Editing Grimm's law (section)

==Examples==
<!--- Note explanation, hidden words are true cognates, i.e. deriving from the same root words, but have changed in spelling and/or pronunciation, and are not good examples for illustrating Grimm's law in particular. --->

Further changes following Grimm's law, as well as sound changes in other Indo-European languages, can occasionally obscure the law's effects. The most illustrative examples are used here.
{| class="wikitable"
! Proto-Indo-European
! Meaning
! Non-Germanic (unshifted) cognates
! Change
! Proto-Germanic
! Germanic (shifted) examples
|-
| {{PIE|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pṓds|*pṓds]]}}
| "foot"
| Ancient Greek: πούς, ποδός (''poús, podós''), Latin: ''pēs, pedis,'' Sanskrit: ''pāda'', Russian: под (''pod'') "under", Lithuanian: ''pėda'', Latvian: ''pēda'', Persian: {{lang|fa|پا}} (pa), Serbo-Croatian: "pod" ("under; floor") and "peta" as in "heel"
! *p > f {{IPA|[ɸ]}}
| [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/fōts|*fōts]]
| English: ''foot'', West Frisian: ''foet'', <!--- Dutch: ''voet'', ---> German: ''Fuß'', Gothic: ''fōtus'', Icelandic, Faroese: ''fótur'', Danish: ''fod'',  Norwegian, Swedish: ''fot''
|-
| {{PIE|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/tréyes|*tréyes]]}}
| "three"
| Ancient Greek: τρεῖς (''treîs''), Latin: ''trēs'', Welsh: ''tri'', Sanskrit: ''tri'', Russian: три (''tri''), Serbo-Croatian: три̑ (''trȋ''), Lithuanian: ''trỹs'', Polish: ''trzy'', Albanian: ''tre''
! *t > þ {{IPA|[θ]}}
| [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/þrīz|*þrīz]]
| English: ''three'', Old Frisian: ''thrē'', Old Saxon: ''thrīe'', Gothic: ''þreis'', Icelandic: ''þrír''
|-
| {{PIE|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ḱwṓ|*ḱwón- ~ *ḱun-]]}}
| "dog"
| <!--- Lithuanian: ''šuo'' (plural ''šunys''), --->Ancient Greek: κύων (''kýōn''), Latin: ''canis'', Sanskrit: ''śván'', Welsh: ''ci'' (pl. ''cŵn''), Serbo-Croatian: kuče, Persian: {{lang|fa|سگ}} (sag), Russian: собака (''sobaka'')
! *k > h {{IPA|[x]}}
| [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hundaz|*hundaz]]
| English: ''hound'', Dutch: ''hond'', German: ''Hund'', Gothic: ''hunds'', Icelandic, Faroese: ''hundur'', Danish, Norwegian, Swedish: ''hund''
|-
| {{PIE|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/kʷis|*kʷód]]}}
| "what"
| Latin: ''quod'', Irish: ''cad'', Sanskrit: ''kád'', Russian: что (č''to''), Lithuanian: ''kas'', Serbo-Croatian (Torlakian dialect): кvo (''kvo''), Serbo-Croatian (Kajkavian dialect): кај (''kaj'')
! *{{PIE|kʷ}} > hw {{IPA|[xʷ]}}
| [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hwat|*hwat]]
| English: ''what'', <!--- West Frisian, Dutch: ''wat'', German: ''was'', ---> Gothic: {{transliteration|got|ƕa}} ("''hwa''"), Icelandic: ''hvað'', Faroese: ''hvat'', Danish: ''hvad'', <!-- not a good example because it has lost the h: Swedish: ''vad'',--> Norwegian: <!-- not a good example: ''kva'', --> ''hva''
|-
| {{PIE|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂ébōl|*h₂ébōl]]}}
| "apple"
| Russian: яблоко (''jabloko''), Lithuanian: ''obuolỹs'', Gaulish ''abalom'', Serbo-Croatian: ја̏бука (''jȁbuka'')
! *b > p {{IPA|[p]}}
| [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/aplaz|*aplaz]]
| English: ''apple'', West Frisian: ''apel'', Dutch: ''appel'', Icelandic: ''epli'', Swedish: ''äpple'', Crimean Gothic ''apel''
|-
| {{PIE|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/déḱm̥t|*déḱm̥t]]}}
| "ten"
| Latin: ''decem'', Greek: δέκα (''déka''), Irish: ''deich'', Sanskrit: ''daśan'', Russian: десять (''desjat'''), Welsh: ''deg'', Lithuanian: ''dešimt'', Polish: ''dziesięć''
! *d > t {{IPA|[t]}}
| [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/tehun|*tehun]]
| English: ''ten'', Dutch: ''tien'', Gothic: ''taíhun'', Icelandic: ''tíu'', Faroese: ''tíggju'', Danish, Norwegian: ''ti'', Swedish: ''tio''
|-
| {{PIE|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gel-|*gel-]]}}
| "cold"
| Latin: ''gelū'', Greek: γελανδρός (''gelandrós''), Lithuanian: ''gelmenis, gelumà'' <!---, Russian: холод (''xólod'') --->
! *g > k {{IPA|[k]}}
| [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/kaldaz|*kaldaz]]
