German · Difficult words
How to pronounce rechts in German
rechts
Right (direction)
Standard German · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
rechts is pronounced /ʁɛçt͡s/ in German. In rechts: Raise the tongue toward the hard palate and let air flow through a narrow gap. The sound is light and unvoiced. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in rechts
The reference transcription for rechts is /ʁɛçt͡s/. 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 ich sound /ç/
In rechts: Raise the tongue toward the hard palate and let air flow through a narrow gap. The sound is light and unvoiced.
Watch out: English sh uses a different tongue position. Do not replace /ç/ with k.
2.The joined /ts/ sound
In rechts: 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 rechts: 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
Gleich rechts in die Seitenstraße.
Right into the side street in a moment.
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
rechts 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 rechts
How do you pronounce rechts?
rechts is pronounced /ʁɛçt͡s/ in German. In rechts: Raise the tongue toward the hard palate and let air flow through a narrow gap. The sound is light and unvoiced. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In rechts: Raise the tongue toward the hard palate and let air flow through a narrow gap. The sound is light and unvoiced. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
