German Numbers 1-100: Counting Rules and Pronunciation Guide

German numbers from 1 to 100 are highly regular once the core pieces are clear. Think of them as key components: small parts snap together in a predictable way, and pronunciation follows a few repeatable rules. This page focuses on counting, spelling, and pronunciation tips for everyday use.

Sound Guide For Pronunciation

z usually sounds like ts: zwei ≈ TSVAI.
w sounds like v: zwei includes a “v” sound in the middle.
v often sounds like f: vier ≈ FEER.
ch has two common values: after a, o, u it can be like “Bach”; after e, i it is softer (a light hiss).
ü and ö are front vowels. A practical spelling tip: ü is often typed as ue and ö as oe (for example, fünf → fuenf).
ß is pronounced like ss: dreißig can be written as dreissig where ß is unavailable.

For the pronunciation hints below, capitalized cues (like TSVAI) are designed for English readers. They are not a strict phonetic alphabet; they are a practical guide to sound and rhythm.

Building German Numbers

Core Pieces

1–12 are mostly unique forms: eins, zwei, drei … zwölf.
13–19 typically use -zehn (“ten”): dreizehn, vierzehn, neunzehn.
20 is zwanzig, and 30 is dreißig.
40–90 follow a clean pattern: vierzig, fünfzig, sechzig, siebzig, achtzig, neunzig.
100 is hundert (often also seen as einhundert).

The “Backwards” Part

From 21 to 99 (except exact tens), German often puts the ones before the tens with und (“and”). It can feel like reading time in a mirror: one-and-twenty, two-and-thirty.

21 = einundzwanzig (literally “one-and-twenty”).
34 = vierunddreißig.
58 = achtundfünfzig.

Important detail: the “one” part becomes ein (not eins) inside compound numbers: einundzwanzig, einunddreißig, einundvierzig.

Core Patterns And Exceptions

What Changes	Example	Why It Matters	Pronunciation Hint
16 drops an “s”	sechzehn	Not sechszehn in standard spelling	ZEKH-tsayn
17 shortens	siebzehn	Not siebenzehn	ZEEP-tsayn
30 uses ß	dreißig	Also written dreissig if needed	DRY-sig
60 short form	sechzig	Not sechszig	ZEKH-tsig
70 short form	siebzig	Not sieb(en)zig in standard spelling	ZEEP-tsig
“One” inside compounds	einundzwanzig	ein replaces eins	INE-unt-TSVAHN-tsig
Exact tens	vierzig	No und for 40, 50, 60…	FEER-tsig
100 form	hundert / einhundert	Both appear in real-world text	HOON-dert

Numbers 1–20 With Pronunciation

Number	German	Easy Pronunciation	Small Note
1	eins	EYNTS	Counting form; before nouns often ein
2	zwei	TSVAI	z → “ts”
3	drei	DRAI	Single syllable
4	vier	FEER	v often sounds like “f”
5	fünf	FUENF	Also typed fuenf
6	sechs	ZEKS	Ends with “ks”
7	sieben	ZEE-ben	Often reduced in fast speech
8	acht	AKHT	ch like “Bach” here
9	neun	NOYN	Rhymes loosely with “coin”
10	zehn	TSAYN	Long vowel in careful speech
11	elf	ELF	Looks like English “elf”
12	zwölf	TSVOELF	Also typed zwoelf
13	dreizehn	DRAI-tsayn	Uses -zehn
14	vierzehn	FEER-tsayn	Clear “t” in zehn
15	fünfzehn	FUENF-tsayn	Keep fünf audible
16	sechzehn	ZEKH-tsayn	Short spelling
17	siebzehn	ZEEP-tsayn	Short spelling
18	achtzehn	AKHT-tsayn	Two consonants meet: chtz
19	neunzehn	NOYN-tsayn	Steady rhythm
20	zwanzig	TSVAHN-tsig	Final sound often “-tsig”

Full List 1–100

Each entry shows number, German spelling, and a short pronunciation cue. Compound numbers use the pattern ones + und + tens.

