# Tschüß or Tschüss?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tschuss-or-tschuss/481317>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 14, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tschuss-or-tschuss/481317 "2009-01-14T20:44:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tschuss-or-tschuss/481317/1 "2009-01-14T20:44:28Z")

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Is the informal German good-bye usually spelled with the Eszett, or with double esses?

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**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tschuss-or-tschuss/481317/2 "2009-01-14T20:50:04Z")

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Wasn’t there a spelling reform in the nineties that nuked the Eszett?

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tschuss-or-tschuss/481317/3 "2009-01-14T21:24:01Z")

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No, the spelling reform didn’t “nuke” it. It merely eliminated its use following “short” vowels and made it mandatory following “long” vowels.

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**Author:** ![Strider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Strider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strider)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tschuss-or-tschuss/481317/4 "2009-01-14T23:08:59Z")

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From what I learned in my 4 years of German in High School…it is spelled with an eszett.

-n

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**Author:** ![Ceejaytee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ceejaytee/32/2956_2.png) [@Ceejaytee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ceejaytee)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tschuss-or-tschuss/481317/5 "2009-01-15T19:53:45Z")

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Definitely an eszett.

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**Author:** ![\_Undecided\_Adrian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/eada6e/32.png) [@\_Undecided\_Adrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Undecided_Adrian)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tschuss-or-tschuss/481317/6 "2009-01-15T21:17:52Z")

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Native speaker here.  
Is that a weird-looking word or what?

In my opinion, backed up by [German wikipedia](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsch%C3%BCs) and the [Duden](http://www.duden-suche.de/suche/trefferliste.php?suchbegriff%5BAND%5D=tsch%FCs&suche=homepage&treffer_pro_seite=10&modus=title&level=125&x=0&y=0), it is normally written with a single s, even if both alternatives seem to be possible.

With bonus multilanguage trivia at the end of the wiki article 🙂