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GCSE German8662

GCSE French, German and Spanish specification updates for first exams in 2026

We have made some small updates to our GCSE French (8652), German (8662) and GCSE Spanish (8692) specifications affecting first exams in summer 2026. Read the full update for more information.

Appendix 1: Sound symbol correspondences (SSCs)

Examples of words demonstrating the sound symbol correspondences (SSCs).

Sound Symbol CorrespondenceExample 1Example 2
long [a], including [ah], [aa]PaarGlas
short [a]kaltalle
long [e] including [eh], [ee]leergeben
short [e]wenndenken
[ei/ai]freisein
[z]Zimmerzum
[w]Weltwieder
[ie]Liebespielen
long [o], including [oh]Sohnwo
short [o]Kopfsoll
long [i], including [ih]ihnFamilie
short [i]wissenHimmel
hard [ch]mochteBuch
soft [ch]möchteeuch
long [u], including [uh]gutZug
short [u]undHunger
long [ü/y], including [üh]frühTür
short [ü/y]müssenfünf
long [ä], including [äh]Mädchenspät
short [ä]lächelnGeschäft
long [ö], including [öh]schönmögen
short [ö]könnenplötzlich
[äu]träumenGebäude
[sch]schreibenschnell
[sp- ]sportlichspannend
[st- ]Stadtstudieren
[s-, -s- ]sindlesen
[ß] [ss] [-s]großlassen
[er]erErfolg
unstressed [-er]VaterTheater
[v]vielvergessen
[au]aufHaus
consonantal [r]redenrichtig
vocalic [r]UhrMeer
[eu]FreundZeugnis
[th]MathematikThema
unvoiced [-b]halbgab
unvoiced [-d]jemandDeutschland
unvoiced [-g]Wegmag
[-ig]richtigruhig
[j]jajede
[-tion]SituationKommunikation
[qu]bequemKonsequenz