German pronunciation: fühlen and füllen

The idea

Focus on the stressed vowel: fühlen has a long ü; füllen has a short ü. Listen to each full example, then repeat the target word and return to the sentence. Long and short vowel categories can differ in quality as well as duration, so simply holding an otherwise identical sound longer is not a complete technique. Use the linked dictionary pronunciation guidance to interpret a model.

Patterns to compare

Wort	Bedeutung
fühlen	etwas empfinden
füllen	Inhalt hineingeben

Avoid merging the target vowels

• „fühlen“ und „füllen“ brauchen hier keinen hörbaren Vokalunterschied. → fühlen hat ein langes ü; füllen hat ein kurzes ü.

  The contrast carries meaning: fühlen is feel; füllen is fill. Compare both duration and vowel quality with a dictionary model. This task does not assign an automated pronunciation score.

Examples

• Wir fühlen den kalten Wind am Fluss.We feel the cold wind by the river.fühlen means feel here. Compare the stressed vowel with the neighbouring example; fühlen has a long ü; füllen has a short ü.
• Die Gäste füllen ihre Gläser mit Wasser.The guests fill their glasses with water.füllen means fill here. Compare the stressed vowel with the neighbouring example; fühlen has a long ü; füllen has a short ü.
• Kannst du den kleinen Stein in der Tasche fühlen?Can you feel the small stone in the bag?fühlen means feel here. Compare the stressed vowel with the neighbouring example; fühlen has a long ü; füllen has a short ü.
• Bitte fülle die Schale nur bis zur Markierung.Please fill the bowl only to the mark.füllen means fill here. Compare the stressed vowel with the neighbouring example; fühlen has a long ü; füllen has a short ü.
• Nach der Pause fühlen wir uns wieder wach.After the break, we feel alert again.fühlen means feel here. Compare the stressed vowel with the neighbouring example; fühlen has a long ü; füllen has a short ü.
• Der Regen füllt langsam die leere Tonne.The rain slowly fills the empty barrel.füllen means fill here. Compare the stressed vowel with the neighbouring example; fühlen has a long ü; füllen has a short ü.

Watch out

Do not replace a vowel contrast with extra loudness or an invented extra syllable. Keep the surrounding consonants recognizable. Device read-aloud depends on the German voice installed in your browser and may not demonstrate every fine distinction equally clearly; it is synthetic playback, not a human recording or pronunciation assessment.

Try it yourself

1. Welches Wort bezeichnet „etwas empfinden“: fühlen oder füllen? Sprich danach den ersten Beispielsatz.

   Show answer or example answer

   fühlen. Wir fühlen den kalten Wind am Fluss.

   fühlen means feel; the first example supplies a complete context.

2. Erkläre den Lautunterschied zwischen „fühlen“ und „füllen“. Verändere nicht nur die Lautstärke.

   Show answer or example answer

   fühlen hat ein langes ü; füllen hat ein kurzes ü.

   fühlen has a long ü; füllen has a short ü. The answer needs a sound distinction, not only a spelling description.

3. Sprich je einen eigenen Satz mit „fühlen“ und „füllen“. Eine andere Person soll ohne sichtbaren Text erkennen, welches Wort du meinst.

   Show answer or example answer

   Mögliche Satzmuster: Kannst du den kleinen Stein in der Tasche fühlen? Bitte fülle die Schale nur bis zur Markierung. Prüfe, ob die Wörter unterschiedlich und verständlich gesprochen sind.

   Many sentences are possible. Success here means the intended word is identifiable in context; this page does not automatically score your recording or certify an accent.

Use it today

Make a short recording in your own recording app if you want to compare attempts. Say one original sentence using fühlen and one using füllen, then ask a listener which meaning they heard without showing the words. If the words are confused, return to the stressed vowel rather than speeding up the whole sentence.