der  Laut

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/laʊt/

👂 What Exactly is a "Laut"?

The German word der Laut (plural: die Laute) primarily means two things:

1. A single sound or noise: Any kind of audible acoustic event, whether it's a spoken word, a musical note, an animal sound, or environmental noise.
   Example: Ich hörte einen lauten Laut aus dem Nebenzimmer. (I heard a loud sound from the next room.)
2. A phoneme (speech sound): In linguistics and phonetics, "der Laut" refers to the smallest meaning-distinguishing sound unit of a language. Letters often (but not always unambiguously) represent sounds (Laute).
   Example: Der Buchstabe 'a' kann verschiedene Laute repräsentieren. (The letter 'a' can represent different sounds.)

There is only the masculine article der for this noun.

The Grammar of "der Laut" 📜

"Laut" is a masculine noun. Here is its declension:

Example Sentences 📝

• Der erste Laut des Babys war ein Schrei.
  (The baby's first sound was a cry.)
• Die verschiedenen Laute einer Sprache zu lernen, ist wichtig.
  (Learning the different sounds of a language is important.)
• Er gab keinen Laut von sich.
  (He didn't make a sound / He didn't utter a peep.)
• Die Lehrerin erklärte die Bildung des "sch"-Lauts.
  (The teacher explained the formation of the "sh" sound.)

How to Use "Laut"? 🗣️

The term "Laut" is used in various contexts:

• General: For any sound. "Plötzlich war ein seltsamer Laut zu hören." (Suddenly, a strange sound could be heard.)
• Linguistics/Phonetics: Specifically for speech sounds. "Das Deutsche hat viele Vokal- und Konsonantenlaute." (German has many vowel and consonant sounds.)
• Music: Sometimes synonymous with Ton (note, tone) or Klang (sound quality, timbre), but less precise.
• Idioms: "keinen Laut von sich geben" (to be silent, not make a peep), "mit hellem Laut" (with a loud/clear voice).

Distinguishing from similar words:

• Geräusch: Often unstructured, sometimes annoying sound (e.g., Lärm - noise). Der Laut can be more neutral.
• Klang: Often refers to the quality or harmony of a tone or sound (e.g., der Klang einer Geige - the sound of a violin).
• Ton: Often more specific to musical notes or voice pitch.

⚠️ Do not confuse the noun der Laut with the adjective/adverb laut (loud) or the preposition laut (according to).

Memory Aids for "der Laut" 🧠

Here are a couple of mnemonics:

Remembering the Article: Think of a male lion (der Löwe) making a loud roar - a very masculine sound. Masculine lion, masculine sound -> der Laut. Or: Sound waves often travel far, like a male explorer -> der Laut.

Remembering the Meaning: The word "Laut" itself sounds like a short, simple emission of sound – exactly what it means. Imagine shouting "Laut!" – that action produces a sound (Laut).

Similar and Opposite Words 🔄

🚨 Watch out for confusion:

• laut (adjective/adverb): loud. "Die Musik ist zu laut." (The music is too loud.)
• laut (preposition with genitive/dative): according to. "Laut Bericht ist alles in Ordnung." (According to the report, everything is fine.)

A Little Joke 😂

Fragt der Lehrer: "Wer kann mir einen einfachen Laut nennen?"
Meldet sich Fritzchen: "Plopp!"
Lehrer: "Sehr gut! Und wer kann mir einen doppelten Laut nennen?"
Fritzchen: "Plopp-Plopp!"

Translation:
Teacher asks: "Who can name a simple sound (Laut)?"
Little Fritz raises his hand: "Plop!"
Teacher: "Very good! And who can name a double sound?"
Little Fritz: "Plop-plop!"

A Poem About Sounds 🎶

Ein Vogel zwitschert, zart und fein,
Ein Auto hupt, muss das denn sein?
Das Rauschen leis vom Blättermeer,
Ein jeder Laut, mal sanft, mal schwer. Das Wort gesprochen, klar und rein,
So klingt die Welt, im Sonnenschein.
Der leiseste Laut, das lauteste Wort,
Sie reisen mit dem Schall schnell fort.

Translation:
A bird chirps, delicate and fine,
A car honks, must it whine?
The soft rustle of the sea of leaves,
Every sound, sometimes gentle, sometimes heavy weaves.
The spoken word, clear and pure,
This is how the world sounds, sunlit and sure.
The quietest sound, the loudest word,
They travel swiftly with the sound waves heard.

Little Riddle 🤔

Ich habe keinen Körper, doch eine Stimm' besitze ich.
Mal bin ich leise, mal ganz fürchterlich.
In Sprache und Musik bin ich zu Haus',
Was bin ich? Komm, sprich es aus!

Translation:
I have no body, yet I possess a voice.
Sometimes I'm quiet, sometimes terribly fierce.
In language and music, I am at home,
What am I? Come on, speak it, don't roam!

Solution: der Laut (the sound)

Trivia & Origin 🤓

Word Composition: "Laut" is a base word. However, it can be part of compound words, e.g.:

• Umlaut: (A modified vowel: ä, ö, ü)
• Anlaut, Inlaut, Auslaut: (Position of a sound in a word: initial, medial, final)
• Selbstlaut: (Vowel - literally 'self-sound')
• Mitlaut: (Consonant - literally 'with-sound')

Connection to the Adjective: The noun der Laut (masculine) and the adjective laut (loud) share the same origin in Old High German (hlūt), which meant 'audible' or 'famous'. The meanings diverged over time.