What’s the German word for shit? Learn how to use this very common curse word in real life—with warnings, tone tips, grammar, and everyday dialogue.

Your German Word of the Day: Scheiße

The German word for shit is die Scheiße.
Scheiße in German is vulgar, emotional, and incredibly common. It can express frustration, anger, surprise—or be used humorously. Like many curse words, it’s very context-sensitive: it can be funny or offensive depending on how and where you use it.

It also ranks among the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (and yes, it’s in the illustrated PDF too).

Gender and Pronunciation

It’s a feminine noun: die Scheiße.
Need help navigating tricky gendered nouns? This video lesson will help.

Pronunciation:
Scheiße is pronounced [SHY-suh]

• “SHY” rhymes with “high”

• Ends with “suh” like “sofa”
  Two syllables: SHY-suh

Example sentences

Ach, Scheiße!

Oh, shit!

Was für eine Scheiße!

What a mess / What bullshit!

Er redet nur Scheiße.

He’s just talking crap.

How does this word come up in real conversations?

"SCHEIßE! Ich hab mein Handy verloren!"

SHIT! I lost my phone!

"Das ist doch totale Scheiße."

That’s total crap.

"Sorry für die Scheiße gestern."

Sorry for all the shit yesterday.

Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)

Ben: Scheiße! Mein Kaffee ist auf dem Laptop.
Lara: Echt jetzt? Alles okay?
Ben: Nein, der Laptop spinnt.
Lara: Schnell – ausschalten!

Translation:
Ben: Shit! I spilled my coffee on the laptop.
Lara: Seriously? Are you okay?
Ben: No, the laptop’s acting up.
Lara: Quick—turn it off!

Grammatical case examples

Nominative:
Die Scheiße ist passiert.

The crap happened.

Accusative:
Ich kann die ganze Scheiße nicht mehr hören.

I can’t listen to all that crap anymore.

Dative:
Mit der Scheiße will ich nichts zu tun haben.

I want nothing to do with that mess.

Genitive:
Die Folgen der Scheiße sind deutlich.

The consequences of the shit are clear.

Other ways to say shit in German

Besides Scheiße, you might hear Mist (milder, like “crap”), Kacke (childish/funny), or Dreck (dirt/filth). Scheiße is strongest—use it carefully. It’s also the base of many expressions like Scheißwetter (shitty weather) or scheiße drauf sein (to be in a bad mood).

Word variations and tidbits

You’ll hear scheißen (to shit), Scheißegal (I don’t give a shit), Scheißkerl (asshole), Scheißtag (crappy day), and Scheißhaus (slang for toilet). In some dialects, it’s used almost affectionately—though in formal settings, it’s best avoided entirely.

📘 Duden entry for Scheiße
🎥 Want to master German for every mood? Our free video course teaches the top 1000 nouns—respectfully, clearly, and with full context.

Ready for more German Words of the Day?
Do you know what Schrank means? That’s where you hide the mess when the Scheiße hits the fan.
And what about Profi? Even they sometimes yell Scheiße!