| English: ''cold'', West Frisian: ''kâld'', Dutch: ''koud'', German: ''kalt'', Icelandic, Faroese: ''kaldur'', Danish: ''kold'', Norwegian: ''kald'', Swedish: ''kall''
|-
| {{PIE|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gʷih₃wós|*gʷih₃wós]]}}
| "alive"
| <!--- Greek: βίος (''bios'') 'life', Latin: ''vivus'' 'alive', Gaelic: ''beò'', Irish: ''beo'' --->Lithuanian: ''gyvas'',  Russian: живой (''živoj''), Sanskrit: ''jīvá-'', Serbo-Croatian: жив (''živ''), Polish: ''żywy''
! *{{PIE|gʷ}} > kw {{IPA|[kʷ]}}
| [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/kwikwaz|*kwi(k)waz]]
| English: ''quick'', West Frisian: ''kwik, kwyk'', Dutch: ''kwiek'', German: ''keck'', Gothic: ''qius'', Icelandic, Faroese: ''kvikur'', Danish: ''kvik'', Swedish: ''kvick'', Norwegian ''kvikk''
|-
| {{PIE|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰréh₂tēr|*bʰréh₂tēr]]}}
| "brother"
| Sanskrit: ''bhrātṛ'', Ancient Greek: φρατήρ (''phrātēr'') ("member of a brotherhood"), Latin: ''frāter'',<!-- none of these are good examples because they have undergone an equivalent development: --> Russian, Serbo-Croatian: брат (''brat''), Lithuanian: ''brolis'', Polish: ''brat'', Old Church Slavonic: братръ (''bratr'''), Old Welsh: ''braut'', Latvian: ''brālis'', Persian: {{lang|fa|برادر}} (barádar)
! *{{PIE|bʰ}} > b {{IPA|[b ~ β]}}
| [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/brōþēr|*brōþēr]]
| English: ''brother'', West Frisian, Dutch: ''broeder'', German: ''Bruder'', Gothic: ''broþar'', Icelandic, Faroese: ''bróðir'', Danish, Norwegian, Swedish: ''broder''
|-
| {{PIE|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/médʰu|*médʰu]]}}
| "honey"
| Sanskrit: ''mádhu'', Homeric Greek: μέθυ (''methu''),<!-- Not a good example because it has undergone the same development as English: --> Lithuanian: ''medus'', Russian: мёд (mjod), Serbo-Croatian: мед (''med''), Polish: ''miód''
! *{{PIE|dʰ}} > d {{IPA|[d ~ ð]}}
| [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/meduz|*meduz]]
| English: ''mead'', East Frisian: ''meede'', Dutch: ''mede'', German: ''Met'', Danish, Norwegian: ''mjød'', Icelandic: ''mjöður'' , Swedish: ''mjöd''
|-
| {{PIE|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/steygʰ-|*steygʰ-]]}}
| "walk, step"
| Sanskrit: ''stighnoti'', Ancient Greek: στείχειν (''steíkhein),'' Russian: ступать/ступить (''stupat'/stupit''') "walk/step"<!--, Old Church Slavonic ''stignati'' "he overtakes"-->
! *{{PIE|gʰ}} > g {{IPA|[ɡ ~ ɣ]}}
| [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/stīganą|*stīganą]]
| Old English: ''stīgan'', Dutch: ''stijgen'', German: ''steigen'', Icelandic, Faroese: ''stíga'', Danish, Norwegian: ''stige'', Gothic ''steigan'' (all meaning "ascend, climb")
|-
| {{PIE|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ǵʰans-|*ǵʰans-]]}}
| "goose"
| Latin: ''anser'' < ''*hanser'', Ancient Greek: χήν (''chēn''), Sanskrit: ''hamsa'' ("swan"), Lithuanian: ''žąsis'' (older ''žansis''), Russian: гусь (''gus'''), Persian: {{lang|fa|غاز}} (ğaz), Serbo-Croatian: гуска (''guska''), Polish: ''gęś''
! *{{PIE|gʰ}} > g {{IPA|[ɡ ~ ɣ]}}
| [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/gans|*gans-]]
| English: ''goose'', West Frisian: ''goes'', ''guos'', Dutch: ''gans'', German: ''Gans'', Icelandic: ''gæs'', Faroese: ''gás'', Danish, Norwegian, Swedish: ''gås''
|-
| {{PIE|[[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/sengʷʰ-|*sengʷʰ-]]}}
| "sing"
| Homeric Greek: {{lang|grc|ὀμφή}} (''omphē'') "voice"
! *{{PIE|gʷʰ}} > gw {{IPA|[ɡʷ]}}<br/>(After ''n'')
| [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/singwaną|*singwaną]]
| English: ''sing'', West Frisian: ''sjonge'', Dutch: ''zingen'', German: ''singen'', Gothic: ''siggwan'', Old Icelandic: ''syngva'', ''syngja'', Icelandic, Faroese: ''syngja'', Swedish: ''sjunga'', Danish: ''synge'', ''sjunge''
|}

This process appears strikingly regular.  Each phase involves one single change which applies equally to the labials ({{PIE|p, b, bʰ, f}}) and their equivalent dentals ({{PIE|t, d, dʰ, þ}}), velars ({{PIE|k, g, gʰ, h}}) and rounded velars ({{PIE|kʷ, gʷ, gʷʰ, hʷ}}).  The first phase left the phoneme repertoire of the language without voiceless stops, the second phase filled this gap, but created a new one, and so on until the chain had run its course.