When you get a decision from an office, give someone a heads-up, or want to stay informed—Germans say it with Bescheid. It’s short, official-sounding, and surprisingly flexible.
The noun Bescheid means notice, decision, notification, or sometimes simply word (as in “let me know”). It’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German, especially in bureaucracy, scheduling, and daily conversation.
It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Bescheid.
Pronunciation
Bescheid is pronounced [buh-SHIDE], rhyming with “wide.”
- The “Be” is unstressed, like “buh,”
- And the “scheid” has a strong “sh” followed by a long “eye” sound.
It’s sharp and clear—exactly what you want from an official notice or a firm answer.
Example sentences:
- Ich habe noch keinen Bescheid vom Amt bekommen.
I haven’t received a response from the office yet. - Sag mir bitte Bescheid, wenn du fertig bist.
Please let me know when you're done.
Nuance and usage tips
Bescheid has two major uses:
- Official decision or reply (especially from authorities or institutions)
- Ablehnungsbescheid – rejection notice
- Bewilligungsbescheid – approval notice
- Bescheid vom Finanzamt – letter from the tax office
- Informal heads-up or communication
- Bescheid sagen – to let someone know
- Danke für den Bescheid! – Thanks for the update!
- Ich gebe dir später Bescheid. – I’ll let you know later.
It’s extremely common in workplace and administrative settings, but also friendly and useful in daily life.
Its antonym depends on context:
- For official replies: there isn’t a direct opposite, but Schweigen (silence) or keine Antwort (no answer) could contrast it
- For keeping someone informed: im Unklaren lassen – to leave someone in the dark
Grammatical case examples:
- Nominative:
Der Bescheid kam heute Morgen per Post.
The notice arrived this morning by mail. - Accusative:
Ich warte noch auf den Bescheid.
I’m still waiting for the decision. - Dative:
Mit dem Bescheid wusste ich, was zu tun war.
With the notice, I knew what to do. - Genitive:
Wegen des Bescheids musste er sofort reagieren.
Because of the decision, he had to act immediately.
Masculine pattern: der, den, dem, des
Word variations and language tidbits
Variation Station:
- Bescheid geben / sagen – to let someone know
- Behördenbescheid – official government decision
- Steuerbescheid – tax assessment notice
- endgültiger Bescheid – final decision
- kein Bescheid – no response
Fun usage tip:
The phrase “Bescheid wissen” means to be informed or to be in the know:
- Ich weiß Bescheid. – “I’m aware” or “I’ve got it covered.”
📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Bescheid
🎥 Learn Bescheid and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/
Alternate translations note:
For formal, written decisions, Mitteilung or Nachricht might also be used, but Bescheid is the word when a decision has been made—especially by a government office. For informal communication, Info or Nachricht can work too, but Bescheid sagen is the idiomatic phrase you’ll hear constantly.
Ready for two more German words of the day? How about Führer or Führung?