. In clusters, connect it directly to the following consonant.
Watch out: Do not insert an extra vowel inside a consonant cluster.
2.The joined /ts/ sound
In Kopfschmerzen: Make a short t closure and release it straight into s, as at the end of English “cats”.
Watch out: Do not read German z as the voiced z in English “zoo”.
3.The open /ɛ/ vowel
In Kopfschmerzen: Keep the vowel open, like the vowel in many pronunciations of English “bed”, without a final glide.
Watch out: Avoid turning this vowel into English “ay”.
Hear it in context
Ich habe heute starke Kopfschmerzen.
I have a bad headache today.
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
Kopfschmerzen 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 Kopfschmerzen
How do you pronounce Kopfschmerzen?
Kopfschmerzen is pronounced [ˈkɔp͡fˌʃmɛʁt͡sən] in German. In Kopfschmerzen: Keep a narrow channel for air and use a soft “sh” sound. In clusters, connect it directly to the following consonant. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In Kopfschmerzen: Keep a narrow channel for air and use a soft “sh” sound. In clusters, connect it directly to the following consonant. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
