das  Wort

A1

Estimated CEFR level.

/vɔʁt/

📖 What does "das Wort" mean?

Das Wort (neuter) generally refers to a linguistic unit that carries meaning and consists of sounds or letters. It's a fundamental building block of language.

🚨 Attention, two plural forms! The noun "Wort" has two different plural forms with distinct meanings:

• die Wörter: Refers to individual, isolated words, often in the context of vocabulary or lists. Example: Ein Wörterbuch enthält viele Wörter. (A dictionary contains many words.)
• die Worte: Refers to connected speech, expressions, quotes, or meaningful statements. Example: Seine tröstenden Worte halfen mir sehr. (His comforting words helped me a lot.)

🧐 Grammar in Detail: das Wort

"Das Wort" is a neuter noun. Here are the declension tables for the singular and the two plural forms.

Declension Singular (das Wort - the word)

📝 Example Sentences

1. Dieses Wort kenne ich nicht. (I don't know this word.)
2. Er lernt jeden Tag zehn neue deutsche Wörter. (He learns ten new German words every day. - Plural: isolated vocabulary)
3. Ihre freundlichen Worte haben mich sehr gefreut. (Your kind words made me very happy. - Plural: connected statement)
4. Der Redner wählte seine Worte mit Bedacht. (The speaker chose his words carefully. - Plural: connected speech)
5. Die Liste der Fachwörter ist lang. (The list of technical terms is long. - Plural: individual terms)

🗣️ How to use "Wort"?

The correct use of the plural forms is crucial:

• Wörter: Use this form when talking about individual, unconnected words, like when learning vocabulary, counting words in a text, or in dictionaries. Example: „Dieser Satz hat sieben Wörter.“ (This sentence has seven words.)
• Worte: Use this form for connected speech, statements, quotes, promises, or meaningful utterances. It often refers to the content or impact of what is said. Example: „Das waren weise Worte.“ (Those were wise words.) „Er brach sein Wort.“ (He broke his word/promise. - Here, "Wort" is singular but means "promise", a type of "Worte".)

"Das Wort" is also used in many idiomatic expressions and compound nouns, e.g.:

• Wortschatz: vocabulary (the entirety of words known or used)
• Sprichwort: proverb, saying
• Stichwort: keyword, cue
• zu Wort kommen: to get a chance to speak
• sein Wort halten: to keep one's word/promise

🧠 Memory Aids for "das Wort"

Article Mnemonic (das)

Imagine DAShboards (DAS) displaying data - data is neutral, information is neutral. A single Wort is a piece of information, hence neutral: das Wort. Or think of the English 'word' - it feels quite neutral, like 'das'.

Plural Mnemonic (Wörter vs. Worte)

Individual Wörter are like characters 👾 on a list - separate items you count.
Meaningful Worte are like whole stories 📜 - connected speech forming a whole.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Similar, but different words

• Satz: Sentence (a grammatical unit consisting of several words).
• Text: Text (a longer, coherent written or spoken statement).

😂 A Little Joke

DE: Treffen sich zwei Wörter. Fragt das eine: „Na, wie geht's?“ Sagt das andere: „Gut, und dir?“ Antwortet das erste: „Auch gut, danke!“

EN: Two words meet. One asks: "Hey, how's it going?" The other says: "Good, and you?" The first replies: "Good too, thanks!" (It's simple wordplay on words talking).

✍️ Poem about Worte

DE:
Ein Wort, ganz klein,
kann stark wie ein Felsen sein.
Wörter reihen sich aneinander,
wie Perlen auf bunten Bändern.

Doch weise Worte, mit Bedacht,
haben oft die größte Macht.
Sie trösten, lehren, bringen Licht,
ein gutes Wort vergisst man nicht.

EN:
A word, so small,
can be strong like a rock wall.
Words (Wörter) line up next to each other,
like pearls on colorful tethers.

But wise words (Worte), thoughtfully sought,
often carry the greatest weight.
They comfort, teach, bring light,
a good word isn't forgotten overnight.

🧩 Riddle Time

DE:
Ich habe keinen Mund, doch kann ich sprechen.
Ich habe keinen Körper, doch kann ich Herzen brechen.
Manchmal bin ich kurz, manchmal lang und breit,
im Wörterbuch findest du mich jederzeit.

Mal bin ich einzeln (Wörter), mal im Fluss (Worte).
Was bin ich?
Lösung: das Wort

EN:
I have no mouth, yet I can speak.
I have no body, yet hearts I can break.
Sometimes I'm short, sometimes long and wide,
in the dictionary, I always reside.

Sometimes I'm single (Wörter), sometimes flow (Worte).
What am I?
Solution: the word (das Wort)

💡 More about "Wort"

Word Compounds (Wortzusammensetzungen)

"Wort" forms the basis of many German compound nouns:

• Wortart (e.g., Substantiv, Verb): part of speech
• Wortspiel: pun, wordplay
• Schimpfwort: swear word, insult
• Fremdwort: foreign word, loanword
• Passwort: password
• Schlagwort: keyword, catchphrase

Etymology

The German "Wort" comes from Old High German "wort" and traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root *werdʰo-, meaning "word, speech". It's related to the English word "word".