# Batterie vs. Akku



## MattiasNYC

Just curious,

From childhood in Sweden I remember hearing "batterie" for the English word "battery", and recently I've come across "akku" instead when discussing phones in YouTube videos.

Which one is more common and is there a reason for it?

Thanks,
mattias

PS: My German grammar is terrible but I can generally understand most of what's being said. Because of this I'm sure I remember "batterie" better simply because it's "battery" in English and "batteri" in Swedish...


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## Thersites

How are you, Mattias, I vividly remember our discussions (I used to be _ThomasCH_).

Batteries we call the old fashioned alkaloid batteries to use in a radio, flashlight or remote. Also the battery in the car.

An Akku is in anything you plug in to recharge, like your smartphone, your tablet and USB devices

That is the main distinction I can think of.

Have fun here at the German forum 🙂 Thomas


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## Frank78

Batterie = non-rechargable
Akku(mulator) = rechargeable

So the common size like AA or AAA exist as "Batterien" and as "Akkus".

Strictly speaking cars have "Akkus" and not "Batterien" but somehow all people call them "Batterien".


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## Hutschi

Hi, the base difference ist the following:

*coll. language: *
Batterie - you cannot load/charge it again after it is empty. It has one element (cell) or more.
Akku - short form for "Akkumulator" - you can reload/charge it. It has one element (cell) or more.


*Language change:*
"Batterie" had a language change.  It had to have two or more cells, but nowadays also one cell is often called Batterie in daily language.

There are more meanings, the most in military, but they do not fit the context.

---

In a car there is an Akku, but people call it "Battery" because it has more than one cell. You can reload/charge it again - so it is an Akku.

---
The material of an Akku does not matter, the main property is: you can load/charge it again.

Strictly speaking, a single element is not an Akku, but nobody cares in daily life.


---
*Standard language:*
Duden gives:

Batterie


> aus parallel oder hintereinandergeschalteten Elementen bestehende Stromquelle


Power source consisting of elements connected in parallel or in series

This is the correct usage, but not used in daily live.

Akku
Akku =
Akkumulator


> auf elektrochemischer Basis arbeitender wiederaufladbarer Stromspeicher


Electrochemical-based rechargeable power storage system
(DeepL translation)

_Partly overlapped with Thersites and Frank78_


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## Hutschi

PS:
Electric battery - Wikipedia



> An *electric battery* is a source of electric power consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections[1] for powering electrical devices.


This is the same as in "Batterie".



> Primary and secondary batteries​
> 
> _Primary_ batteries are designed to be used until exhausted of energy then discarded. Their chemical reactions are generally not reversible, so they cannot be recharged. When the supply of reactants in the battery is exhausted, the battery stops producing current and is useless.[29]
> _Secondary_ batteries can be recharged; that is, they can have their chemical reactions reversed by applying electric current to the cell. This regenerates the original chemical reactants, so they can be used, recharged, and used again multiple times.[30]



I would say
"Primärelement" - nicht aufladbar
"Sekundärelement" - aufladbar

An Akku consists of one or more secundary elements - Sekundärelementen

Akkumulator – Wikipedia
has


> Ein *Akkumulator* (kurz *Akku*; auch *Sekundärbatterie* genannt) ist ein wiederaufladbares galvanisches Element, bestehend aus zwei Elektroden und einem Elektrolyten, das elektrische Energie auf elektrochemischer Basis speichert.



An "Akku" in a car is a "Sekundärbatterie".

However: They do not speak about number of cells. They mismatch/mix "Element" and "Batterie".

The word is not used consistently in different sources.


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## διαφορετικός

Every "Akku" is a "Batterie".
Every rechargeable "Batterie" is an "Akku".

P.S.: And every "Akku" is a rechargeable "Batterie".


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## Hutschi

διαφορετικός said:


> Every "Akku" is a "Batterie".
> Every rechargeable "Batterie" is an "Akku".


This is a result of language change.
It is simplified but holds in many context. I do not know exactly if it is standard language. In coll. language it is the easiest explanation.

