The German word for city or town is die Stadt.
Whether you’re booking a trip, describing where you live, or comparing urban and rural life, Stadt in German is one of the most commonly used words in both speech and writing.
It’s also one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (download the free illustrated PDF to get them all).
Gender and Pronunciation
It’s a feminine noun: die Stadt.
Need help locking in genders easily? This video lesson gives you reliable patterns that stick.
Pronunciation:
Stadt is pronounced [shtat]
Rhymes with “hat,” but with a sharper “t”
Starts with “sh” like “shoe”
One syllable: SHTAT
Example sentences
Berlin ist eine große Stadt.
Berlin is a big city.
Ich wohne in einer kleinen Stadt.
I live in a small town.
Die Stadt ist voller Leben.
The city is full of life.
How does this word come up in real conversations?
"Ich möchte in der Stadt wohnen."
I want to live in the city.
"Kennst du dich in der Stadt aus?"
Do you know your way around the city?
"Die Stadt war früher viel ruhiger."
The city used to be much quieter.
Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)
Ben: Warst du schon mal in dieser Stadt?
Mila: Nein, aber sie soll wunderschön sein.
Ben: Lass uns morgen eine Stadtführung machen.
Mila: Gute Idee – dann sehen wir die wichtigsten Stellen!
Translation:
Ben: Have you been to this city before?
Mila: No, but I’ve heard it’s beautiful.
Ben: Let’s do a city tour tomorrow.
Mila: Great idea—then we’ll see all the key places!
Grammatical case examples
Nominative:
Die Stadt liegt am Fluss.
The city lies on the river.
Accusative:
Ich besuche die Stadt nächste Woche.
I’m visiting the city next week.
Dative:
In der Stadt gibt es viele Museen.
There are many museums in the city.
Genitive:
Die Geschichte der Stadt ist sehr alt.
The history of the city is very old.
Other ways to say city in German
While Stadt is the standard word for city in German, you might also hear:
Ort – place (more general)
Metropole – metropolis (used for very large cities)
Gemeinde – municipality or small town (formal/admin use)
Still, Stadt is by far the most common and neutral word to describe urban places.
Word variations and tidbits
You’ll find Stadt in compound words like:
Großstadt – big city
Kleinstadt – small town
Hauptstadt – capital city
Altstadt – old town
Neustadt – new town
Stadtplan – city map
Stadtführung – city tour
Stadtgrenze – city limit
Stadtleben – city life
Stadtmensch – urbanite
🧠 Fun fact: The medieval German saying "Stadtluft macht frei" (“City air makes you free”) refers to a legal principle: a serf living in a city for a year and a day gained freedom.
📘 Duden entry for Stadt
🎥 Want to explore the whole Stadt of German vocabulary? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 nouns—with examples, visuals, and a printable PDF to guide your journey.
Ready for more German Words of the Day?
Do you know what Stärke means? You'll need it to navigate a busy Stadt.
And what about Stelle? It’s the perfect word when you're trying to find your place in the Stadt.