Level 6 of 6

German C2: Mastery

Near-native command: nuance, idiom, and effortless reading of anything written in German.

Free, no account. Make C2 your dashboard · Not sure C2 is your level?

5,475 C2 words50 short texts695 practice questions

How to use this level

Do these four, in order

  1. Learn the C2 words

    5,475 words, the commonest ones first. Each one shows what it means, how it changes, and a real sentence using it.

    Open the word list

    Or study themC2 flashcardsC2 daily plan

  2. 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 “Freundschaft” · 2 min

    See all 50 C2 texts

  3. Check the form

    5,165 conjugation and declension tables for the C2 words, and 144 mistakes real learners made at this level.

    Open C2 grammar

    C2 verb tables

C2 is the top of the CEFR. The step below is German C1: Advanced →

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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 5,475 words to what you already have; cumulatively from A1 that is about 14,997. 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.