ß

In standard German, three letters or combinations of letters commonly represent {{IPA|de|s|}} (the voiceless alveolar fricative) depending on its position in a word: {{angbr|s}}, {{angbr|ss}}, and {{angbr|ß}}. According to current German orthography, {{angbr|ß}} represents the sound {{IPA|de|s|}}:

1. when it is written after a diphthong or long vowel and is not followed by another consonant in the word stem: {{lang|de|Straße}}, {{lang|de|Maß}}, {{lang|de|groß}}, {{lang|de|heißen}} [Exceptions: {{lang|de|aus}} and words with final devoicing (e.g., {{lang|de|Haus}})];{{cite web|title=Deutsche Rechtschreibung: 2.3 Besonderheiten bei [s] § 25 |url=https://grammis.ids-mannheim.de/rechtschreibung/6180 |access-date=28 January 2021}} and
2. when a word stem ending with {{angbr|ß}} takes an inflectional ending beginning with a consonant: {{lang|de|heißt}}, {{lang|de|größte}}.{{cite book |title=Duden: Die Grammatik |edition=9 |year=2016 |page=84}}

In verbs with roots where the vowel changes length, this means that some forms may be written with {{angbr|ß}}, others with {{angbr|ss}}: {{lang|de|wissen}}, {{lang|de|er weiß}}, {{lang|de|er wusste}}.

The use of {{angbr|ß}} distinguishes minimal pairs such as {{lang|de|reißen}} ({{IPA|de|ˈʁaɪsn̩|IPA}}, to rip) and {{lang|de|reisen}} ({{IPA|de|ˈʁaɪzn̩|IPA}}, to travel) on the one hand ({{IPA|de|s|}} vs. {{IPA|de|z|}}), and {{lang|de|Buße}} ({{IPA|de|ˈbuːsə|IPA}}, penance) and {{lang|de|Busse}} ({{IPA|de|ˈbʊsə|IPA}}, buses) on the other (long vowel before {{angbr|ß}}, short vowel before {{angbr|ss}}).{{cite book |author-last1=Augst |author-first1=Gerhard |author-last2=Stock |author-first2=Eberhard |chapter=Laut-Buchstaben-Zuordnung |title=Zur Neuregelung der deutschen Rechtschreibung: Begründung und Kritik |editor-last1=Augst |editor-first1=Gerhard |editor-last2=Blüml |editor-first2=Karl |display-editors=1 |publisher=Max Niemeyer |year=1997 |isbn=3-484-31179-7}}{{rp|123}}

Some proper names may use {{angbr|ß}} after a short vowel, following older orthography; this is also true of some words derived from proper names (e.g., {{lang|de|Litfaßsäule; advertising column}}, named after Ernst Litfaß).{{cite book|last=Poschenrieder |first=Thorwald |chapter=S-Schreibung - Überlieferung oder Reform? |title=Die Rechtschreibreform: Pro und Kontra |editor-last1=Eroms |editor-first1=Hans-Werner |editor-last2=Munske |editor-first2=Horst Haider|publisher=Erich Schmidt |year=1997 |isbn=3-50303786-1}}{{rp|180}}

If no {{angbr|ß}} is available in a font, then the official orthography calls for {{angbr|ß}} to be replaced with {{angbr|ss}}. {{cite web|access-date=20 September 2023 |url=https://grammis.ids-mannheim.de/rechtschreibung |title=Deutsche Rechtschreibung: Regeln und Wörterverzeichnis |at=2.3 E3 |quote={{lang|de|Steht der Buchstabe ß nicht zur Verfügung, so schreibt man ss.}} [If the letter ß is unavailable, then one writes ss.]}} Since 2024, when writing in capital letters {{angbr|ẞ}} has been preferred, but {{angbr|SS}} may be used instead. Previously, {{angbr|SS}} was the preferred form.{{Cite web |access-date=29 June 2017 |url=http://www.rechtschreibrat.com/DOX/rfdr_Regeln_2017.pdf |title=Deutsche Rechtschreibung Regeln und Wörterverzeichnis: Aktualisierte Fassung des amtlichen Regelwerks entsprechend den Empfehlungen des Rats für deutsche Rechtschreibung 2016 |year=2017 |at=§25, E3 |quote={{lang|de|E3: Bei Schreibung mit Großbuchstaben schreibt man SS. Daneben ist auch die Verwendung des Großbuchstabens ẞ möglich. Beispiel: Straße – STRASSE – STRAẞE.}} [When writing in all caps, one writes SS. It is also permitted to write ẞ. Example: Straße – STRASSE – STRAẞE.] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706162042/http://www.rechtschreibrat.com/DOX/rfdr_Regeln_2017.pdf |archive-date=2017-07-06 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|access-date=20 September 2023 |url=https://www.rechtschreibrat.com/DOX/rfdr_Regeln_2011.pdf |title=Deutsche Rechtschreibung Regeln und Wörterverzeichnis: Aktualisierte Fassung des amtlichen Regelwerks entsprechend den Empfehlungen des Rats für deutsche Rechtschreibung 2006 |year=2006 |at=§25, E3 |quote={{lang|de|E3: Bei Schreibung mit Groẞbuchstaben schreibt man SS, zum Beispiel: Straße – STRASSE.}} [When writing in all caps, one writes SS, for example: Straße – STRASSE.]}}

