Whether it’s a poem, a WhatsApp message, a news article, or your favorite song lyrics—if it’s written or spoken language, Germans call it a Text. And the best part? It’s practically the same word in English.

The noun Text means text, covering anything composed of words: a written document, a passage, a speech, even the lyrics to a song. It’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German, and you’ll find it everywhere—from classrooms to chat apps.

It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Text.

Pronunciation

Text is pronounced [tekst]—yes, just like in English, but with a bit more crispness.

• The “e” is short, like in “get.”

• The ending “-kst” is sharply articulated, with a clean “t.”

It sounds brisk and direct—just like a well-written sentence.

Example sentences:

• Ich habe den Text noch nicht gelesen.
  I haven’t read the text yet.

• Kannst du mir den Text schicken?
  Can you send me the text?

Nuance and usage tips

Text is a flexible, neutral term that fits in many contexts:

• In school:
  einen Text analysieren – to analyze a text
  Textverständnis – reading comprehension

• In music:
  Songtext – song lyrics
  Texte schreiben – to write lyrics or scripts

• In tech and media:
  Textnachricht – text message
  Textverarbeitung – word processing

You’ll also hear Text when someone is quoting or reciting something:

• Kennst du den Text auswendig? – “Do you know the words by heart?”

Its antonym depends on usage. If you're talking about media, Bild (neuter, das Bild)—image—might contrast with Text, as in “text vs. visual.” In conversation, Geräusch (“noise” or “sound”) could be the opposite in the sense of language vs. random sound.

Grammatical case examples:

• Nominative: Der Text ist schwer zu verstehen.
  The text is hard to understand.

• Accusative: Ich habe den Text auswendig gelernt.
  I memorized the text.

• Dative: Mit dem Text komme ich nicht klar.
  I’m not getting along with the text.

• Genitive: Wegen des Texts gab es eine Diskussion.
  Because of the text, there was a discussion.

Masculine pattern: der, den, dem, des

Word variations and language tidbits

Variation Station:

• Textstelle – passage or excerpt

• Textnachricht – text message

• Textarbeit – text-based work (common in school)

• Songtext / Liedtext – lyrics

• Texter(in) – copywriter or lyricist

Fun note: While Text in English can also be a verb (“to text someone”), German still leans on full phrases:

• eine SMS schicken or eine Nachricht schreiben – to send a text

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

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

Let's do one more German word of the day: How about "change" in German? Or maybe the word Wahl?