How do Germans talk about darkness?

The main German word for “darkness” is “Dunkelheit” (f.), from the adjective “dunkel”, meaning “dark”.

“Düsterkeit” (f.), “Düsterheit” (f.) and (more rarely) “Düsternis” (f.) can be used in the sense of “gloom” and “dreariness”. The adjective is either “duster” or “düster”.

Finsternis (f.) is another word for darkness, often with a strong or literary tone. It is also used in ordinary compounds such as Sonnenfinsternis (solar eclipse). Here the adjective is “finster”.

A related word is “zappenduster”, which essentially means “very/completely dark” and is also used to describe bleak-looking situations. This word is thought to describe the darkness following the “Zapfenstreich”, originally a musical signal indicating the beginning of curfew (or “military tattoo”).