File:RechtschreibreformBeiStrassennamen.jpg, adapted to the 1996 spelling reform (old: {{lang|de|Kongreßstraße}}, new: {{lang|de|Kongressstraße}})]]

According to the orthography in use in German prior to the German orthography reform of 1996, {{angbr|ß}} was written to represent {{IPA|de|s|}}:

1. word internally following a long vowel or diphthong: {{lang|de|Straße}}, {{lang|de|reißen}}; and
2. at the end of a syllable or before a consonant, so long as {{IPA|de|s|}} is the end of the word stem: {{lang|de|muß}}, {{lang|de|faßt}}, {{lang|de|wäßrig}}.{{rp|176}}

In the old orthography, word stems spelled {{angbr|ss}} internally could thus be written {{angbr|ß}} in certain instances, without this reflecting a change in vowel length: {{lang|de|küßt}} (from {{lang|de|küssen}}), {{lang|de|faßt}} (from {{lang|de|fassen}}), {{lang|de|verläßlich}} and {{lang|de|Verlaß}} (from {{lang|de|verlassen}}), {{lang|de|kraß}} (comparative: {{lang|de|krasser}}).{{rp|121-23}}{{cite book|last=Munske |first=Horst Haider|title=Lob der Rechtschreibung: Warum wir schreiben, wie wir schreiben |publisher=C. H. Beck |year=2005 |isbn=3-406-52861-9 |page=66}} In rare occasions, the difference between {{angbr|ß}} and {{angbr|ss}} could help differentiate words: {{lang|de|Paßende}} (expiration of a pass) and {{lang|de|passende}} (appropriate).{{rp|178}}

File:ABSCHUSZGERAET.jpg crate ({{lang|de|ABSCHUSZGERAET}} for the pre-reform spelling {{lang|de|Abschußgerät}} 'launcher')]]

As in the new orthography, it was possible to write {{angbr|ss}} for {{angbr|ß}} if the character was not available. When using all capital letters, the pre-1996 rules called for rendering {{angbr|ß}} as {{angbr|SS}} except when there was ambiguity, in which case it should be rendered as {{angbr|SZ}}. The common example for such a case is {{lang|de|IN MASZEN}} ({{lang|de|in Maßen}} "in moderate amounts") vs. {{lang|de|IN MASSEN}} ({{lang|de|in Massen}} "in massive amounts"); in this example the spelling difference between {{angbr|ß}} vs. {{angbr|ss}} produces completely different meanings.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

In Swiss Standard German, {{angbr|ss}} usually replaces every {{angbr|ß}}.{{ill|Peter Gallmann|de|lt=Peter Gallmann.}} [http://www.personal.uni-jena.de/~x1gape/Pub/Eszett_1997.pdf "Warum die Schweizer weiterhin kein Eszett schreiben."] in Die Neuregelung der deutschen Rechtschreibung. Begründung und Kritik. Gerhard Augst, et al., eds. Niemayer: 1997. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160303200450/http://www.personal.uni-jena.de/~x1gape/Pub/Eszett_1997.pdf Archived.])[https://www.bk.admin.ch/dam/bk/de/dokumente/sprachdienste/sprachdienst_de/rechtschreibleitfaden-2017.pdf.download.pdf/rechtschreibleitfaden-2017.pdf "Rechtschreibung: Leitfaden zur deutschen Rechtschreibung."] Schweizerische Bundeskanzlei, in Absprache mit der Präsidentin der Staatsschreiberkonferenz. 2017. pp. 19, 21–22. This is officially sanctioned by the reformed German orthography rules, which state in §25 E2: "{{lang|de|In der Schweiz kann man immer „ss“ schreiben}}" ("In Switzerland, one may always write 'ss'"). Liechtenstein follows the same practice. There are very few instances where the difference between spelling {{angbr|ß}} and {{angbr|ss}} affects the meaning of a word, and these can usually be told apart by context.{{cite journal |last=Walder |first=Adrienne |title=Das versale Eszett: Ein neuer Buchstabe im deutschen Alphabet |doi=10.1515/zgl-2020-2001 |pages=211–237 |journal=Zeitschrift für Germanitische Linguistik |volume=48 |issue=2 |year=2020 |s2cid=225226660 }}{{rp|230}}[https://www.bk.admin.ch/dam/bk/de/dokumente/sprachdienste/sprachdienst_de/rechtschreibleitfaden-2017.pdf.download.pdf/rechtschreibleitfaden-2017.pdf "Rechtscreibung: Leitfaden zur deutschen Rechtschreibung."] Schweizerische Bundeskanzlei, in Absprache mit der Präsidentin der Staatsschreiberkonferenz. 2017. pp. 21–22.

File:Kirche Oßling AB 2011 14.JPG: wyßokoſcʒ́i ("highest", now spelled wysokosći). Text of Luke 2:14, in a church in Oßling.]]

