Whether it’s chemistry, philosophy, history, or linguistics—Germans call it Wissenschaft. It’s the word that covers all fields of organized, systematic knowledge—not just lab coats and test tubes.

The noun Wissenschaft means science, scholarship, or academic discipline, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. You’ll see it on university websites, in policy debates, and in popular science magazines.

It’s a feminine noun, so we say die Wissenschaft.

Pronunciation

Wissenschaft is pronounced [VIS-sen-shahft].

• The W is pronounced like V,
• The double s gives a hissing sound,
• The -schaft ending is pronounced like “shaft,”
• Stress is on the first syllable: VIS-sen-shaft

It’s a word that sounds structured and intelligent—just like what it represents.

Example sentences:

• Die Wissenschaft spielt eine große Rolle in unserer Gesellschaft.
  Science plays a big role in our society.
• Er arbeitet an der Universität in der Wissenschaft.
  He works in academia at the university.

Nuance and usage tips

Here’s where Wissenschaft is slightly broader than English science.

1. All systematic disciplines
   • Includes not just natural sciences (biology, physics), but also:
     • Sozialwissenschaften – social sciences
     • Geisteswissenschaften – humanities
     • Wirtschaftswissenschaften – economics/business studies
     • Sprachwissenschaft – linguistics
2. Academic and research context
   • wissenschaftlich arbeiten – to work in a scholarly way
   • wissenschaftliche Studie – scientific study
   • die Welt der Wissenschaft – the academic world
3. Public usage
   • Germans often distinguish between die Wissenschaft (the research community) and die Politik (politics), especially in debates around COVID, climate change, or education.

Its antonyms?

• Aberglaube (superstition),
• Unwissen (ignorance),
• Meinung (opinion), when contrasted with evidence

Grammatical case examples:

• Nominative: Die Wissenschaft sucht nach Erklärungen für Phänomene.
  Science seeks explanations for phenomena.
• Accusative: Ich interessiere mich sehr für die Wissenschaft.
  I’m very interested in science.
• Dative: Mit der Wissenschaft entwickelt sich auch die Technik.
  With science, technology also advances.
• Genitive: Wegen der Wissenschaft wurden neue Medikamente entwickelt.
  Because of science, new medications were developed.

Feminine case pattern: die, die, der, der

Word variations and language tidbits

Variation Station:

• Naturwissenschaft – natural science
• Geisteswissenschaft – humanities
• Wissenschaftler(in) – scientist / academic
• Wissenschaftsjournalismus – science journalism
• Wissenschaftssprache – academic language
• Wissenschaftsbetrieb – academic system/scene

Fun cultural note:
In German, even philosophy and literary studies fall under Wissenschaft. The idea is: any field with rigorous method and internal logic counts—not just experiments in a lab.

📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Wissenschaft

🎥 Learn Wissenschaft and the rest of the top 1000 German nouns in our free online video course:
https://deutschable.com/nouns/

Alternate translations note:
For science in the English STEM-only sense, Germans often say Naturwissenschaft. But when you're talking about research, academia, or scholarly disciplines, Wissenschaft is the proper word—and it proudly includes art, culture, and critical thinking, too.

Also, you’ll see the -schaft ending in other feminine nouns that describe abstract collective things—like Gesellschaft (society), Freundschaft (friendship), and Landschaft (landscape).

Ready for more German words of the day? Do you know what Weile means? How about Wettbewerb? Find out!