German articles: der, die, das rules by ending
Every German noun has an article: der, die or das. There is no complete rule, but the ending of a word is often a strong hint. We did not guess the figures below: we counted the 2696 published nouns in Wortino (1098 der, 1097 die, 501 das).
A rule is stated only as strongly as the data shows it, with the real counts. Exceptions are listed too.
Endings that almost always hold
Endings with at least 10 nouns where 90% or more take the same article.
-ung die 199 / 200 (100%) nouns
- die Meinung opinion
- die Entscheidung decision
- die Wohnung apartment, flat
Exceptions: der Ursprung
-keit die 35 / 35 (100%) nouns
- die Schwierigkeit difficulty
- die Möglichkeit possibility
- die Wirklichkeit reality
-heit die 30 / 30 (100%) nouns
- die Wahrheit truth
- die Gesundheit health
- die Angelegenheit matter, affair
-schaft die 20 / 20 (100%) nouns
- die Gesellschaft society; company (companionship)
- die Freundschaft friendship
- die Mannschaft team
-age die 14 / 14 (100%) nouns
-tät die 11 / 11 (100%) nouns
- die Universität university
- die Realität reality
- die Qualität quality
-ine die 10 / 10 (100%) nouns
- die Waschmaschine washing machine
- die Maschine machine
- die Cousine female cousin
-ik die 15 / 16 (94%) nouns
- die Musik music
- die Politik politics; policy
- die Kritik criticism; review
Exceptions: der Katholik
-ion die 43 / 46 (93%) nouns
- die Situation situation
- die Million million
- die Information information
Exceptions: der Spion, das Stadion, der Skorpion
-ie die 32 / 35 (91%) nouns
- die Familie family
- die Phantasie imagination, fantasy
- die Linie line
Exceptions: das Knie, das Portemonnaie, das Genie
-ment das 9 / 10 (90%) nouns
- das Medikament medicine, medication
- das Argument argument
- das Experiment experiment
Exceptions: der Moment
Tendencies (not rules)
Most nouns with these endings share an article, but the exceptions are many. Learn the article together with the word.
-e die 433 / 503 (86%)
die Sprache, die Frage, die Schule · exceptions: das Auge, der Name, das Ende
-er der 223 / 304 (73%)
der Vater, der Bruder, der Fehler · exceptions: die Mutter, das Wasser, das Zimmer
-chen das 21 / 25 (84%)
das Mädchen, das Päckchen, das Hähnchen · exceptions: der Kuchen, der Knochen, der Pfannkuchen
-at der 16 / 23 (70%)
der Monat, der Staat, der Rat · exceptions: die Tat, die Heimat, das Resultat
Endings that do not decide
Do not guess the article from these endings: the split is mixed.
- -t: 140 der, 192 die, 79 das (411 nouns)
- -en: 50 der, 0 die, 51 das (101 nouns)
- -el: 55 der, 20 die, 24 das (99 nouns)
- -in: 18 der, 43 die, 8 das (69 nouns)
- -um: 12 der, 0 die, 19 das (31 nouns)
- -al: 7 der, 1 die, 14 das (22 nouns)
Practical advice
Learn every noun together with its article. On Wortino cards the article sets the colour of the word; endings are only a hint for when you are unsure. Browse the vocabulary lists.
More guides
Study it with cards
Wortino turns words into flashcards with spaced repetition: a word you struggle with comes back soon, one you know comes back less often.