How do you say tunnel in German?

Let’s face it: The word for “tunnel” in German is just “Tunnel” - so there’s nothing left to talk about, right? Not quite. When learning a new language it’s just as important to know what words are the same (or almost the same) in both languages, so that our brains can establish a pattern and better predict what other words might be similar as well.

So, let’s learn Tunnel in German!

It’s what lets you drive through a mountain instead of over it, or sneak under a busy city without hitting a single traffic light. In German, it’s der Tunnel. This is your German Word of the Day - a strong, no-nonsense word that appears in traffic reports, engineering news, or casual conversation about travel routes.

The noun Tunnel means tunnel, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. It was borrowed from English; the English word goes back to Old French. The German and English spellings are the same.

It’s a masculine noun, so we say der Tunnel (want to stop guessing noun genders? Our video lesson makes it finally stick).

Pronunciation

Tunnel is pronounced [TUN-nl]

• Tu - short u, as in “put”
• nel like the end of the English word “funnel”
• In southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the regional variant das Tunell also occurs; its stress is on the second syllable.

Example sentences

• Der Tunnel ist sieben Kilometer lang.The tunnel is seven kilometers long.
• Im Tunnel verliert man oft das Radiosignal.You often lose the radio signal in the tunnel.

Nuance and usage tips

You’ll hear Tunnel in both literal and figurative contexts.

Common variations include:

• Straßentunnel - road tunnel
• Eisenbahntunnel - railway tunnel
• Fußgängertunnel - pedestrian underpass
• Bautunnel - tunnel built as part of construction work (a transparent compound)

Figurative usage:

• Tunnelblick - “tunnel vision,” i.e., a narrow focus or inability to see the bigger picture 😅
• Tunnelangst - fear or claustrophobia triggered by tunnels

How does this word come up in real conversations?