Pragmatically I would name every rechargeable batterie an "Akku" if I want to buy it.


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## διαφορετικός

Hutschi said:


> I do not know exactly if it is standard language.


I don't know another acceptable term for the single cell devices, different from the terms "Batterie" and "Akku". So I have to use them in standard language.


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## Frank78

Hutschi said:


> This is a result of language change.



I don't think so. Apart from car batteries, I don't know many people who'd call an _Akku__ Batterie._

If someone told me his _Batterien_ in his flashlight are flat then I'd throw them away and replace them and not look at them to see whether they are rechargable or not.


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## Kajjo

Frank78 said:


> Apart from car batteries, I don't know many people who'd call an _Akku__ Batterie._




I agree. Akku and Batterie are (nowadays) clearly distinguished. Everyone knows the distinction.


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## Hutschi

Frank78 said:


> I don't know many people who'd call an _Akku__ Batterie._


*If it does not matter* whether it is an akku or a battery (for example in a lamp or a radio) - and if you simply do not know what is used, the term "*Batterie*" is usually used. It can be both in such special context. Somewhere in the manual you can read if you can only use an akku or have to use a simple battery because of different voltage. Common AA Akkus have 1,2 V, "Batterien" 1,5 V. There are other types, too, of course.

If I know that there is an akku in it I would say "der Akku ist leer", else "die Batterie ist leer".

The text at a simple 1,5V AA element I just read is "Battery" (in English). So even the industry does not care etymology anymore.


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## berndf

Frank78 said:


> Strictly speaking cars have "Akkus" and not "Batterien" but somehow all people call them "Batterien".


None of these term are used "strictly" at all. Everybody, calls this




a Batterie although it is "strictly" speaking a _Monozelle _and not a _Batterie _(=multiple chained cells). By contrast, a car battery is "strictly speaking" indeed a _Batterie_, more precisely an _Akkumulatorenbatterie_, i.e., a chain of _Akkumulatorenzellen_.


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## Hutschi

Could we summarize the current state (status) in following way? I omit all details. It is not about construction anymore.
Older and more precise states are used, too, if necessary.

*Oberbegriff: Batterie*

dazu gehören:


*nicht ladbare Batterie = Batterie *(im engeren Sinn)
*ladbare Batterie=Akku *
Basically this is Frank's definition + "Batterie" as generic term, depending on context


Frank78 said:


> Batterie = non-rechargable
> Akku(mulator) = rechargeable
> 
> So the common size like AA or AAA exist as "Batterien" and as "Akkus".
> 
> Strictly speaking cars have "Akkus" and not "Batterien" but somehow all people call them "Batterien".


----
*generic term: Batterie*

include:
*non-rechargeable battery = Batterie* (in the narrower sense)
*chargeable battery = Akku*


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## bearded

Do you usually say ''Die Batterie (oder: der Akku) meines Handy''?  I think you say 'Batterie' (I think I've heard it in Germany, too).


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## Hutschi

bearded said:


> Do you usually say ''Die Batterie (oder: der Akku) meines Handy''?  I think you say 'Batterie' (I think I've heard it in Germany, too).


I say "der Akku ist leer".
But I also heard "Die Batterie ist leer." This fits "Batterie" as generic term.


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## Frank78

berndf said:


> a Batterie although it is "strictly" speaking a _Monozelle _and not a _Batterie _(=multiple chained cells). By contrast, a car battery is "strictly speaking" indeed a _Batterie_, more precisely an _Akkumulatorenbatterie_, i.e., a chain of _Akkumulatorenzellen_.



Multiple cells of Akkumulatoren are called "Pack" and not "Batterie". Aber geschenkt.


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## berndf

Frank78 said:


> Multiple cells of Akkumulatoren are called "Pack" and not "Batterie". Aber geschenkt.


Du meinst, weil das Ding mit Blättern auf Englisch _tree_ heißt, kann es auf Deutsch nicht _Baum_ heißen? Oder was soll diese Aussage bedeuten?

Aber auch geschenkt. _Battery Pack_ ist auch im Englischen "strictly speaking" ein weißer Schimmel. Aber wer spricht schon "strictly".


