Every vote, every fork in the road, every time you pick tea over coffee—that’s a Wahl in German. It’s a word that covers everything from daily decisions to national elections.

The noun Wahl means choice, selection, or election, depending on the context. It’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German, and it’s absolutely essential for talking about freedom, politics, preferences, and power.

It’s a feminine noun, so we say die Wahl.

Pronunciation

Wahl is pronounced [VAHL], with a long “ah” sound like in “father” and a soft “l” at the end.

• The “W” is pronounced like an English “V.”

• The single syllable makes it punchy and direct—perfect for a word that means a moment of decision.

Example sentences:

• Die Wahl findet am Sonntag statt.
  The election takes place on Sunday.

• Du hast die Wahl – bleibst du oder gehst du?
  You have the choice – do you stay or do you go?

Nuance and usage tips

Wahl is incredibly versatile. It can refer to:

• A political election:
  Bundestagswahl – federal election
  Wahlbeteiligung – voter turnout
  eine Wahl gewinnen – to win an election

• A personal choice or selection:
  freie Wahl – free choice
  erste Wahl – first choice
  Qual der Wahl – “agony of choice” (when there are too many good options)

• Figurative preference or status:
  Wohnort der Wahl – “place of choice” (where someone chooses to live)
  Kandidat der Wahl – “preferred candidate”

Its natural antonym depends on context:

• For elections: Nichtwahl (non-voting, abstention)

• For personal choice: Zwang (masculine, der Zwang) – compulsion or coercion

Grammatical case examples:

• Nominative: Die Wahl war knapp.
  The election was close.

• Accusative: Ich habe die Wahl getroffen.
  I made the choice.

• Dative: Mit der Wahl kam Verantwortung.
  With the choice came responsibility.

• Genitive: Wegen der Wahl verschob sich der Termin.
  Because of the election, the date was postponed.

Feminine case pattern: die, die, der, der

Word variations and language tidbits

Variation Station:

• wählen – to choose / to vote

• Auswahl – selection (as in a variety of options)

• Stichwahl – runoff election

• Wahlrecht – the right to vote

• Zur Wahl stehen – to be up for election or available as a choice

Cultural tip: In Germany, voting is taken very seriously. You’ll hear phrases like “Geh wählen!” (Go vote!) and see Wahlplakate (campaign posters) everywhere during election season.

📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Wahl

🎥 Learn Wahl and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/

Who's up for another word of the day in German? Do you know how to say "manner" or "way" in German? Or what Zweifel means?