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German Words in English

English might be easy to understand for German speakers, but this relationship is not a one-way street. There is a vast array of German words that found their way into the English language.
All answers are in alphabetical order.
Meanings can vary between the two languages.
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Quick2812
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Last updated: January 31, 2026
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First submittedAugust 28, 2025
Times taken260
Average score47.5%
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A feeling of anxiety or dread.
Angst
A German highway.
Autobahn
Area outside of a traditional Bavarian restaurant where you enjoy mostly alcoholic drinks and rich food.
Biergarten
Military strategy devised by the Third Reich. Blending something in the kitchen.
Blitz
A type of sausage.
Bratwurst
An exact duplicate or double of a person.
Doppelgänger
A replacement; usually implying an artificial and inferior substitute or imitation.
Ersatz
Table soccer.
Foosball
Used when somebody just sneezed to be polite. Literally translates to "health".
Gesundheit
A meat patty served in a bun, named after Hamburg, Germany.
Hamburger
Refers to an area or region that is less well-known or rarely visited.
Hinterland
Famous Kennedy quote from a trip to Germany
"Ich bin ein Berliner!"
Art nouveau.
Jugendstil
Synonym for Wilhelm II and Franz Joseph I.
Kaiser
A small type of loaf-shaped sandwich. Sounds similar to the above
Kaiser roll
Broken beyond repair.
Kaput
A preschool for children aged 4-6 years.
Kindergarten
Literally translates to "living space" and is associated with a dark chapter in German history.
Lebensraum
A musical phrase that associates with a specific person, thing, or idea.
Leitmotif
German air force.
Luftwaffe
Hint
Answer
A healthy alternative to sugary cornflakes.
Muesli
There is no "So" for sodium in the periodic table. Instead,...
Na (Natrium)
To put an end to something or to forbid it.
Nix
A tank used in military combat.
Panzer
A type of bread often served along sausages in Bavaria. A miniaturized version is commonly found in snack boxes.
Pretzel
A mixture of beer and lemonade. Refers to a "cyclist" in Austrian German.
Radler
Foreign politics based on practical concerns rather than ideology or ethics. Henry Kissinger.
Realpolitik
A backpack.
Rucksack
Pleasure derived from another's misfortune.
Schadenfreude
A crumbed veal cutlet from Vienna
Schnitzel
Talking with a lot of verbiage.
Spiel
Austrian dessert with a thin pastry and filling.
Strudel
Colloquial synonym for "super" or "very". Name of a taxi company.
Uber
A strong desire to travel (very rarely used in German).
Wanderlust.
Another type of sausage. Also used to describe a type of dog.
Wiener
Economic miracle.
Wirtschaftswunder
A young child that plays an instrument exceptionally well. Think of Mozart.
Wunderkind
The defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history.
Zeitgeist
A type of aircraft that looks like a gigantic balloon.
Zeppelin
Chess-related term. Compulsion to move.
Zugzwang
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3 Comments
+6
Level 82
Jan 27, 2026
Good quiz, though you should allow pretzel as an answer, rather than just the plural
+3
Level 83
Jan 27, 2026
I second that comment. Also, Leitmotif isn't restricted to music in either English or German and please accept Kaiser bun (that's what we call it in Canada). Thanks for the quiz!
+3
Level 69
Jan 27, 2026
The sign for Sodium is Na, N is Nitrogen