File:BibliaWujka.PNG, in 1599 Jakub Wujek Bible, in the word náßéy, which means our, and would be spelled naszej in modern orthography]]

Occasionally, {{angbr|ß}} has been used in unusual ways:

• As the Greek lowercase {{angbr|β}} (beta). The original IBM PC CP437 contains a glyph that minimizes their differences placed between {{angbr|α}} (alpha) and {{angbr|γ}} (gamma) but named "Sharp s Small".{{cite web

|url=https://public.dhe.ibm.com/software/globalization/gcoc/attachments/CP00437.txt

|title=Code Page (CPGID): 00437

|date=1984

|website=IBM software FTP server

|publisher=IBM

|access-date=11 April 2021

}} Substitution was also done using other character sets such as ISO/IEC 8859-1 even though they contain no other Greek letters. The lowercase eszett has also been misused as {{angbr|β}} in scientific writing and vice versa.{{Cite journal |last=Silva |first=Jaime A. Teixeira da |date=2021-04-05 |title=Confusing German Eszett (ẞ; ß) with Greek beta (β) in Biomedical Writing |url=https://www.csescienceeditor.org/article/confusing-german-eszett-%C3%9F-s-with-greek-beta-%CE%B2-in-biomedical-writing/ |journal=Science Editor |language=en-US |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=23–24 |doi=10.36591/SE-D-4401-23}}

• In Prussian Lithuanian, as in the first book published in Lithuanian, Martynas Mažvydas' Simple Words of Catechism,{{cite book

|last=Zinkevičius

|first=Zigmas

|date=1996

|title=The History of the Lithuanian Language

|location=Vilnius

|publisher=Science and Encyclopedia Publishers

|page= 230-236

|isbn=9785420013632

}} as well as in Sorbian (see example on the left).

• For sadhe in Akkadian glosses, in place of the standard {{angbr|ṣ}}, when that character is unavailable due to limitations of HTML.{{cite web

|url=http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/

|title=ETCSL display conventions

|website=The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

|last1=Black

|first1=J.A.

|last2=Cunningham

|first2=G.

|last3=Fluckiger-Hawker

|first3=E.

|last4=Robson

|first4=E.

|last5=Zólyomi

|first5=G.

|year=1998–2021

|publisher=Oxford University

|access-date=11 April 2021

}}

• The letter appeared in the alphabet made by Jan Kochanowski for the Polish language, that was used from the 16th until the 18th century. It represented the voiceless postalveolar fricative ({{IPA|[ʃ]}}) sound.{{cite web|url=https://www.2plus3d.pl/artykuly/skad-sie-wziely-znaki-diakrytyczne|website=2plus3d.pl|title=Skąd się wzięły znaki diakrytyczne?|language=pl|access-date=2021-08-29|archive-date=2021-04-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421114922/https://www.2plus3d.pl/artykuly/skad-sie-wziely-znaki-diakrytyczne|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://idb.neon24.pl/post/106082,bon-ton-e-a-aby-pismo-bylo-polskie|website=idb.neon24.pl|title=Bon ton Ę-Ą. Aby pismo było polskie.|date=5 August 2023 |language=pl}} It was for example used in the Jakub Wujek Bible.{{Cite web|url=http://bibliepolskie.pl/przeklady.php?tid=4|website=bibliepolskie.pl|language=pl|title=Tłumaczenia ksiąg biblijnych na język polski}}
• Some authors have used it in German at the beginning of words to transcribe the voiceless s of certain accents.For example Ssein, ja ßein soll es ßie, ßie, ßie! in {{cite work|first1=Karl|last1=May|title=Der Weg zum Glück|date=1886–1888|url=https://www.projekt-gutenberg.org/may/wegglue1/chap004.html}}

File:Nibelungenlied manuscript - “grozer”.jpg letter "z" for modern "ß" in the beginning of the Nibelungenlied: "grozer" = "großer"]]

As a result of the High German consonant shift, Old High German developed a sound generally spelled {{angbr|zz}} or {{angbr|z}} that was probably pronounced {{IPA|[s]}} and was contrasted with a sound, probably pronounced {{IPA|[⁠s̠]}} (voiceless alveolar retracted sibilant) or {{IPA|[z̠]}} (voiced alveolar retracted sibilant), depending on the place in the word, and spelled {{angbr|s}}.{{cite book |last=Salmons |first=Joseph |title=A History of German: What the past reveals about today's language |edition=2 |year=2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-872302-8|page=203}} Given that {{angbr|z}} could also represent the affricate {{IPA|[ts]}}, some attempts were made to differentiate the sounds by spelling {{IPA|[s]}} as {{angbr|zss}} or {{angbr|zs}}: {{lang|goh|wazssar}} ({{langx|de|Wasser}}), {{lang|goh|fuozssi}} ({{langx|de|Füße}}), {{lang|goh|heizsit}} ({{langx|de|heißt}}).{{cite book|last=Braune |first=Wilhelm |title=Althochdeutsche Grammatik I |publisher=Max Niemeyer |year=2004 |isbn=3-484-10861-4 |page=152}} In Middle High German, {{angbr|zz}} simplified to {{angbr|z}} at the end of a word or after a long vowel, but was retained word internally after a short vowel: {{lang|gmh|wazzer}} ({{langx|de|Wasser}}) vs. {{lang|gmh|lâzen}} ({{langx|de|lassen}}) and {{lang|mhg|fuoz}} ({{langx|de|Fuß}}).{{cite book |last=Paul |first=Hermann |title=Mittelhochdeutsche Grammatik |edition=24 |year=1998 |publisher=Max Niemeyer |isbn=3-484-10233-0 |page=163 }}

File:Crop of vsz from History vom Herr Flordimar Cod Don 140 fol 37r.jpg's {{lang|de|Buch der Abenteuer}}: "uſz" (modern German {{lang|de|aus}})]]

