Spelling out your name on the phone in German

1. 1
   buchstabieren/buːxʃtaˈbiːʁən/

   to spell outverb

   To say the letters of a word one by one.
2. 2
   Vorname/ˈfoːɐ̯naːmə/

   first namenoun

   The name parents choose for a child.
3. 3
   Nachname/ˈnaːxnaːmə/

   last namenoun

   The family name shared with parents and siblings.
4. 4

   Buchstabeletter

5. 5

   Umlautumlaut

6. 6

   Bindestrichhyphen

7. 7

   deutlichclearly

8. 8

   langsamslowly

9. 9

   wiederholento repeat

10. 10

    bestätigento confirm

The sentences3 of 10

1. Soll ich das Wort für Sie langsam buchstabieren?

   Should I spell the word out slowly for you?

2. Mein Vorname wird am Telefon oft falsch verstanden.

   My first name is often misheard on the phone.

3. Mein Nachname hat einen Bindestrich in der Mitte.

   My last name has a hyphen in the middle.

Pronunciation

• buchstabieren/buːxʃtaˈbiːʁən/

  Stressed on the third syllable: buch-schta-BIE-ren; the st sounds like sht, and the ch before it is the back-of-throat sound.

• Vorname/ˈfoːɐ̯naːmə/

  The V sounds like an f, and the r at the end of the first syllable turns into a short uh sound.

Questions

How do I offer to spell something out slowly in German?

You can say: "Soll ich das Wort für Sie langsam buchstabieren?" (Should I spell the word out slowly for you?)

What does Umlaut mean?

Umlaut is the German word for one of the letters ä, ö or ü.