Part 1 of 7The A1 German Vocabulary Starter Set for the Goethe Exam
The A1 German vocabulary starter set: the circa 650 words behind the Goethe exam, organised by official topic, with the phrases and exam words to learn first.
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Reading series7 articlesLast updated July 2026
German Vocabulary by Level (A1 to C1)
The words and set phrases each level actually tests.
Facts in this series are cited to official sources. Exam formats, fees, and requirements change. Re-check the linked source before you plan around any figure.
Vocabulary is the quiet ceiling on every exam score: you cannot argue at B2 with B1 words, and you cannot write an A1 letter without the starter set. These guides break the wordlist down level by level, add the Redemittel that earn marks in speaking and writing, and flag the false friends that cost them.
Part 1 of 7
Part 2 of 7A2 German Vocabulary to Round Out the Basics
A2 German vocabulary explained: how the official Goethe list grows to circa 1,300 words, what is genuinely new after A1, and how the exam recycles it.
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Part 3 of 7B1 German Vocabulary That Examiners Expect
B1 German vocabulary explained: the circa 2,400 words on the official Goethe list, the topic fields exams draw on, and the collocations that score.
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Part 4 of 7B2 German Vocabulary for Opinion and Argument
There is no official B2 German vocabulary list. Build argument language instead: opinion verbs, abstract nouns, and Nomen-Verb-Verbindungen that score at B2.
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Part 5 of 7German Redemittel: Set Phrases That Score in Speaking and Writing
German Redemittel organised by function: openers, opinions, polite disagreement, graph language and presentation phrases that earn marks from B1 to C1.
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Part 6 of 7German False Friends That Trip Up English Speakers
German false friends explained: why aktuell, eventuell, bekommen and das Gift do not mean what they look like, and how exams use them as traps.
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Part 7 of 7Academic German Vocabulary for C1 and University
Academic German vocabulary for C1 and university: core Wissenschaftssprache, seminar survival words, Nomen-Verb-Verbindungen, and hedging phrases.
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Frequently asked questions
How many German words do I need at each level?
The official Goethe wordlists set the bar up to B1: circa 650 words at A1, circa 1,300 lexical units at A2, and circa 2,400 at B1. Above B1 there is no official list; B2 and C1 test open, topic-driven vocabulary, so coverage of the exam topics matters more than any raw count.
Should I learn single words or whole phrases?
Both, but phrases pay off faster in the exam. Single words build reading and listening range, while memorised Redemittel (set phrases for agreeing, comparing, and structuring an argument) plug directly into your speaking and writing tasks and are what examiners reward as fluent, level-appropriate language.
What is the fastest way to make new vocabulary stick?
Short, spaced repetitions beat long sessions. Meet each word in a real sentence, review it after a day, then after a few days, and use it once in your own writing or speaking. A word you have produced yourself is far harder to forget than one you have only recognised.