In the thirteenth century, the phonetic difference between {{angbr|z}} and {{angbr|s}} was lost at the beginning and end of words in all dialects except for Gottscheerish. Word-internally, Old and Middle High German {{angbr|s}} came to be pronounced {{IPA|[z]}} (the voiced alveolar sibilant), while Old and Middle High German {{angbr|z}} continued to be pronounced {{IPA|[s]}}. This produces the contrast between modern standard German {{lang|de|reisen}} and {{lang|de|reißen}}. The former is pronounced {{IPA|de|ˈʁaɪzn̩|IPA}} and comes from {{langx|gmh|reisen}}, while the latter is pronounced {{IPA|de|ˈʁaɪsn̩|IPA}} and comes from {{langx|gmh|reizen}}.{{cite journal|last=Penzl |first=Herbert |title=Die mittelhochdeutschen Sibilanten und ihre Weiterentwicklung |journal=Word |volume=24 |year=1968 |issue=1–3 |doi=10.1080/00437956.1968.11435536 |pages=344, 348}}

In the late medieval and early modern periods, {{IPA|[s]}} was frequently spelled {{angbr|sz}} or {{angbr|ss}}. The earliest appearance of ligature resembling the modern {{angbr|ß}} is in a fragment of a manuscript of the poem Wolfdietrich from around 1300.{{rp|214}} In the Gothic book hands and bastarda scripts of the late medieval period, {{angbr|sz}} is written with long s and the Blackletter "tailed z", as {{angbr|ſʒ}}. A recognizable ligature representing the {{angbr|sz}} digraph develops in handwriting in the early 14th century.{{cite journal |first=Herbert E. |last=Brekle |title=Zur handschriftlichen und typographischen Geschichte der Buchstabenligatur ß aus gotisch-deutschen und humanistisch-italienischen Kontexten |journal=Gutenberg-Jahrbuch |volume=76 |location=Mainz |year=2001 |issn=0072-9094 }}{{rp|67-76}}

File:Crop of Der Bierbreuwer from Jost Amman's Stände und Handwerker Wellcome L0069606.jpg showing several instances of ß as a clear ligature of {{angbr|ſz}}: "groß", "stoß", "Laß", "baß" (= modern "besser"), and "Faß"]]

By the late 1400s, the choice of spelling between {{angbr|sz}} and {{angbr|ss}} was usually based on the sound's position in the word rather than etymology: {{angbr|sz}} ({{angbr|ſz}}) tended to be used in word final position: {{lang|de|uſz}} ({{langx|gmh|ûz}}, {{langx|de|aus}}), {{lang|de|-nüſz}} ({{langx|gmh|-nüss(e)}}, {{langx|de|-nis}}); {{angbr|ss}} ({{angbr|ſſ}}) tended to be used when the sound occurred between vowels: {{lang|de|groſſes}} ({{langx|gmh|grôzes}}, {{langx|de|großes}}).{{cite book |last1=Young |first1=Christopher |last2=Gloning |first2=Thomas |title=A History of the German Language Through Texts |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-415-86263-9}}{{rp|171}} While Martin Luther's early 16th-century printings also contain spellings such as {{lang|de|heyße}} ({{langx|de|heiße}}), early modern printers mostly changed these to {{angbr|ſſ}}: {{lang|de|heiſſe}}. Around the same time, printers began to systematically distinguish between {{lang|de|das}} (the, that [pronoun]) and {{lang|de|daß}} (that [conjunction]).{{rp|215}}

In modern German, the Old and Middle High German {{angbr|z}} is now represented by either {{angbr|ss}}, {{angbr|ß}}, or, if there are no related forms in which {{IPA|[s]}} occurs intervocalically, with {{angbr|s}}: {{lang|de|messen}} ({{langx|gmh|mezzen}}), {{lang|de|Straße}} ({{langx|gmh|strâze}}), and {{lang|de|was}} ({{langx|gmh|waz}}).

The pre-1996 German use of {{angbr|ß}} was codified by the eighteenth-century grammarians Johann Christoph Gottsched (1748) and Johann Christoph Adelung (1793) and made official for all German-speaking countries by the German Orthographic Conference of 1901. In this orthography, the use of {{angbr|ß}} was modeled after the use of long and "round"-s in Fraktur. {{angbr|ß}} appeared both word internally after long vowels and also in those positions where Fraktur required the second s to be a "round" or "final" s, namely the ends of syllables or the ends of words.{{rp|217-18}} In his Deutsches Wörterbuch (1854) Jacob Grimm called for {{angbr|ß}} or {{angbr|sz}} to be written for all instances of Middle and Old High German etymological {{angbr|z}} (e.g., {{lang|de|eß}} instead of {{lang|de|es}} from {{langx|gmh|ez}}); however, his etymological proposal could not overcome established usage.{{rp|269}}

In Austria-Hungary prior to the German Orthographic Conference of 1902, an alternative rule formulated by Johann Christian August Heyse in 1829 had been officially taught in the schools since 1879, although this spelling was not widely used. Heyse's rule matches current usage after the German orthography reform of 1996 in that {{angbr|ß}} was only used after long vowels.{{rp|219}}

File:ß from Hieronymi Aleandri Mottensis Tabulae utilißimae, Köln 1541.png

File:Lang-s-Rund-s Blaeu_Essen.gif with ſs-ligature reads Eßen (Latin Blaeu atlas, text printed in Antiqua, 1650s).]]