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## Frank78

No, I meant the technical words in German:

single cell: Primärzelle (non-rechargeable) / Sekundärzelle or Akku(mulator) (rechargeable)
multi cells: Batterie (non-rechargeable) / Akkupack (rechargeable)


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## berndf

Frank78 said:


> Akkupack


Oder eben, bevor alles Denglisch sein musste, _Akkumulatorenbatterie_. Und dieser Ausdruck hat sich bei der _Autobatterie_ erhalten.


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## Hutschi

Ich habe in der schwedischen Wikipedia nachgeschaut. (Ich habe einen Übersetzer verwendet.)
Im Wesentlichen stimmt es mit der deutschen Wikipedia überein.
Allerdings werden dort auch Speicherung in Kondensatoren und auch Brennstoffzellen gegebenenfalls als Batterien bezeichnet, wenn ich es richtig verstehe und bei der Maschinenübersetzung keine Feinheit verlorenging.


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## Hutschi

Frank78 said:


> No, I meant the technical words in German:
> 
> single cell: Primärzelle (non-rechargeable) / Sekundärzelle or Akku(mulator) (rechargeable)
> multi cells: Batterie (non-rechargeable) / Akkupack (rechargeable)




So we have to consider style and destination language type.


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## MattiasNYC

Well goddamn! How's that for German efficiency!

Thanks to all that responded. I read all posts and it was very informative. My question was answered, but please by all means continue, it's interesting.

Thanks again!


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## elroy

I think I’ve only ever heard “Akku” for a cell phone battery.


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## διαφορετικός

elroy said:


> I think I’ve only ever heard “Akku” for a call phone battery.


But it's also used for rechargeable "AA" and "AAA" batteries, for instance. Sometimes you can also read "Akkumulator" written on their casing.


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## elroy

Sorry, my sentence was ambiguous!  What I meant was

_I think the only term I've heard for a cell phone battery is "Akku."_

and not

_I think the only thing I've heard "Akku" used for is a cell phone battery._

My English sentence can mean both!  I didn't even notice the possible ambiguity.

By the way, I wasn't aware that German uses two different terms based on whether the battery is _rechargeable_!  That's fascinating.  I wonder if any other languages make this distinction.  I've started a thread to ask: battery (Batterie / Akku)


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## διαφορετικός

elroy said:


> I think the only term I've heard for a cell phone battery is "Akku."


"Akku" is used much more frequently than "Batterie" for a cell phone battery. I remember having called it "Batterie" recently, explaining to a colleague that I had to remove the battery before removing one of the two SIM cards.


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## Shazhudao945

Hutschi said:


> *Language change:*
> "Batterie" had a language change.  It had to have two or more cells, but nowadays also one cell is often called Batterie in daily language.
> 
> There are more meanings, the most in military, but they do not fit the context.
> 
> ---
> 
> In a car there is an Akku, but people call it "Battery" because it has more than one cell. You can reload/charge it again - so it is an Akku.
> 
> ---


Stimmt, Batterie wird doch in den Anleitungen vom Daimler und VW genutzt, obwohl die wiederaufladbar sind.
Aber bei Bosch und einigen anderen Firmen wird für das gleiche Ding Akku gebraucht. (wahrscheinlich wegen das Aussehen?)


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## Hutschi

Shazhudao945 said:


> Stimmt, Batterie wird doch in den Anleitungen vom Daimler und VW genutzt, obwohl die wiederaufladbar sind.
> Aber bei Bosch und einigen anderen Firmen wird für das gleiche Ding Akku gebraucht. (wahrscheinlich wegen das Aussehen?)


Es liegt an Sprachänderungen.
Und an "Firmensprache".

Die meisten Firmen haben Stilrichtlinien.

Beide Bezeichnungen sind korrekt.

Akku: Wiederaufladbar (Akkumulator=Strom*sammler/Stromspeicher*)
Batterie: Besteht aus mehreren Zellen. (Ursprüngliche Bedeutung.)

Beides trifft beim Auto zu.


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