Open The Complete 1–100 List

1 — eins (EYNTS)
2 — zwei (TSVAI)
3 — drei (DRAI)
4 — vier (FEER)
5 — fünf (FUENF)
6 — sechs (ZEKS)
7 — sieben (ZEE-ben)
8 — acht (AKHT)
9 — neun (NOYN)
10 — zehn (TSAYN)
11 — elf (ELF)
12 — zwölf (TSVOELF)
13 — dreizehn (DRAI-tsayn)
14 — vierzehn (FEER-tsayn)
15 — fünfzehn (FUENF-tsayn)
16 — sechzehn (ZEKH-tsayn)
17 — siebzehn (ZEEP-tsayn)
18 — achtzehn (AKHT-tsayn)
19 — neunzehn (NOYN-tsayn)
20 — zwanzig (TSVAHN-tsig)
21 — einundzwanzig (INE-unt-TSVAHN-tsig)
22 — zweiundzwanzig (TSVAI-unt-TSVAHN-tsig)
23 — dreiundzwanzig (DRAI-unt-TSVAHN-tsig)
24 — vierundzwanzig (FEER-unt-TSVAHN-tsig)
25 — fünfundzwanzig (FUENF-unt-TSVAHN-tsig)

26 — sechsundzwanzig (ZEKS-unt-TSVAHN-tsig)
27 — siebenundzwanzig (ZEE-ben-unt-TSVAHN-tsig)
28 — achtundzwanzig (AKHT-unt-TSVAHN-tsig)
29 — neunundzwanzig (NOYN-unt-TSVAHN-tsig)
30 — dreißig (DRY-sig)
31 — einunddreißig (INE-unt-DRY-sig)
32 — zweiunddreißig (TSVAI-unt-DRY-sig)
33 — dreiunddreißig (DRAI-unt-DRY-sig)
34 — vierunddreißig (FEER-unt-DRY-sig)
35 — fünfunddreißig (FUENF-unt-DRY-sig)
36 — sechsunddreißig (ZEKS-unt-DRY-sig)
37 — siebenunddreißig (ZEE-ben-unt-DRY-sig)
38 — achtunddreißig (AKHT-unt-DRY-sig)
39 — neununddreißig (NOYN-unt-DRY-sig)
40 — vierzig (FEER-tsig)
41 — einundvierzig (INE-unt-FEER-tsig)
42 — zweiundvierzig (TSVAI-unt-FEER-tsig)
43 — dreiundvierzig (DRAI-unt-FEER-tsig)
44 — vierundvierzig (FEER-unt-FEER-tsig)
45 — fünfundvierzig (FUENF-unt-FEER-tsig)
46 — sechsundvierzig (ZEKS-unt-FEER-tsig)
47 — siebenundvierzig (ZEE-ben-unt-FEER-tsig)
48 — achtundvierzig (AKHT-unt-FEER-tsig)
49 — neunundvierzig (NOYN-unt-FEER-tsig)
50 — fünfzig (FUENF-tsig)

51 — einundfünfzig (INE-unt-FUENF-tsig)
52 — zweiundfünfzig (TSVAI-unt-FUENF-tsig)
53 — dreiundfünfzig (DRAI-unt-FUENF-tsig)
54 — vierundfünfzig (FEER-unt-FUENF-tsig)
55 — fünfundfünfzig (FUENF-unt-FUENF-tsig)
56 — sechsundfünfzig (ZEKS-unt-FUENF-tsig)
57 — siebenundfünfzig (ZEE-ben-unt-FUENF-tsig)
58 — achtundfünfzig (AKHT-unt-FUENF-tsig)
59 — neunundfünfzig (NOYN-unt-FUENF-tsig)
60 — sechzig (ZEKH-tsig)
61 — einundsechzig (INE-unt-ZEKH-tsig)
62 — zweiundsechzig (TSVAI-unt-ZEKH-tsig)
63 — dreiundsechzig (DRAI-unt-ZEKH-tsig)
64 — vierundsechzig (FEER-unt-ZEKH-tsig)
65 — fünfundsechzig (FUENF-unt-ZEKH-tsig)
66 — sechsundsechzig (ZEKS-unt-ZEKH-tsig)
67 — siebenundsechzig (ZEE-ben-unt-ZEKH-tsig)
68 — achtundsechzig (AKHT-unt-ZEKH-tsig)
69 — neunundsechzig (NOYN-unt-ZEKH-tsig)
70 — siebzig (ZEEP-tsig)
71 — einundsiebzig (INE-unt-ZEEP-tsig)
72 — zweiundsiebzig (TSVAI-unt-ZEEP-tsig)
73 — dreiundsiebzig (DRAI-unt-ZEEP-tsig)
74 — vierundsiebzig (FEER-unt-ZEEP-tsig)
75 — fünfundsiebzig (FUENF-unt-ZEEP-tsig)

