German · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Wave (sea)" in German: Welle

die Welle

Say it: dee VEL-uhfeminine · die Wellenoun/diː ˈvɛlə/

A sea wave in German is die Welle. Say Die Wellen sind heute hoch for high waves. Wave as a hand greeting is winken — a different word.

North Sea day

Die erste Welle war kalt und salzig.
The first wave was cold and salty.
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How to pronounce Welle

Say it

dee VEL-uh

/diː ˈvɛlə/

dee VEL-uh. Short e; double l clear; final -e uh.

"Wave (sea)" in German: quick reference

GermanEnglish
die Wellewave

Singular.

die Wellenwaves

Plural.

hohe Wellenhigh waves

Sea state.

Wellenreitensurfing

Sport.

How to use Welle in real life

  1. 1North Sea day

    Die erste Welle war kalt und salzig.

    The first wave was cold and salty.

    Die Welle.

  2. 2Swimming warning

    Bei so hohen Wellen bleibe ich am Strand.

    With such high waves I'll stay on the beach.

    Wellen plural.

  3. 3Kids playing

    Pass auf, da kommt eine große Welle!

    Watch out, a big wave is coming!

    Eine große Welle.

Mistakes English speakers make with Welle

Incorrect: der Wave

Correct: die Welle

Use Welle.

Incorrect: Ich Welle dir. (for greeting)

Correct: Ich winke dir.

Hand waves use winken; Welle is the water wave.

Good to know

Baltic and North Sea beaches talk about Wellen constantly in summer forecasts. Surfers chase better Wellen farther afield, often abroad.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Deciding whether to swim

  1. ChatPal

    Sieht das Wasser okay aus?

    Does the water look okay?

  2. You

    Die Wellen sind ziemlich hoch heute.

    The waves are pretty high today.

  3. ChatPal

    Dann nur bis zur ersten Welle.

    Then only as far as the first wave.

  4. You

    Einverstanden. Sicherheit zuerst.

    Agreed. Safety first.

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"Wave (sea)" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Wave (sea)" in German

How do you say wave in German?

Die Welle.

Plural?

Die Wellen.

High waves?

Hohe Wellen.

Hand wave?

Winken — different verb.

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