How do you say Rule in German?

The German word for rule is die Regel.It refers to any guideline, instruction, or pattern that people are expected to follow - whether in games, grammar, law, or life.

It’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German and comes up constantly in school, conversation, and social situations.

Gender and Pronunciation

It’s a feminine noun: die Regel.Want to recognize patterns in noun gender? Our video lesson helps you master it fast.

Pronunciation:Regel is pronounced [RAY-gel]

• The first e is long and steady [eː], without the glide in American day

• The ending is a weak e [ə] plus l, often reduced to a syllabic lTwo syllables: RAY-gel

Example sentences

Das ist gegen die Regel.That’s against the rule.

In der Schule gibt es klare Regeln.There are clear rules at school.

Die Spielregel lautet: Jeder würfelt einmal.The game rule is: Each person rolls the die once.

Nuance and usage tips

🧩 Regel is used for official or informal rules - anything from sports to language learning.

📚 In grammar, Regel means a fixed rule (Grammatikregel). In math or logic, nach der Regel XY is common.

🩸 It’s also used euphemistically to refer to menstruation: die Regel haben = “to have your period.”

How does this word come up in real conversations?

“Das ist bei uns die Regel.”That’s the rule for us.

“Warum gilt diese Regel überhaupt?”Why does this rule even exist?

“Ich habe heute meine Regel.”I have my period today.

Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)

Leo: Darf man hier rauchen?Mira: Nein, das ist gegen die Regeln.Leo: Ach so. Danke für den Hinweis.Mira: Kein Problem!