Which books should you read to learn German?
Read books that are short and use few different words for their level. In our table of 20 free German books the easiest by vocabulary are Der Struwwelpeter (B1, 2,988 words), Das Urteil (B1, 4,060 words) and In der Strafkolonie (B1, 10,321 words). Every book below is in the public domain, rated B1–C2 by our team, and measured: words, different words and how many word forms cover 95% of the text.
There are no German books below B1 in our table: original books, even short ones, rarely suit beginners. At A1 and A2, books written for learners come first: see free graded readers by level, and when to move on to original books.
German books for B1 learners 4 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Der StruwwelpeterHeinrich Hoffmann | children’s verse | 2,988 | 966 | 15–30 min |
Das UrteilFranz Kafka | short story | 4,060 | 1,090 | 20–41 min |
In der StrafkolonieFranz Kafka | short story | 10,321 | 1,822 | 1–1.5 h |
ImmenseeTheodor Storm | novella | 9,744 | 1,976 | 1–1.5 h |
German books for B2 learners 8 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Die VerwandlungFranz Kafka | novella | 19,175 | 2,796 | 1.5–3 h |
Die Leiden des jungen WertherJohann Wolfgang von Goethe | novel in letters | 17,730 | 3,152 | 1.5–3 h |
SiddharthaHermann Hesse | novel | 34,470 | 3,324 | 3–5.5 h |
Aus dem Leben eines TaugenichtsJoseph von Eichendorff | novella | 31,367 | 3,478 | 2.5–5 h |
Der SchimmelreiterTheodor Storm | novella | 38,362 | 4,303 | 3–6.5 h |
Deutsche MärchenJacob and Wilhelm Grimm | fairy tales | 88,762 | 4,444 | 7.5–15 h |
DemianHermann Hesse | novel | 47,366 | 4,677 | 4–8 h |
Unterm RadHermann Hesse | novel | 49,238 | 7,255 | 4–8 h |
German books for C1 learners 6 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Faust: Der Tragödie erster TeilJohann Wolfgang von Goethe | play in verse | 30,693 | 4,774 | 2.5–5 h |
Also sprach ZarathustraFriedrich Nietzsche | philosophy | 84,321 | 5,233 | 7–14 h |
Die WahlverwandtschaftenJohann Wolfgang von Goethe | novel | 79,204 | 6,939 | 6.5–13 h |
Jenseits von Gut und BöseFriedrich Nietzsche | philosophy | 57,811 | 7,006 | 5–9.5 h |
Der UntertanHeinrich Mann | novel | 130,662 | 9,019 | 11–22 h |
BuddenbrooksThomas Mann | novel | 228,586 | 13,558 | 19–38 h |
German books for C2 learners 2 books
| Book | Form | Words | Forms for 95% | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Die Geburt der TragödieFriedrich Nietzsche | philosophy | 41,816 | 6,015 | 3.5–7 h |
Faust: Der Tragödie zweiter TeilJohann Wolfgang von Goethe | play in verse | 45,471 | 7,939 | 4–7.5 h |
How were the levels and numbers worked out?
Levels were set by hand by our team when each book was added to the Readlang Mobile library; they are a judgement, not a formula. Words, different word forms and the forms needed for 95% of the text were counted by a script from the text of each edition, without title pages and licences. The method is explained in Free books by CEFR level and on the About page, and the full table is free to reuse as a CSV file.