SPAETZLE or
SPÄTZLE?
How do you Spell it?
German uses an umlaut over the ä. If you can’t type an umlaut, you add an e after the vowel:
ä = ae, ö = oe, ü = ue
So Spätzle and Spaetzle are the same thing.
SPÄTZLE
TRANSLATION
What does it mean?
Spatz meanssparrow; Spätzle means little sparrow. Southern German adds -le and an umlaut to form the diminutive Spätzle.
The name likely refers to the small, irregular shape of the dumplings.
HOW DO YOU
PRONOUNCE SPÄTZLE?
How do say it?
Spätzle is two syllables: shpets-luh. Some say spats-el or spates-el, but the vowel is like the e in pets, with a soft -luh ending (as in lucky).
Spaetzle Translation and Spelling
In German, Spätzle is spelled with an umlaut over the ä, which affects both how the word is pronounced and how it’s formed. The name comes from Spatz, the German word for sparrow. With the southern German diminutive ending -le, Spätzle literally means “little sparrows,” a nod to the small, irregular shape of the dumplings.
In southern German and Austrian dialects, diminutives often trigger a vowel change called umlaut, where a, o, or u shift to ä, ö, or ü. You’ll see the same pattern in words like Spatz → Spätzle, Knopf → Knöpfle (little button or dumpling), Topf → Töpfle (small pot), and Brot → Brötle (small roll). When umlauts aren’t available—especially in English—the umlauted vowel is replaced with an added e, which is why Spätzle is commonly written as Spaetzle. Both spellings refer to the same dish and are perfectly correct.
How to Pronounce Spaetzle
How to pronounce Spätzle: It’s a two-syllable word. In German, it’s pronounced roughly SHPETS-luh. The ä sounds like the e in bet, not like the a in cat, and the -le ending is soft and unstressed. English speakers often say “SHPETS-uhl” or sometimes “SPATS-uhl.” Those versions are understandable, but the German pronunciation keeps a gentle sh sound at the beginning and a lighter ending.