File:French Eszett.jpg]]

In early modern Latin type (antiqua), a ligature similar to modern {{angbr|ß}} developed out of a long s followed by a round s ({{angbr|ſs}}), and as such was used in languages such as Italian in alternation with {{angbr|ſſ}}, usually based on requirements of space on the page.{{cite book|author-last=Michel |author-first=Andreas |chapter=Italian orthography in Early Modern times |title=Orthographies in Early Modern Europe |editor-last1=Baddeley |editor-first1=Susan |editor-last2=Voeste |editor-first2=Anja |year=2012 |publisher=de Gruyter Mouton |doi=10.1515/9783110288179.63 |pages=63–96|isbn=978-3-11-028817-9 }}{{rp|76}} However, despite its resemblance to the modern {{angbr|ß}}, this ligature was not commonly used as an equivalent to the Fraktur {{angbr|sz}} in German.{{citation|last=Mosley|first=James|date=2008-01-31|title=Esszet or ß|website=Typefoundry|url=https://typefoundry.blogspot.com/2008/01/esszett-or.html|access-date=2019-05-05}}{{citation|last=Jamra|first=Mark|year=2006|title=The Eszett| website=TypeCulture|url=https://typeculture.com/academic-resource/articles-essays/the-eszett/|access-date=2019-05-05}} This ligature generally fell out of use in the eighteenth century, together with the use of long s in antiqua.{{rp|73}} German works printed in Roman type in the late 18th and early 19th centuries such as Johann Gottlieb Fichte's {{lang|de|Wissenschaftslehre}} did not provide any equivalent to the {{angbr|ß}}.{{rp|74}}

Jacob Grimm began using {{angbr|ß}} in his {{lang|de|Deutsche Grammatik}} (1819); however, it varied with {{angbr|ſſ}} word internally.{{rp|74}} Grimm eventually rejected the use of the character; in their {{lang|de|Deutsches Wörterbuch}} (1838), the Brothers Grimm favored writing it as {{angbr|sz}}.{{rp|2}} The First Orthographic Conference in Berlin (1876) recommended that ß be represented as {{angbr|ſs}} – however, both suggestions were ultimately rejected.{{rp|269}}{{rp|222}} In 1879, a proposal for various letter forms was published in the Journal für Buchdruckerkunst. A committee of the Typographic Society of Leipzig chose the "Sulzbacher form". In 1903, it was proclaimed as the new standard for the Eszett in Roman type.{{rp|3-5}}

Until the abolition of Fraktur in 1941, it was common for family names to be written with {{angbr|ß}} in Fraktur and {{angbr|ss}} in Roman type. The formal abolition resulted in inconsistencies in how names are written in modern German (such as between Heuss and Heuß).{{rp|176}}

The Swiss and Liechtensteiners ceased to use {{angbr|ß}} in the twentieth century. This has been explained variously by the early adoption of Roman type in Switzerland, the use of typewriters in Switzerland that omitted {{angbr|ß}} in favor of French and Italian characters, and peculiarities of Swiss German that cause words spelled with {{angbr|ß}} or {{angbr|ss}} to be pronounced with gemination.{{rp|221-22}} The Education Council of Zürich had decided to stop teaching the letter in 1935, whereas the Neue Zürcher Zeitung continued to write {{angbr|ß}} until 1971.{{cite book| last=Ammon |first=Ulrich |year=1995 |title=Die deutsche Sprache in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz: das Problem der nationalen Varietäten |publisher=de Gruyter |isbn=9783110147537 |page=254}} Swiss newspapers continued to print in Fraktur until the end of the 1940s, and the abandonment of ß by most newspapers corresponded to them switching to Roman typesetting.{{cite book| last=Gallmann |first=Paul |chapter=Warum die Schweizer weiterhin kein Eszett schreiben |title=Die Neuregelung der deutschenRechtschreibung. Begründung und Kritik |editor-last1=Augst |editor-first1=Gerhard |editor-last2=Blüml |editor-first2=Karl |editor-last3=Nerius |editor-first3=Dieter |editor-last4=Sitta |editor-first4=Horst |publisher=Max Niemeyer |year=1997 |pages=135–140 |chapter-url=http://gallmann.uni-jena.de/Pub/Eszett_1997.pdf}}

When the Nazi German government abolished the use of blackletter typesetting in 1941, it was originally planned to also abolish the use of {{angbr|ß}}. However, Hitler intervened to retain {{angbr|ß}}, while deciding against the creation of a capital form.Schreiben des Reichsministers und Chefs der Reichskanzlei an den Reichsminister des Innern vom 20. Juli 1941. BA, Potsdam, R 1501, Nr. 27180. cited in: Der Schriftstreit von 1881 bis 1941 von Silvia Hartman, Peter Lang Verlag. {{ISBN|978-3-631-33050-0}} In 1954, a group of reformers in West Germany similarly proposed, among other changes to German spelling, the abolition of {{angbr|ß}}; their proposals were publicly opposed by German-language writers Thomas Mann, Hermann Hesse, and Friedrich Dürrenmatt and were never implemented.{{cite book|last=Kranz |first=Florian |title=Eine Schifffahrt mit drei f: Positives zur Rechtschreibreform |publisher=Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht |year=1998 |isbn=3-525-34005-2 |pages=30–31}} Although the German Orthography Reform of 1996 reduced the use of {{angbr|ß}} in standard German, Adrienne Walder writes that an abolition outside of Switzerland appears unlikely.{{rp|235}}

