German Numbers: How to Count from 1 to 100 (and Beyond)
If you're learning German, numbers are one of the first things you'll actually need. Try ordering two coffees without them. Or reading a train schedule. Or telling someone your phone number.
German numbers mostly follow a logical system, which is a relief. But there's one quirk that catches every English speaker off guard. We'll get to that.
German numbers 1 to 20
Let's start with the basics. These are the numbers you'll use most, so it's worth getting comfortable with how they sound.
| Number | German | Pronunciation hint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | eins | "eye-ns" |
| 2 | zwei | "tsvy" |
| 3 | drei | "dry" |
| 4 | vier | "feer" |
| 5 | fünf | "fewnf" |
| 6 | sechs | "zex" |
| 7 | sieben | "ZEE-ben" |
| 8 | acht | "ahkt" |
| 9 | neun | "noyn" |
| 10 | zehn | "tsayn" |
| 11 | elf | "elf" |
| 12 | zwölf | "tsvurlf" |
| 13 | dreizehn | "DRY-tsayn" |
| 14 | vierzehn | "FEER-tsayn" |
| 15 | fünfzehn | "FEWNF-tsayn" |
| 16 | sechzehn | "ZESH-tsayn" |
| 17 | siebzehn | "ZEEP-tsayn" |
| 18 | achtzehn | "AHKT-tsayn" |
| 19 | neunzehn | "NOYN-tsayn" |
| 20 | zwanzig | "TSVAN-tsig" |
A few things to notice here. The numbers 1-12 are all their own words, just like in English. From 13 onward, German follows the same pattern as English "thirteen, fourteen" — just add -zehn (the German version of "-teen") to the single digit.
Watch out for 16 and 17. They drop a syllable: sechzehn, not "sechszehn." Siebzehn, not "siebenzehn." This is just German being efficient.
The big quirk: German numbers are backwards
This is where English speakers hit a wall. In German, two-digit numbers are said backwards: ones digit first, then the tens.
Twenty-three? In German, that's dreiundzwanzig — literally "three-and-twenty."
Forty-seven? Siebenundvierzig — "seven-and-forty."
This isn't optional. It's how every two-digit number above 20 works. And yes, it takes a while to stop translating in your head. If you've ever read old English ("four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie"), you've actually seen this pattern before. German just never stopped doing it.
German numbers 1 to 30
Here are the twenties spelled out, so you can see the reversed pattern in action:
| Number | German |
|---|---|
| 21 | einundzwanzig |
| 22 | zweiundzwanzig |
| 23 | dreiundzwanzig |
| 24 | vierundzwanzig |
| 25 | fünfundzwanzig |
| 26 | sechsundzwanzig |
| 27 | siebenundzwanzig |
| 28 | achtundzwanzig |
| 29 | neunundzwanzig |
| 30 | dreißig |
Note that 30 is dreißig, not "dreizig." The ß (eszett) shows up here and nowhere else in the tens. It's pronounced "DRY-sig."
German numbers 1 to 100: the tens
Once you know the tens, you can build any number in between using the reversed pattern.
| Number | German | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | zehn | "tsayn" |
| 20 | zwanzig | "TSVAN-tsig" |
| 30 | dreißig | "DRY-sig" |
| 40 | vierzig | "FEER-tsig" |
| 50 | fünfzig | "FEWNF-tsig" |
| 60 | sechzig | "ZESH-tsig" |
| 70 | siebzig | "ZEEP-tsig" |
| 80 | achtzig | "AHKT-tsig" |
| 90 | neunzig | "NOYN-tsig" |
| 100 | hundert | "HOON-dert" |
Same pattern as before: sechzig drops the "s" from sechs, and siebzig drops the "en" from sieben.
To form any number between these, take the ones digit, add und (and), then the tens digit. So 54 is vierundfünfzig. 88 is achtundachtzig. 99 is neunundneunzig (which you might recognize if you've ever heard the song "99 Luftballons").
Beyond 100: big numbers in German
Past 100, the system actually gets easier.
- 100 = hundert (or einhundert)
- 200 = zweihundert
- 300 = dreihundert
- 1,000 = tausend (or eintausend)
- 10,000 = zehntausend
- 100,000 = hunderttausend
- 1,000,000 = eine Million
For compound numbers, you build them the way you'd expect: 253 is zweihundertdreiundfünfzig. Yes, it's one long word. German writes compound numbers as a single word (up to a million, at least). It looks intimidating on paper, but when you say it out loud, it breaks down into pieces you already know: zweihundert + drei + und + fünfzig.
One formatting note: where English uses commas in large numbers (1,000), German uses periods (1.000). And where English uses a decimal point (3.50), German uses a comma (3,50). This trips people up when reading prices. A price tag showing "3.499,00" means three thousand four hundred ninety-nine euros, not three point four nine nine.
Pronunciation tips for numbers in German
A few sounds come up repeatedly in German numbers that don't exist in English.
The letter Z is always "ts," so zwei sounds like "tsvy," not "zwy." V sounds like an English "f" (vier = "feer"), and W sounds like an English "v" (zwanzig starts with "tsv"). The umlaut Ü is like saying "ee" with rounded lips, which is why fünf takes a few tries.
Two vowel combos worth memorizing: EI always sounds like English "eye" (eins, drei, dreißig), and IE always sounds like "ee" (vier, sieben). Mixing these up changes the word entirely.
One real-world thing: zwei and drei sound similar enough on a bad phone connection that Germans sometimes say zwo instead of zwei to avoid confusion. If someone says zwo to you, they mean 2.
Common mistakes with German numbers
The most common one: saying numbers in the English order. If you say "zwanzig-drei" instead of dreiundzwanzig, a German speaker will understand you, but it'll sound wrong. The reversed order is just how it works.
People also forget the und. It's dreiundzwanzig, not "dreizwanzig." Every time.
Then there's the zwei / drei confusion. They sound more alike than you'd expect, especially when someone's talking fast. Practice them back to back until the difference is automatic.
And watch out for the decimal system. German commas are decimal separators, and periods are thousands separators. A price of €1.500 is one thousand five hundred euros, not one euro fifty.
Where you'll actually use German numbers
You'll hit numbers constantly. At a shop: "Das kostet neununddreißig Euro fünfzig" (€39.50). Checking the time: "Es ist vierzehn Uhr dreißig" (14:30, because Germany uses 24-hour time in most contexts).
Phone numbers are read in pairs, which takes getting used to. 89 73 42 becomes "neunundachtzig, dreiundsiebzig, zweiundvierzig." Addresses put the house number after the street: "Berliner Straße zweiunddreißig" for Berliner Straße 32. And dates put the day first: 04.07. is July 4th, spoken as "der vierte Juli."
You can read about this all day, but practice is what makes it stick
The reversed number order is the kind of thing that won't click from reading alone. You have to use the numbers until your brain stops routing through English.
We built a few games specifically for this:
The Number Tap Game shows you a number and you tap the matching German word. It's the easiest starting point, pure recognition. Numbers from Words flips it around: you read the German and pick the right digit, which forces you to actually parse words like siebenunddreißig instead of glossing over them. And Numbers to Words is the hardest, because you have to produce the German word yourself.
Start wherever feels right. The reversed order that seems so awkward at first does become second nature, but only if you actually practice it. A few minutes a day is enough.