It’s what you climb to get to your apartment, descend from your attic, or trip on when you're not paying attention. In German, it’s die Treppe. This is your German Word of the Day, and it’s a highly useful everyday noun that shows up in homes, public buildings, and fairy tales alike.

The noun Treppe means staircase or stairs, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. From grand stone steps to narrow attic ladders, Treppen are everywhere in German-speaking life.

It’s a feminine noun, so we say die Treppe (want to finally get noun gender right? Our video lesson helps it click for good).

Pronunciation

Treppe is pronounced [TREH-peh]

• Tre like “treh” (rhymes with meh)

• ppe like “peh” (short and clear)

• Stress is on the first syllable: TREppe

Example sentences

• Die Treppe ist sehr steil.
  The staircase is very steep.

• Pass auf, die Treppe ist rutschig!
  Watch out, the stairs are slippery!

• Wir treffen uns oben an der Treppe.
  We’ll meet at the top of the stairs.

Nuance and usage tips

Treppe refers to any kind of stairs or staircase—inside or outside, short or long.

Types and variations:

• Rolltreppe – escalator (literally: “rolling stairs”)

• Steintreppe – stone staircase

• Holztreppe – wooden staircase

• Wendeltreppe – spiral staircase

• Kellertreppe – basement stairs

• Treppe hoch / runter – up/down the stairs

Verbs:

• die Treppe hochgehen – to go up the stairs

• die Treppe runterlaufen – to run down the stairs

• stürzen – to fall (often used with von der Treppe)

🧒 In fairy tales, you’ll often hear:
„Sie lief die Treppe hinunter...“ – She ran down the stairs...

How does this word come up in real conversations?

• "Ich wohne im dritten Stock – ohne Aufzug. Nur Treppe."
  I live on the third floor—no elevator. Just stairs.

• "Kannst du mir bitte die Tasche die Treppe hochtragen?"
  Can you please carry the bag up the stairs for me?

• "Er ist auf der Treppe ausgerutscht."
  He slipped on the stairs.

Sample Dialogue (Beginner Level)

Nina: Ist der Aufzug kaputt?
Tarek: Ja, leider. Wir müssen die Treppe nehmen.
Nina: Uff… das sind sechs Stockwerke!
Tarek: Naja, gratis Fitness.

Translation:
Nina: Is the elevator broken?
Tarek: Yeah, unfortunately. We have to take the stairs.
Nina: Ugh… that’s six floors!
Tarek: Hey, free workout.

Grammatical case examples

Nominative:
Die Treppe knarrt bei jedem Schritt.
The staircase creaks with every step.

Accusative:
Ich sehe die Treppe schon von hier.
I can see the stairs from here.

Dative:
Er sitzt auf der Treppe.
He’s sitting on the stairs.

Genitive:
Das Geländer der Treppe ist neu.
The railing of the staircase is new.

Word variations and language tidbits

• Treppenhaus – stairwell

• Treppenstufe – individual step

• Treppengeländer – stair railing

• Treppenwitz – literally “staircase joke”; a witty comeback you only think of after the conversation

• Treppenlaufen – stair climbing (as exercise or challenge)

🌀 Fun fact: Many older German buildings have beautiful Wendeltreppen—spiral staircases made of stone or cast iron, often in towers or altbau buildings. They’re lovely to look at… but not so fun when you’re carrying groceries.

📘 Duden entry: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Treppe
🎥 Want to level up your vocabulary, one step at a time? Our free video course teaches the 1000 most important German nouns—clearly, visually, and with context you’ll remember.

Ready for more German Words of the Day?
Do you know what Treffer means? Let’s hope it’s not you hitting the Treppe.
And what about Trottel? He’s the one who forgets which floor he lives on.