How do you say and spell good night in German?

Are you a night owl or an early bird? Regardless of when your head hits the pillow, eventually, at the end of the day, we all need to get some rest and bid our companions a good night.

Good night in German is Gute Nacht, but it’s far from the only way of saying goodnight. The way you say good night in German actually changes depending on which German-speaking country and region you’re in. In this post we show you ten ways of saying good night in German, including expressions used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland!

Read next: 105 Basic German Words – Best Vocab List for Beginners

Good Night in German at a Glance

• How to Say Good Night in Germany
  • Gute Nacht
  • Ich wünsche dir eine gute Nacht
  • Nacht
  • Schlaf gut
  • Schlaf schön
  • Träum schön
• How to Say Good night in Switzerland
  • Schlof Guät
  • Guäts Nachtli
  • Pfuus Guet
• How to Say Good Night in Austria
  • Guad eich Nocht!

How to Say Good Night in Germany

Gute Nacht

Gute Nacht is the most common and widely used expression to say “good night” in German. It’s also one of those expressions that are quite similar in English and German, which reminds us that the two languages are actually closely related and have both come from the ancient Proto-Germanic.

Example Sentence:

Gute Nacht, bis morgen früh!

Good night, until tomorrow morning!

Ich wünsche dir eine gute Nacht

Ich wünsche dir eine gute Nacht is a variation of “Gute Nacht” and it can be translated to “I wish you a good night”. It is slightly more formal than its abbreviated form but just as commonly used.

Example Sentence:

Tschüss, ich wünsche dir eine gute Nacht.

Goodbye I wish you a good night.

Read next: 14 Ways to Say Goodbye in German – Beyond Auf Wiedersehen

Nacht

Nacht is the shortest variation that is also widely used is Nacht . It’s a slightly more impersonal “good night” and used most often between adults, especially if they don’t know each other well. This is the perfect expression for when you travel with your co-workers and want to wish them a good night.

Example Sentence:

Nacht, wir sehen uns morgen in der Besprechung.

Good night, I’ll see you in the meeting tomorrow.

Schlaf gut

Schlaf gut can be translated to “sleep well” and similar to “Gute Nacht” it is widely used in all German speaking countries. It is an informal expression, if you want to use it in a formal way you can say “Schlafen Sie gut”.

Example Sentence:

Schlaf gut und vergiss nicht deinen Wecker zu stellen!

Sleep well and don’t forget to set your alarm!

Schlaf schön

While this Schlaf schön literally means “sleep nicely” it can be translated roughly to “sleep tight” in English. It is a little less formal than the other expressions and transmits more of a personal relationship. Again, if you want to make it more formal you can say “Schlafen Sie schön”.

Example Sentence:

Ich schließe jetzt die Tür, schlaf schön.

I’ll close the door now, sleep well.

Träum schön

Can you guess what this one means? Träum schön translates to sweet dreams in German and just like “Schlaf schön” it is informal and particularly caring.

Example Sentence:

Ich mache jetzt das Licht aus, träum schön!

I’ll turn the lights off now, sweet dreams!

Read next: 18 Ways To Say Good Morning in German

How to Say Good night in Switzerland

Schlof Guät

You might recognize this expression from the German expression “Schlaf gut”. The accent in Switzerland is slightly different than the German spoken in Germany. The way the vowels are pronounced differs slightly.

Read next: 5 Common Ways of Saying Good Afternoon in German

Guäts Nachtli

The same happens with “Gute Nacht” which is also an expression that features in our list of German expressions. Ending a word with an “i” is a diminutive which makes expressions more “cutesy”.

Example Sentence:

Good night, I’ll see you soon!

Pfuus Guet

Believe it or not, the expression Pfuus Guet means “Sleep well” in Switzerland. Where does the word “pfuus” come from? We don’t know, if you do, let us know in the comments!

Example Sentence:

Pfuus guet, sali!

Sleep tight, bye!

How to Say Good Night in Austria

Guad eich Nocht!

You can use all of the above German expressions in Austria. You can use Guad eich Nocht! for a group of people and it means something like “I wish all of you a good night!”.

Example Sentence:

Guad eich Nocht, bis morgen!

Good night you guys, I’ll see you tomorrow!

Conclusion

We hope that learning about our 10 ways of saying “good night” in German hasn’t tired you out! Remember that even while there are specific expressions in Austria and Switzerland, you can always use the German expressions in those countries too. You can also combine different expressions and make short phrases such as “Gute Nacht, schlaf gut!” or “Ich wünsche dir eine gute Nacht, träum schön!” Choose one of the many expressions, change it up and wish your family a good night in German!