The German word for guilt or debt is die Schuld.
Schuld in German covers legal, moral, and financial meanings. It can refer to blame for something, or to money owed. The plural Schulden means “debts” and is used frequently in financial contexts.

It’s also one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (grab the free illustrated PDF to deepen your vocabulary).

Gender and Pronunciation

It’s a feminine noun: die Schuld.
Struggling with gender memory? This video lesson teaches reliable patterns.

Pronunciation:
Schuld is pronounced [shoolt]

• Rhymes with “pulled”

• One syllable: SHOOLT

Example sentences

Es war meine Schuld.

It was my fault.

Er hat hohe Schulden.

He has a lot of debt.

Die Schuldfrage ist noch offen.

The question of guilt is still unresolved.

How does this word come up in real conversations?

"Ich gebe dir keine Schuld."

I don’t blame you.

"Meine Schulden wachsen jeden Monat."

My debts are growing every month.

"Schuldgefühle machen alles schlimmer."

Feelings of guilt make everything worse.

Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)

Anna: Wer hat das Glas zerbrochen?
Ben: Ich… es war meine Schuld.
Anna: Pass nächstes Mal besser auf.
Ben: Versprochen.

Translation:
Anna: Who broke the glass?
Ben: I did… it was my fault.
Anna: Be more careful next time.
Ben: I promise.

Grammatical case examples

Nominative:
Die Schuld liegt nicht bei mir.

The blame is not on me.

Accusative:
Ich trage die Schuld.

I bear the guilt.

Dative:
Mit der Schuld kann ich nicht leben.

I can’t live with the guilt.

Genitive:
Die Ursache der Schuld ist unklar.

The cause of the guilt is unclear.

Other ways to say guilt or debt in German

While Schuld is the main word for guilt or debt in German, Verantwortung (responsibility) might be used instead when referring to duty without fault. Vergehen or Straftat are used in criminal law. Financially, Schulden is the correct plural when referring to money owed.

Word variations and tidbits

You’ll find Schuld in expressions like Schuld haben (to be at fault), jemandem die Schuld geben (to blame someone), and aus der Schuld herauskommen (to get out of debt). As a plural, Schulden appears in Schuldenberg (mountain of debt), Staatsschulden (national debt), and Schuldenfalle (debt trap). In Christian texts, Schuld also has spiritual connotations.

📘 Duden entry for Schuld
🎥 Want to take the guilt out of learning German? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 German nouns—clearly, practically, and with a printable PDF.

Ready for more German Words of the Day?
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