Level 6 of 6
German C2 — Mastery
Near-native command: nuance, idiom, and effortless reading of anything written in German.
Free, no account. Not sure C2 is your level?
How to use this level
Do these three, in order
-
Learn the C2 words
528 words, the commonest ones first. Each one shows what it means, how it changes, and a real sentence using it.
Open the word list -
Read a C2 text
50 short texts, easiest first. In the first one you already know almost every word, and the English is one tap away.
Read “Opposition” · 1 min -
Test what you remember
427 questions. Tap an answer and you are told straight away whether it was right, and why.
Start practiceOr pick one typeGrammar Gap-FillVocabulary Gap-Fillder, die or dasReading ComprehensionTrue or False
C2 is the top of the CEFR. The step below is German C1 — Advanced →
Or jump to another level
Common questions
What is German C2?
C2 is the mastery level of the CEFR, formally "Mastery". Understand with ease virtually everything heard or read, summarising and arguing precisely.
How many words do you need for C2 German?
C2 itself adds 528 words to what you already have; cumulatively from A1 that is about 7,164. Syllabuses vary by a few hundred either way, but the order matters more than the total — the commonest words carry most of the meaning.
How long does C2 German take?
The Goethe-Institut's own rule of thumb is roughly 1000+ hours of guided study to reach C2 from zero, assuming you also work outside class. Someone who already speaks another Germanic language will be at the low end.
Which exam matches C2?
Goethe-Zertifikat C2 and telc Deutsch C2 both map directly onto this level. TestDaF and DSH sit around B2–C1 and are the usual route for university admission.