21 December 2025
How do you say Electricity in German?
The lights are on. Your phone is charging. The fridge is humming. Behind all of it? Electricity in German is called der Strom.This noun is practical, powerful, and one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (includes a free illustrated PDF!).
Strom means electricity, but also current or flow, depending on the context. You’ll hear it on energy bills, in physics class, and even in river descriptions.
Gender and Pronunciation
It’s a masculine noun: der Strom.Want to feel more confident about German genders? This video lesson makes the rules stick.
Pronunciation:Strom is pronounced [shtrohm]
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“sht” as in “shtick”
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The o is long and steady, without the glide in American home.One syllable: SHTROHM
Example sentences
Der Strom ist gerade ausgefallen.
The electricity just went out.
Ich muss den Stromanbieter wechseln.
I need to change electricity providers.
Wie viel Strom verbraucht dieser Fernseher?
How much electricity does this TV use?
Nuance and usage tips
⚡ Electricity and utilities
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Stromrechnung - electricity bill
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Stromausfall - power outage
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Ökostrom - green electricity
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Stromverbrauch - electricity consumption
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Stromanbieter - electricity provider
🌊 Current in nature
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Meeresströmung - ocean current
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Luftstrom - airflow
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Strömung - current (in a river or the sea)
es regnet in Strömen - it’s pouring rain
🔌 In tech and metaphors
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Datenstrom - data stream
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Gegen den Strom schwimmen - to go against the flow
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Menschenstrom - stream of people (crowd)
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unter Strom stehen - to be live (electrically) - or, figuratively, to be wired and tense
How does this word come up in real conversations?
“Habt ihr auch keinen Strom?”
Do you also have no power?
“Unsere Stromkosten sind dieses Jahr gestiegen.”
Our electricity costs have gone up this year.
“Ich benutze nur Ökostrom.”
I only use green electricity.
Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)
Tom: Warum funktioniert der Kühlschrank nicht?Lena: Vielleicht ist der Strom ausgefallen.Tom: Und das Licht geht auch nicht!Lena: Dann liegt’s sicher am Strom. Ich ruf beim Anbieter an.
Translation:Tom: Why isn’t the fridge working?Lena: Maybe the power’s out.Tom: And the lights don’t work either!Lena: Then it’s definitely the electricity. I’ll call the provider.
Grammatical case examples
Nominative:Der Strom kommt wieder.
The power is back.
Accusative:Ich habe den Strom abgestellt.
I turned off the power.
Dative:Mit dem Strom funktioniert alles.
With the electricity, everything works.
Genitive:Die Kosten des Stroms steigen jedes Jahr.
The cost of electricity rises every year.
Other ways to say electricity in German
While Strom is the everyday word for electricity in German, there are some technical and scientific alternatives worth knowing:
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Elektrizität - a more formal or scientific word for electricity, common in academic or technical writing
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Energie - broader term meaning “energy,” but often used interchangeably in casual speech when talking about electricity costs
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Spannung - voltage or tension (Hochspannung = high voltage); voltage is different from electrical current and is not a synonym for electricity
Still, if you’re talking about your electric bill or a blackout, Strom is the word you’ll want.
Word variations and tidbits
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Stromnetz - power grid
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Stromleitung - power line
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Strompreis - electricity price
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Strom sparen - to save electricity
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Stromschlag - electric shock
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Stromstärke - current (measured in amperes)
🧠 Fun fact: The original meaning of Strom was a powerful flow of water, like a large river. When electricity was discovered and named in German, the metaphor of a “flow” carried over - so modern electricity became Strom, too.
📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Strom🎥 Want to stay plugged in to German fluency? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 nouns - step by step, stream by stream.
Ready for more German Words of the Day?Do you know what Stufe means? You’ll need it when turning up the Strom.And what about Stil? It brings elegance - even to the wires behind the wall.
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