Meile
/ˈmaɪ̯lə/feminine
The German word for "mile" is Meile.
Meile is used as a measure of length. Related terms include Landmeile (land mile), Seemeile (nautical mile) and Luftmeile (air mile). You may also encounter the word Meilenstein, which means "milestone".
Meaning: measure of length (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Meile is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmaɪ̯lə/
Did you know?
- In historical German contexts, a deutsche Meile was traditionally about 7.42 kilometers, which is significantly longer than the current international mile.
- Despite the metric system, German sports journalists still use Meile when reporting on international athletics and the famous 'four minute mile'.
- In older German literature and folk songs, Meile is often used figuratively to describe a vast, indefinite distance rather than a specific measurement.
Examples in context
- Eine Meile sind etwa 1600 Meter.A mile is about 1,600 meters.This sentence is useful for expressing the approximate metric equivalent of a mile.Tatoeba #11262980 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #1222976 by CK
- Tom läuft eine Meile in 9 Minuten.Tom runs a 9-minute mile.This sentence is useful for describing the time it takes to run a mile.Tatoeba #1476184 by al_ex_an_der, translation #1476178 by Spamster
- Dieser Fluss ist eine Meile breit.This river is one mile across.This sentence is useful for describing the width of a river in miles.Tatoeba #1908378 by Tamy, translation #58145 by CK
- Die Entfernung beträgt 10 Meilen, das entspricht etwa 16,09 Kilometern.The distance is 10 miles, which is approximately 16.09 kilometers.
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Laura are talking about a hiking trip in the USA.
- LukasWie weit ist es bis zum See?How far is it to the lake?
- LauraEs ist noch eine Meile bis dahin.It is still one mile to get there.
- LukasKönnen wir das in einem Stück schaffen?Can we make it in one go?
- LauraJa, eine Meile ist nicht so weit.Yes, one mile is not that far.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mile” translations and entries Meile, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
