The German word for shot is der Schuss.
Schuss in German can mean a gunshot, a goal attempt in football, a shot of liquor, or a squirt or dash of something in a recipe. It’s a versatile word with both serious and casual uses.
It’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German (you can grab the free illustrated PDF here).
Gender and Pronunciation
It’s a masculine noun: der Schuss.
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Pronunciation:
Schuss is pronounced [shooss]
Rhymes with “goose”
One syllable: SHOOSS
Example sentences
Der Schuss ging daneben.
The shot missed.
Ich brauche einen Schuss Milch im Kaffee.
I need a splash of milk in my coffee.
Hast du den Schuss gehört?
Did you hear the shot?
How does this word come up in real conversations?
"Das war ein perfekter Schuss!"
That was a perfect shot!
"Der Schuss kam aus dem Nichts."
The shot came out of nowhere.
"Nur ein kleiner Schuss Zitrone, bitte."
Just a small splash of lemon, please.
Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)
Max: Warst du das mit dem Schuss?
Tina: Ja! Volle Punktzahl beim Darts.
Max: Nicht schlecht – du hast echt Talent.
Tina: Danke! Glück war auch dabei.
Translation:
Max: Was that your shot?
Tina: Yep! Full points in darts.
Max: Not bad—you’ve got real talent.
Tina: Thanks! A little luck helped too.
Grammatical case examples
Nominative:
Der Schuss war laut.
The shot was loud.
Accusative:
Ich habe den Schuss gehört.
I heard the shot.
Dative:
Mit dem Schuss wurde das Spiel entschieden.
The shot decided the game.
Genitive:
Die Richtung des Schusses war klar.
The direction of the shot was clear.
Other ways to say shot in German
While Schuss is the default for shot in German, you may see Impfspritze (vaccination shot) in medical contexts. Torschuss is a goal attempt in football, Gewehrschuss is a rifle shot, and Schnapsschuss is a candid photo. In cooking, ein Schuss Sahne means a dash of cream.
Word variations and tidbits
Schuss shows up in Kopfschuss (headshot), Warnschuss (warning shot), Nachschuss (follow-up shot), and Schusswaffe (firearm). In cooking, a Schuss of something means a dash or splash. The idiom einen Schuss haben humorously means someone’s a little crazy—“off their rocker.”
📘 Duden entry for Schuss
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Ready for more German Words of the Day?
Do you know what Schwein means? A lucky one might dodge a Schuss.
And what about Schüler? He might score one in his next match.