It’s what weighs on your wallet, hangs over your head, or binds you to an IOU. In German, it’s die Schulden. This is your German Word of the Day—heavy, serious, and essential for talking about money, responsibility, and sometimes even guilt.

The noun Schulden means debts, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. Interestingly, it only exists in the plural—there’s no singular form like eine Schuld to mean a single debt (though die Schuld exists, meaning guilt or fault—more on that below).

It’s a plural-only feminine noun, so we say die Schulden (want to understand gender and plural quirks like this one? Our video lesson helps you sort it out clearly and quickly).

Pronunciation

Schulden is pronounced [SHOOL-den]

• Schul like “shool” (rhymes with cool)

• den like “den” (as in den of thieves)

• Stress on the first syllable: SCHULden

Example sentences

• Er hat viele Schulden bei der Bank.
  He has a lot of debt with the bank.

• Die Schulden wachsen jeden Monat.
  The debts grow every month.

• Ich muss meine Schulden endlich zurückzahlen.
  I need to finally pay back my debts.

Nuance and usage tips

💸 Schulden always refers to financial or moral obligations. It’s one of the most common words in news articles, legal documents, and everyday budgeting talk.

📊 Common types of debt:

• Staatsschulden – national debt

• Privatschulden – personal debt

• Steuerschulden – tax debt

• Kreditschulden – loan debt

• Schuldenberg – mountain of debt (figurative)

• Schuldenfalle – debt trap

💬 Useful expressions:

• Schulden machen – to get into debt

• in Schulden geraten – to fall into debt

• Schulden abbauen / tilgen / zurückzahlen – to reduce / repay debt

• hohe Schulden haben – to be heavily in debt

💡 Don’t confuse with:

• die Schuld (singular) – guilt or fault
  → “Es ist meine Schuld.” – It’s my fault.
  → “Ich trage keine Schuld.” – I bear no guilt.

But the two are historically related—and this dual meaning still shapes German thinking. Owing money and owing responsibility both fall under “Schuld(en)”.

How does this word come up in real conversations?

• "Ich will endlich schuldenfrei sein."
  I finally want to be debt-free.

• "Er ist tief in Schulden geraten."
  He’s fallen deep into debt.

• "Wie hoch sind deine Schulden?"
  How much debt do you have?

Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)

Klara: Hast du noch Schulden von deinem Studium?
Tim: Ja, leider. Der Kredit war ziemlich groß.
Klara: Zahlst du jeden Monat zurück?
Tim: Ja – aber es dauert ewig.

Translation:
Klara: Do you still have debt from your studies?
Tim: Yeah, unfortunately. The loan was pretty big.
Klara: Do you pay it back every month?
Tim: Yeah—but it’s taking forever.

Grammatical case examples

Nominative:
Die Schulden drücken ihn sehr.
The debts are weighing on him heavily.

Accusative:
Ich habe die Schulden endlich bezahlt.
I finally paid the debts.

Dative:
Mit den Schulden kann ich nicht mehr schlafen.
I can’t sleep with these debts.

Genitive:
Die Höhe der Schulden ist besorgniserregend.
The amount of the debt is alarming.

Word variations and language tidbits

• Schuldner(in) – debtor

• Gläubiger – creditor

• Schuldenberater(in) – debt counselor

• Schuldenregulierung – debt restructuring

• Schuldenfrei – debt-free

• Schuldenmoratorium – debt moratorium

📚 Fun fact: In German-speaking culture, being schuldenfrei (debt-free) is often considered a moral as well as financial achievement. That’s likely because Schuld once meant both debt and sin—and still echoes that double meaning today.

📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Schulden
🎥 Want to invest in vocabulary that pays off? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 German nouns with real-life examples, grammar help, and cultural insight.

Ready for more German Words of the Day?
Do you know what Schwäche means? Schulden can feel like one.
And what about Start? Sometimes, it takes a fresh one to leave your Schulden behind.