German · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "das Hemd" in German?

dass HEMT. A breathed h, a short open e, and the final d hardening into a t.

das Hemd /das hɛmt/

A clipped vowel and a two-consonant close. The plural Hemden adds a syllabic-n ending, which puts the d in front of a vowel-like sound and restores its voicing — so the plural has a genuine d where the singular has a t.

Listen: das Hemd

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

Sound it out

H An h you can hear. It is silent only after a vowel, never at the start.

e The e of when, clipped by the consonant behind it.

m A plain m, made with both lips and fully voiced.

d Devoiced to t at the end of the word, giving an md cluster that comes out as 'mt'.

Hear it in a sentence

Das Hemd hängt im Schrank.

The shirt is hanging in the wardrobe.

Listen: Das Hemd hängt im Schrank.

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

Das Hemd hängt im Schrank has hängt with the umlauted ä and a velar nasal before its t, and Schrank opening on sh plus a throaty r and closing on another velar nasal plus k. So the sentence is a workout in nasals and clusters.

Where English speakers slip

The md sequence at the end is unusual and learners either voice the d or insert a small vowel to separate the consonants. German does neither: the m runs straight into a t. Practise it slowly as 'hem' plus 't' with no gap, and let the final consonant be crisply released.