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The pronunciation is slightly different though. This beautiful Yiddish word, based on the Hebrew for “crazy” – meshugah (מְשׁוּגָּע‎), is known to most English and German speakers. Ready? Let’s start with something simple. Vice versa, German words with Yiddish origins such as “Kies” (money), “Großkotz” (braggart) and “Pleite” (bankruptcy), are virtually unknown in standard English.įor simplicity’s sake, I’m focusing mostly on Yiddish words which are shared both by English and German speakers.

For example, “Klutz” (clumsy fellow) is well known in American English, and although it derives from the German “der Klotz” (block), it’s not part of standard German vocabulary.

Interestingly, while American English also embraced many Yiddish expressions, these aren’t always the same ones that made it into standard German. Did you know that some of the funniest, most expressive words in German aren’t actually German but Yiddish? They’ve become such an integral part of our language that even native speakers aren’t always aware of their origins.