76 — sechsundsiebzig (ZEKS-unt-ZEEP-tsig)
77 — siebenundsiebzig (ZEE-ben-unt-ZEEP-tsig)
78 — achtundsiebzig (AKHT-unt-ZEEP-tsig)
79 — neunundsiebzig (NOYN-unt-ZEEP-tsig)
80 — achtzig (AKHT-tsig)
81 — einundachtzig (INE-unt-AKHT-tsig)
82 — zweiundachtzig (TSVAI-unt-AKHT-tsig)
83 — dreiundachtzig (DRAI-unt-AKHT-tsig)
84 — vierundachtzig (FEER-unt-AKHT-tsig)
85 — fünfundachtzig (FUENF-unt-AKHT-tsig)
86 — sechsundachtzig (ZEKS-unt-AKHT-tsig)
87 — siebenundachtzig (ZEE-ben-unt-AKHT-tsig)
88 — achtundachtzig (AKHT-unt-AKHT-tsig)
89 — neunundachtzig (NOYN-unt-AKHT-tsig)
90 — neunzig (NOYN-tsig)
91 — einundneunzig (INE-unt-NOYN-tsig)
92 — zweiundneunzig (TSVAI-unt-NOYN-tsig)
93 — dreiundneunzig (DRAI-unt-NOYN-tsig)
94 — vierundneunzig (FEER-unt-NOYN-tsig)
95 — fünfundneunzig (FUENF-unt-NOYN-tsig)
96 — sechsundneunzig (ZEKS-unt-NOYN-tsig)
97 — siebenundneunzig (ZEE-ben-unt-NOYN-tsig)
98 — achtundneunzig (AKHT-unt-NOYN-tsig)
99 — neunundneunzig (NOYN-unt-NOYN-tsig)
100 — hundert (HOON-dert)

Tip for clarity: when reading out loud, give und a light touch and keep the main stress on the tens part, especially in longer numbers like neunundneunzig.

Everyday Usage Notes

Eins is common for counting and standalone “one.” Before a noun, German often uses ein, eine, or another form depending on grammar.
For phone numbers and codes, it is normal to say digits separately rather than forming big compounds.
For prices and times, the ones-before-tens structure matters: 42 is zweiundvierzig (two-and-forty), not “forty-two” order.
Umlauts are meaningful in writing: fünf and zwölf keep their dots. If typing without umlauts, ue/oe/ae is the standard workaround.

A helpful mental picture: German compounds often place the “small coin” first and the “big bill” last. One-and-twenty, eight-and-fifty. The total still arrives on time.

Practice Ideas That Stay Simple

Count up by tens: 10, 20, 30… 100 to lock in the rhythm.
Then add one set: 21–29 repeats the same frame.
Read two-digit numbers aloud in pairs: 34, 48, 57, 63.

Pick “tricky” anchors: 16, 17, 30, 60, 70.
Write a short list of quantities (1–10) and read them with the German spellings.
Use real items: pages, steps, seats—numbers feel natural when tied to something visible.

FAQ

Why does German say 21 as “einundzwanzig”?

German commonly places the ones before the tens and links them with und. So 21 becomes ein + und + zwanzig.

When is it “eins” and when is it “ein”?

eins is the typical standalone counting form. Inside compound numbers, German uses ein: einundzwanzig, einunddreißig. Before nouns, forms like ein or eine appear depending on grammar.

What are the most common spelling surprises in 1–100?

sechzehn (16) and siebzehn (17) are shortened forms.
dreißig (30) uses ß (often typed as ss).
sechzig (60) and siebzig (70) are the standard spellings.

Is “hundert” the same as “einhundert”?

Both appear in real usage. hundert is a clean form for 100, while einhundert is also common and can feel explicit. The meaning remains the same.

How should “fünf” and “zwölf” be typed without umlauts?

A standard workaround is ue for ü and oe for ö. So fünf becomes fuenf, and zwölf becomes zwoelf.