Why do I need to know zwo?

Because you will hear it in many scenarios across Germany (especially in the south) including during announcements at train stations – and you don’t want to miss your train.

What does it mean?

Zwei means number two in German, but sometimes zwo is used to make it sound more distinguishable from drei (the number three).

You’ll hear it being used over the phone and in military surroundings. It’s also used in public announcements, such as at train stations, and is often used in this form by the emergency services. The main goal is to help people understand that they’re saying zwei not drei. 

Zwo can also be used as the colloquial term for zwei in everyday conversations. 

Is there any history behind it?

Yes! Originally, zwo was the feminine form of zwei. 

We found this thread on Reddit that helps explain the origins of zwo.

According to a user who’s an expert in languages, in old Hochdeutsch (high German), “zwei had different forms for case and gender, just like ‘ein’ still does”.

“A couple of those forms are still used today: ‘zweier’ was the genitive neuter, and is still used in genitive constructions: ‘Mutter zweier Kinder’ = ‘mother of two children’.

“The nominative was ‘zween’ for the masculine gender, ‘zwo’ for feminine and ‘zwei’ for neuter.”

An example of this would be: Zwo Frauen, aber zween Männer und zwei Kinder (two women, but two men and two children).

Some dialects, including Bavarian and Swiss German, still use variations of zwo today.

Use it like this:

Dein Zug steht am Gleis zwo. Nicht verpassen!

Your train is at platform two. Don’t miss it!

Meine Telefonnummer lautet: null, drei, null und dann: acht, drei, vier, sieben, drei, zwo

My phone number is: zero, three, zero and then: eight, three, four, seven, three, two