File:Eszett Leipziger Duden 1957.png

File:Gießener Zeitung Logo.svg

File:Straßenschild-Versal-ß.jpg}} (2011 photograph)]]

Because {{angbr|ß}} had been treated as a ligature, rather than as a full letter of the German alphabet, it had no capital form in early modern typesetting. Moreover, allcaps was not normally used in Fraktur printing. There were, however, proposals to introduce capital forms of {{angbr|ß}} for use in allcaps writing (where {{angbr|ß}} would otherwise usually be represented as either {{angbr|SS}} or {{angbr|SZ}}). A capital was first seriously proposed in 1879, but did not enter official or widespread use.{{lang|de|Signa – Beiträge zur Signographie}}. Heft 9, 2006. The Orthographic Conference of 1903 called for the use of {{angbr|SZ}} in allcaps until a capital letter could be proposed. Historical typefaces offering a capitalized {{lang|de|eszett}} mostly date to the time between 1905 and 1930. The first known typefaces to include capital {{lang|de|eszett}} were produced by the {{lang|de|Schelter & Giesecke}} foundry in Leipzig, in 1905/06. {{lang|de|Schelter & Giesecke}} at the time widely advocated the use of this type, but its use nevertheless remained very limited.

The preface to the 1925 edition of the {{lang|de|Duden}} dictionary expressed the desirability of a separate glyph for capital {{angbr|ß}}:

{{quote|{{lang|de|Die Verwendung zweier Buchstaben für einen Laut ist nur ein Notbehelf, der aufhören muss, sobald ein geeigneter Druckbuchstabe für das große ß geschaffen ist.}}{{lang|de|Vorbemerkungen, XII.}} In: {{lang|de|Duden – Rechtschreibung. 9. Auflage, 1925}}}}

{{quote|The use of two letters for a single phoneme is makeshift, to be abandoned as soon as a suitable type for the capital ß has been developed.}}

The {{lang|de|Duden}} was edited separately in East and West Germany during the 1950s to 1980s. The East German {{lang|de|Duden}} of 1957 (15th ed.) introduced a capital {{angbr|ß}} in its typesetting without revising the rule for capitalization. The 16th edition of 1969 still announced that an uppercase {{angbr|ß}} was in development and would be introduced in the future. The 1984 edition again removed this announcement and simply stated that there is no capital version of {{angbr|ß}}.{{lang|de|Der Große Duden. 25. Auflage, Leipzig 1984, S. 601, K 41.}}

In the 2000s, there were renewed efforts on the part of certain typographers to introduce a capital, {{angbr|ẞ}}. A proposal to include a corresponding character in the Unicode set submitted in 2004{{cite web |url=http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n2888.pdf |author=Andreas Stötzner |title=Proposal to encode Latin Capital Letter Double S (rejected) |access-date=2021-06-25 }} was rejected.{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2004/04361.htm#101-C22 |title=Approved Minutes of the UTC 101 / L2 198 Joint Meeting, Cupertino, CA – November 15-18, 2004 |author= |date=2005-02-10 |publisher=Unicode Consortium |access-date=2021-06-25 |quote=The UTC concurs with Stoetzner that Capital Double S is a typographical issue. Therefore the UTC believes it is inappropriate to encode it as a separate character.}}{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/alloc/nonapprovals.html |title=Archive of Notices of Non-Approval |author= |publisher=Unicode Consortium |access-date=2021-06-25 |quote=2004-Nov-18, rejected by the UTC as a typographical issue, inappropriate for encoding as a separate character. Rejected also on the grounds that it would cause casing implementation issues for legacy German data.}} A second proposal submitted in 2007 was successful, and the character was included in Unicode version 5.1.0 in April 2008 ({{unichar|1E9E|Latin capital letter sharp s}}).{{cite web |url=http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n3227.pdf |title=DIN_29.1_SCHARF_S_1.3_E |access-date=2014-01-30}}

{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1E00.pdf |title=Unicode chart |access-date=2014-01-30}} The international standard associated with Unicode (UCS), ISO/IEC 10646, was updated to reflect the addition on 24 June 2008. The capital letter was finally adopted as an option in standard German orthography in 2017. As of 2024, {{angbr|ẞ}} is now the preferred option for depicting the character in capital letters, with {{angbr|SS}} as a second option.

The recommendation of the Sulzbacher form (1903) was not followed universally in 20th-century printing. There were four distinct variants of {{angbr|ß}} in use in Antiqua fonts:

File:Sz modern.svg

1. {{angbr|ſs}} without ligature, but as a single type, with reduced spacing between the two letters;
2. the ligature of {{angbr|ſ}} and {{angbr|s}} inherited from the 16th-century Antiqua typefaces;
3. a ligature of {{angbr|ſ}} and {{angbr|ʒ}}, adapting the blackletter ligature to Antiqua; and
4. the Sulzbacher form.

