How do you say nonsense (Blödsinn) in German?

When someone’s talking nonsense, making a ridiculous claim or acting totally silly, Germans call it Blödsinn. It’s the go-to word for nonsense - harmless or outrageous.

The noun Blödsinn means nonsense, foolishness, or rubbish, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. It’s used in everyday banter, irritated outbursts, and jokes alike.

It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Blödsinn.

Pronunciation

Blödsinn is pronounced [ˈbløːtzɪn], approximately [BLÖÖT-zin], with long rounded ö and short i.

• Blöd has a long rounded ö (no exact American English equivalent); d is pronounced t before s,
• The “sinn” sounds like “zin,”
• The stress is on the first syllable: BLÖD-sinn.

It sounds silly, and that’s exactly the point.

Example sentences:

• Was für ein Blödsinn!What nonsense!
• Red keinen Blödsinn, bitte.Don’t talk nonsense, please.

Nuance and usage tips

Blödsinn has a flexible tone - sometimes light and playful, sometimes annoyed:

1. Silly or foolish behavior
   • Kindischer Blödsinn - childish nonsense
   • Wir haben viel Blödsinn gemacht. - We got up to a lot of mischief.
2. Absurd claims or falsehoods
   • So ein Blödsinn! Das stimmt doch gar nicht. - That’s nonsense! That’s not even true.
3. Mischief / goofing off
   • Often used affectionately between friends or with kids

Its antonym? There’s no perfect opposite, but Vernunft (feminine - reason) or Sinn (sense, masculine) contrast it in tone and meaning.

Grammatical case examples:

• Nominative:Der Blödsinn war kaum zu ertragen.The nonsense was hard to tolerate.
• Accusative:Ich habe den Blödsinn geglaubt.I believed the nonsense.
• Dative:Mit dem Blödsinn muss endlich Schluss sein.The nonsense has to stop now.
• Genitive:Wegen des Blödsinns lachten alle laut.Because of the nonsense, everyone laughed loudly.

Masculine case pattern: der, den, dem, des