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German B1 Vocabulary List

603 German B1 words from the official Goethe Wortliste — with gender color-coding, English translations, and a free PDF. They cover abstract topics, opinions, media, and professional life. B1 is the level required for German citizenship.

A curated set of the most useful words — the full official Goethe B1 Wortliste has around 2,400. Full breakdown below.

Every word is a memory-palace flashcard — a vivid scene with der/die/das color-coded so the gender sticks.

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603 words
Illustration of the B1 German word “-los”, which translates to “suffix meaning 'without'”. A sock puppet peels off its sock and holds up the completely bare hand, now utterly without its covering.
-los

/ˌloːs/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “arbeitslos”, which translates to “unemployed”. A weary, middle-aged badger in a pinstripe suit sits on a park bench, sadly staring at a briefcase overflowing with empty sandwich wrappers, while his desk chair rolls past in the background looking for a new owner.
arbeitslos

/ˈaʁbaɪ̯t͡sloːs/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “aufgeben”, which translates to “to give up”. A tiny, exhausted snail in a marathon sits down on a checkered finish line, sighs heavily, and hangs a literal white flag over its shell while a butterfly zips past in the distance.
aufgeben

/ˈaʊ̯fˌɡeːbn̩/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “aufwachsen”, which translates to “to grow up”. Close-up of one small fox cub standing against a doorframe measuring-post, its own shadow cast tall behind it showing a full-grown fox — the little one and the grown-up it is becoming, side by side.
aufwachsen

/ˈaʊ̯fˌvaksn̩/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “außergewöhnlich”, which translates to “extraordinary, exceptional”. A humble grey pigeon dons a sparkly, feathered tiara and velvet cape, strutting with smug pride as a crowd of ordinary grey pigeons faints in collective, jaw-dropping shock.
außergewöhnlich

/ˈaʊ̯sɐɡəˌvøːnlɪç/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “beeinflussen”, which translates to “to influence”. Close-up of a fox sweeping one huge glowing paintbrush across a grey sky, and wherever the bright stroke lands the whole world below shifts into warm vivid colour.
beeinflussen

/bəˈʔaɪ̯nˌflʊsn̩/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “berühmt”, which translates to “famous”. A smug pigeon in sunglasses struts a red carpet, chest puffed to bursting, as a mob of squealing sparrows faints and tumbles over the velvet rope behind it.
berühmt

/bəˈʁyːmt/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “bewundern”, which translates to “to admire”. A child standing before a colossal soap bubble that reflects an entire galaxy inside it, mouth open in silent, wide-eyed wonder.
bewundern

/bəˈvʊndɐn/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “die Biografie”, which translates to “biography”. A huge open storybook fills the frame, its pages growing into a tiny living landscape of one otter's whole life — cradle, mountain, lantern — rising off the paper.
die Biografie

/bioɡʁaˈfiː/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “der Durchbruch”, which translates to “breakthrough”. A mole bursts head-first through a brick wall into golden sunlight, brick dust exploding around him, arms flung wide in astonished triumph.
der Durchbruch

/ˈdʊʁçˌbʁʊx/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “der Einfluss”, which translates to “influence”. Close-up of a fox tapping one domino so a huge sweeping wave of glowing dominoes curves away, the whole chain reaction frozen at the very first tip.
der Einfluss

/ˈaɪ̯nˌflʊs/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “einmalig”, which translates to “one-time, unique”. Close-up of a squirrel cupping a single huge glowing snowflake in its paws, the one-of-a-kind crystal shining bright and unique, filling most of the frame.
einmalig

/ˈaɪ̯nˌmaːlɪç/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “das Engagement”, which translates to “commitment, dedication, involvement”. A small beaver hauls a log twice its size up a steep muddy bank in the pouring rain, jaw clenched, refusing to let go.
das Engagement

/ɑ̃ɡaʒˈmɑ̃ː/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “entschlossen”, which translates to “determined, resolute”. Close-up of a determined little bulldog leaning hard into a fierce glowing wind, jaw set and eyes fixed forward, one resolute stride frozen against the storm.
entschlossen

/ɛntˈʃlɔsn̩/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “erfolglos”, which translates to “unsuccessful”. Close-up of a slumped fox in front of a huge glowing target whose every arrow has thudded flat into the dirt far below the bullseye, dust still hanging.
erfolglos

/ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkloːs/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “gründen”, which translates to “to found, to establish”. Close-up of a beaver planting a huge glowing cornerstone into fresh earth, a bright little building already sprouting up from that single founding block.
gründen

/ˈɡʁʏndn̩/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “die Heimatstadt”, which translates to “home town”. A small fox stands at the crest of a hill gazing down at a warm cluster of cottages with smoking chimneys nestled in the valley below, tail curled around its paws.
die Heimatstadt

/ˈhaɪ̯matˌʃtat/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “hoffnungslos”, which translates to “hopeless”. A soggy little mole sits in a puddle under a broken umbrella, bottom lip trembling theatrically, as one last raindrop plops squarely onto his nose.
hoffnungslos

/ˈhɔfnʊŋsloːs/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “inspirieren”, which translates to “to inspire”. A person breathing in stardust, which then turns into vibrant, flying origami birds taking flight from their fingertips.
inspirieren

/ɪnspiˈʁiːʁən/

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Illustration of the B1 German word “die Jugend”, which translates to “youth, adolescence”. Close-up of a bounding young fox kit mid-leap through a huge glowing spring meadow, bright dandelion seeds and fresh green light bursting all around its jump.
die Jugend

/ˈjuːɡn̩t/

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Showing 20 of 603 words

Goethe B1 Wortliste (word list)

The official Goethe-Institut B1 Wortliste lists around 2,400 words across A1 to B1. This page is the B1 tier: 603 of the most useful B1 words, each built as a memory-palace flashcard - a curated set drawn from those Goethe lists, not the official list itself. Use the A1 and A2 tabs above for the earlier levels.

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