The first variant (no ligature) has become practically obsolete. Most modern typefaces follow either 2 or 4, with 3 retained in occasional usage, notably in street signs in Bonn and Berlin. The design of modern {{angbr|ß}} tends to follow either the Sulzbacher form, in which {{angbr|ʒ}} (tailed z) is clearly visible, or else be made up of a clear ligature of {{angbr|ſ}} and {{angbr|s}}.{{rp|2}}

File:ß handwritten sample.gif

Use of typographic variants in street signs:

File:WaldstraßePirna.JPG|Unligatured ſs variant in a street sign in Pirna, Saxony

File:Berliner Straße.JPG| Antiqua form of the ſʒ ligature (Berlin street signs)

File:Schloßſtraße, Schloßhof - street signs in 2008.jpg| Blackletter form of the ſʒ ligature (Erfurt street signs)

File:Nürnberg Straße.jpg|Sulzbacher form (Nuremberg street signs)

File:MainzStrSchilder.jpg|Two distinct blackletter typefaces in Mainz. The red sign spells {{lang|de|Straße}} with ſs; the blue sign uses the standard blackletter ſʒ ligature.

File:Versal-Eszett-in-Webanwendung.png

The inclusion of a capital {{angbr|ẞ}} in Unicode in 2008 revived the century-old debate among typeface designers as to how such a character should be represented. The main difference in the shapes of {{angbr|ẞ}} in contemporary typefaces is the depiction with a diagonal straight line vs. a curved line in its upper right part, reminiscent of the ligature of tailed z or of round s, respectively. The code chart published by the Unicode Consortium favours the former possibility,{{Cite web|url=http://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1E00.pdf|title=Latin Extended Additional}} which has been adopted by Unicode capable fonts including Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Courier New, Dejavu Serif, Liberation Sans, Liberation Mono, Linux Libertine and Times New Roman; the second possibility is more rare, adopted by Dejavu Sans. Some fonts adopt a third possibility in representing {{angbr|ẞ}} following the Sulzbacher form of {{angbr|ß}}, reminiscent of the Greek {{angbr|β}} (beta); such a shape has been adopted by FreeSans and FreeSerif, Liberation Serif and Verdana.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1e9e/fontsupport.htm|title=Latin Capital Letter Sharp S (U+1E9E) Font Support|website=fileformat.info}}

There are two code points in Unicode:

• {{unichar|00DF}}
• {{unichar|1E9E}}

In modern browsers, lowercase "ß" will be converted to "SS" when the element containing it is set to uppercase using text-transform: uppercase in Cascading Style Sheets. The JavaScript in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox will convert "ß" to "SS" when converted to uppercase (e.g., "ß".toUpperCase()).{{cite web

|url=https://cd1rtx3.github.io/eszett/

|title=cd1rtx3.github.io/eszett/

|year=2024

|publisher=Coarse Rosinflower

|access-date=26 March 2024}}

The lower-case letter exists in many earlier encodings that covered European languages. In several ISO 8859{{efn|Parts

1,{{cite web |url=https://unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/ISO8859/8859-1.TXT |title=ISO/IEC 8859-1:1998 to Unicode |last=Whistler |first=Ken |orig-year=1999-07-27 |date=2015-12-02 |publisher=Unicode Consortium}}

2,{{cite web |url=https://unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/ISO8859/8859-2.TXT |title=ISO/IEC 8859-2:1999 to Unicode |last=Whistler |first=Ken |orig-year=1999-07-27 |date=2015-12-02 |publisher=Unicode Consortium}}

3,{{cite web |url=https://unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/ISO8859/8859-3.TXT |title=ISO/IEC 8859-3:1999 to Unicode |last=Whistler |first=Ken |orig-year=1999-07-27 |date=2015-12-02 |publisher=Unicode Consortium}}

4,{{cite web |url=https://unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/ISO8859/8859-4.TXT |title=ISO/IEC 8859-4:1998 to Unicode |last=Whistler |first=Ken |orig-year=1999-07-27 |date=2015-12-02 |publisher=Unicode Consortium}}

9,{{cite web |url=https://unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/ISO8859/8859-9.TXT |title=ISO/IEC 8859-9:1999 to Unicode |last=Whistler |first=Ken |orig-year=1999-07-27 |date=2015-12-02 |publisher=Unicode Consortium}}

10,{{cite web |url=https://unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/ISO8859/8859-10.TXT |title=ISO/IEC 8859-10:1998 to Unicode |last=Whistler |first=Ken |orig-year=1999-10-11 |date=2015-12-02 |publisher=Unicode Consortium}}

13,{{cite web |url=https://unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/ISO8859/8859-13.TXT |title=ISO/IEC 8859-13:1998 to Unicode |last=Whistler |first=Ken |orig-year=1999-07-27 |date=2015-12-02 |publisher=Unicode Consortium}}

14,{{cite web |url=https://unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/ISO8859/8859-14.TXT |title=ISO/IEC 8859-14:1999 to Unicode |last1=Kuhn |first1=Markus |last2=Whistler |first2=Ken |orig-year=1999-07-27 |date=2015-12-02 |publisher=Unicode Consortium}}

15{{cite web |url=https://unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/ISO8859/8859-15.TXT |title=ISO/IEC 8859-15:1999 to Unicode |last1=Kuhn |first1=Markus |last2=Whistler |first2=Ken |orig-year=1999-07-27 |date=2015-12-02 |publisher=Unicode Consortium}} and

16.{{cite web |url=https://unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/ISO8859/8859-16.TXT |title=ISO/IEC 8859-16:2001 to Unicode |last1=Kuhn |first1=Markus |orig-year=2001-07-26 |date=2015-12-02 |publisher=Unicode Consortium}}}} and Windows{{efn|Code pages

1250,{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/MICSFT/WINDOWS/CP1250.TXT |last=Steele |first=Shawn |title=cp1250 to Unicode table |date=1998-04-15 |publisher=Microsoft / Unicode Consortium}}

