Lautverschiebung

sound shift

noun LOWT-fer-shee-bung Rare

Usage Note

Lautverschiebung is a systematic historical change in the pronunciation of consonants in a language. The Hochdeutsche Lautverschiebung (High German consonant shift, 5th–8th century) explains why German machen corresponds to English make and Wasser to water. A foundational concept in Germanic historical linguistics.

Examples

"Die zweite Lautverschiebung erklärt viele Unterschiede zwischen Hochdeutsch und Englisch."

Natural Translation

The second sound shift explains many differences between High German and English.

Literal Translation

The second sound shift explains many differences between High German and English.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Compound Words: How to Read Any Long Word

Read any long German word by working right-to-left: the last noun sets the meaning and gender, and the small linking letters are just glue. Here's the drill.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

Bitte in German: Please, You're Welcome, and More

Bitte means please, you're welcome, here you go, and pardon in German. Learn all the meanings, bitte schön vs bitte sehr, and the danke-bitte rule.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

Weil vs Denn vs Da: "Because" in German

Weil and da send the verb to the end; denn keeps it in second position. Here's how to pick the right German "because" and place the verb correctly.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

Der, Die, Das: Rules to Guess German Gender

German noun gender rules made simple: check the suffix first, then meaning. Endings like -ung, -chen, and -ling predict der, die, or das with ~90% accuracy.

June 5, 2026 6 min read