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Desk and office words in German: 40 words to know

Last updated July 7, 2026 · 7 min read

Here are 40 essential German desk and office words, each with its der/die/das article and plural form. The list covers computers, stationery, and everyday office supplies — der Kopfhörer (headphones), das Notizbuch (notebook), der Drucker (printer) — with a pronunciation guide and a note on the compound words that make up so much of this vocabulary.

GermanPluralPronunciationEnglish
der Schreibtischdie SchreibtischeSHRYP-tishdesk
der Stuhldie StühleSHTOOLchair
der Computerdie Computerkom-PYOO-tercomputer
der Laptopdie LaptopsLAP-toplaptop
der Bildschirmdie BildschirmeBILT-sheermmonitor / screen
die Tastaturdie Tastaturentahs-tah-TOORkeyboard
die Mausdie MäuseMOWSSmouse
der Kopfhörerdie KopfhörerKOPF-hur-erheadphones
das Mikrofondie MikrofoneMEE-kroh-fohnmicrophone
das Telefondie Telefonetay-lay-FOHNtelephone
das Handydie HandysHEN-deecell phone
das Ladegerätdie LadegeräteLAH-deh-geh-RAITcharger
das Kabeldie KabelKAH-belcable
der Druckerdie DruckerDROO-kerprinter
das Papier– (no plural)pah-PEERpaper
der Stiftdie StifteSHTIFTpen
der Bleistiftdie BleistifteBLY-shtiftpencil
der Radiergummidie Radiergummisrah-DEER-goo-meeeraser
das Linealdie Linealelee-nay-AHLruler
die Scheredie ScherenSHAY-rehscissors
der Kleberdie KleberKLAY-berglue
der Notizblockdie Notizblöckenoh-TEETS-blocknotepad
das Notizbuchdie Notizbüchernoh-TEETS-bookhnotebook
der Ordnerdie OrdnerORD-nerbinder / folder
die Mappedie MappenMAH-pehfolder
der Tackerdie TackerTAH-kerstapler
die Büroklammerdie Büroklammernbue-ROH-klah-merpaper clip
der Locherdie LocherLOKH-erhole punch
die Schubladedie SchubladenSHOOP-lah-dehdrawer
das Regaldie Regaleray-GAHLshelf
der Papierkorbdie Papierkörbepah-PEER-korpwastebasket
die Lampedie LampenLAHM-pehlamp
der Kalenderdie Kalenderkah-LEN-dercalendar
die Uhrdie UhrenOORclock
die Brilledie BrillenBRIL-ehglasses
die Taschedie TaschenTAH-shehbag
der Rucksackdie RucksäckeROOK-zahkbackpack
die Steckdosenleistedie SteckdosenleistenSHTECK-doh-zen-LY-stehpower strip
der Routerdie RouterROO-terrouter
die Visitenkartedie Visitenkartenvee-zee-TEN-kar-tehbusiness card
Break the compounds into their pieces. Der Kopfhörer (headphones) is Kopf (head) + Hörer (listener/receiver) — literally a "head-listener." Der Schreibtisch (desk) is schreiben (to write) + Tisch (table), a "writing table." Der Bildschirm (monitor) is Bild (picture) + Schirm (screen/shield). Once you can point at the pieces as real objects, a long German word reads as two familiar ones stuck together, not a wall of letters.

Phrases you can actually say

  1. Mein Laptop steht auf dem Schreibtisch. — My laptop is on the desk.
  2. Wo ist mein Kopfhörer? — Where are my headphones?
  3. Ich brauche einen neuen Stift. — I need a new pen.
  4. Der Drucker funktioniert nicht. — The printer isn't working.
  5. Kannst du mir das Ladegerät geben? — Can you give me the charger?
  6. Meine Brille liegt neben der Tastatur. — My glasses are next to the keyboard.
  7. Der Notizblock ist in der Schublade. — The notepad is in the drawer.
  8. Ich lege das Dokument in den Ordner. — I'm putting the document in the folder.

Catch them instead of memorizing them

A list like this is a starting point, not the finish line. The fastest way to make these words — and their articles — stick is to photograph the actual objects on your own desk. Point your camera at your laptop, your pen, your headphones, and CatchFrase names it in German with the article already attached, reads it aloud, and builds an example sentence around it, so der/die/das arrives glued to the object instead of memorized from a table.

Each catch becomes a collectible card with the word, its plural, a phrase, audio, and a spot in your review queue. Spaced-repetition review (CatchFrase calls it smart review) brings each word back just before you'd forget it, so this list doesn't have to be re-read cold next week.

Being honest about the free tier: it's 10 catches a day, so a full desk setup — laptop, keyboard, mouse, headphones, notebook, pen, printer, and the rest — takes about 4 days at that pace. That's still faster than most people build a desk's worth of German vocabulary any other way, and there's no account required to start.

Common questions

Why do so many office words look like two words stuck together?

Because German builds new words by combining existing ones. Der Kopfhörer (headphones) is Kopf (head) plus Hörer (listener/receiver) — literally "head-listener." Der Schreibtisch (desk) is schreiben (to write) plus Tisch (table). Learn the small pieces and the long compounds stop looking intimidating.

Do I need to memorize all 40 words before I set up my desk?

No. Learn a handful, use them while you're actually at your desk, and let the rest come from the objects around you as you need them. Vocabulary tied to something you're doing right now sticks better than a list studied cold.

Is CatchFrase free to use for this?

Yes. The free tier includes 10 catches a day, a 75-card collection, and daily review — enough to work through a desk's worth of objects over a few days. CatchFrase Plus adds unlimited catches and deeper practice.

Your desk is 40 words waiting to be caught.

Free to start — 10 catches a day, no account needed. Photos never leave your phone except to name the word.

Get CatchFraseon the App Store

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