1252,{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/MICSFT/WINDOWS/CP1252.TXT |last=Steele |first=Shawn |title=cp1252 to Unicode table |date=1998-04-15 |publisher=Microsoft / Unicode Consortium}}

1254,{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/MICSFT/WINDOWS/CP1254.TXT |last=Steele |first=Shawn |title=cp1254 to Unicode table |date=1998-04-15 |publisher=Microsoft / Unicode Consortium}}

1257{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/MICSFT/WINDOWS/CP1257.TXT |last=Steele |first=Shawn |title=cp1257 to Unicode table |date=1998-04-15 |publisher=Microsoft / Unicode Consortium}} and

1258.{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/MICSFT/WINDOWS/CP1258.TXT |last=Steele |first=Shawn |title=cp1258 to Unicode table |date=1998-04-15 |publisher=Microsoft / Unicode Consortium}}}} encodings it is at {{tt|0xDF}}, the value inherited by Unicode. In DOS code pages{{efn|Code pages 437{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/MICSFT/PC/CP437.TXT |last=Steele |first=Shawn |title=cp437_DOSLatinUS to Unicode table |date=1996-04-24 |publisher=Microsoft / Unicode Consortium}} and 850{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/MICSFT/PC/CP850.TXT |last=Steele |first=Shawn |title=cp850_DOSLatin1 to Unicode table |date=1996-04-24 |publisher=Microsoft / Unicode Consortium}}}} it is at {{tt|0xE1}}. Mac OS encodings{{efn|Mac OS

Roman,{{cite web |title=Map (external version) from Mac OS Roman character set to Unicode 2.1 and later |author=Apple Computer, Inc. |author-link=Apple Computer, Inc. |publisher=Unicode Consortium |date=2005-04-05 |orig-year=1995-04-15 |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/ROMAN.TXT}}

Icelandic,{{cite web |title=Map (external version) from Mac OS Icelandic character set to Unicode 2.1 and later |author=Apple Computer, Inc. |author-link=Apple Computer, Inc. |publisher=Unicode Consortium |date=2005-04-05 |orig-year=1995-04-15 |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/ICELAND.TXT}}

Croatian,{{cite web |title=Map (external version) from Mac OS Croatian character set to Unicode 2.1 and later |author=Apple Computer, Inc. |author-link=Apple Computer, Inc. |publisher=Unicode Consortium |date=2005-04-04 |orig-year=1995-04-15 |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/CROATIAN.TXT}}

Central European,{{cite web |title=Map (external version) from Mac OS Central European character set to Unicode 2.1 and later |author=Apple Computer, Inc. |author-link=Apple Computer, Inc. |publisher=Unicode Consortium |date=2005-04-04 |orig-year=1995-04-15 |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/CENTEURO.TXT}}

Celtic,{{cite web |title=Map (external version) from Mac OS Celtic character set to Unicode 2.1 and later |author=Apple Computer, Inc. |author-link=Apple Computer, Inc. |publisher=Unicode Consortium |date=2005-04-01 |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/CELTIC.TXT}}

Gaelic,{{cite web |title=Map (external version) from Mac OS Gaelic character set to Unicode 3.0 and later |author=Apple Computer, Inc. |author-link=Apple Computer, Inc. |publisher=Unicode Consortium |date=2005-04-01 |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/GAELIC.TXT}}

Romanian,{{cite web |title=Map (external version) from Mac OS Romanian character set to Unicode 3.0 and later |author=Apple Computer, Inc. |author-link=Apple Computer, Inc. |publisher=Unicode Consortium |date=2005-04-05 |orig-year=1995-04-15 |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/ROMANIAN.TXT}}

Greek{{cite web |title=Map (external version) from Mac OS Greek character set to Unicode 2.1 and later |author=Apple Computer, Inc. |author-link=Apple Computer, Inc. |publisher=Unicode Consortium |date=2005-04-05 |orig-year=1995-04-15 |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/GREEK.TXT}} and

Turkish.{{cite web |title=Map (external version) from Mac OS Turkish character set to Unicode 2.1 and later |author=Apple Computer, Inc. |author-link=Apple Computer, Inc. |publisher=Unicode Consortium |date=2005-04-05 |orig-year=1995-04-15 |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/TURKISH.TXT}}

}} put it at {{tt|0xA7}}. Some EBCDIC codes{{efn|037 {{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/MICSFT/EBCDIC/CP037.TXT |last=Steele |first=Shawn |title=cp037_IBMUSCanada to Unicode table |date=1996-04-24 |publisher=Microsoft / Unicode Consortium}} 500,{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/MICSFT/EBCDIC/CP500.TXT |last=Steele |first=Shawn |title=cp500_IBMInternational to Unicode table |date=1996-04-24 |publisher=Microsoft / Unicode Consortium}} 1026{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/MICSFT/EBCDIC/CP1026.TXT |last=Steele |first=Shawn |title=cp1026_IBMLatin5Turkish to Unicode table |date=1996-04-24 |publisher=Microsoft / Unicode Consortium}}}} put it at {{tt|0x59}}. The upper-case form was rarely, if ever, encoded in single-byte encodings.

• Long s
• {{annotated link|Sz (digraph)|Sz}}

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{Latin script}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ss}}

Category:German language

Category:Latin-script ligatures