German · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "danke" in German?

Q: How do you pronounce danke in German?

danke is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈdaŋ.kə/. It means “thank you.” DAHNG-kuh. The n turns into the 'ng' of sing before the k, and the final e is a soft 'uh' that genuinely has to be said.

DAHNG-kuh. The n turns into the 'ng' of sing before the k, and the final e is a soft 'uh' that genuinely has to be said.

danke /ˈdaŋ.kə/

Two syllables with the weight firmly on DAN-, the second trailing off soft and short. Because the word so often closes an exchange, its pitch usually falls across the whole thing; a rising danke sounds like you are asking whether thanks are in order.

Listen: danke

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Sound it out

d A crisp d, but with less breath than the English one — the tongue touches and releases quickly.

an The a is a short, open 'ah', and the n assimilates to the k behind it, becoming the ng of singer. This happens automatically, exactly as in English think.

k A clear, lightly aspirated k.

e The final -e is a schwa, the vowel at the end of sofa. Never silent, never 'ay'.

Hear it in a sentence

Danke für deine Hilfe.

Thanks for your help.

Listen: Danke für deine Hilfe.

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Danke für deine Hilfe puts für directly after the thanks, and für takes the accusative — which is why it is deine Hilfe rather than deiner. Hilfe ends in the same unstressed schwa as danke, so the sentence carries two little 'uh' endings; keeping both light is what makes it sound spoken rather than recited.

Where English speakers slip

Two habits collide here. English speakers borrow a spelling pronunciation for the final e and produce 'DAN-kee' or 'DAHN-kay', when German wants a colourless 'uh'. And many fight to keep a plain n before the k, which is physically awkward — let it become 'ng' the way English already does without thinking in bank and thank.