diff --git a/klausur-service/backend/cv_vocab_pipeline.py b/klausur-service/backend/cv_vocab_pipeline.py
index 5ef69ec..77ebf50 100644
--- a/klausur-service/backend/cv_vocab_pipeline.py
+++ b/klausur-service/backend/cv_vocab_pipeline.py
@@ -4201,9 +4201,11 @@ def _attach_example_sentences(entries: List[Dict[str, Any]]) -> List[Dict[str, A
 
 # --- D. Phonetic Bracket IPA Replacement ---
 
-# Pattern: word [phonetic] or word (phonetic) — capture the word before brackets
+# Pattern: word followed by any bracket type containing phonetic content.
+# Tesseract often garbles IPA brackets: [ˈdɑːns] → {'tfatno] or (cy) etc.
+# Match any opener ([, {, () with any closer (], }, )) — even mixed pairs.
 _PHONETIC_BRACKET_RE = re.compile(
-    r'(\b[a-zA-ZäöüÄÖÜß]+)\s*\[([^\]]*)\]'
+    r'(\b[a-zA-ZäöüÄÖÜß]+)\s*[\[\{\(]([^\]\}\)]*?)[\]\}\)]'
 )
 
 
@@ -4274,25 +4276,64 @@ def _fix_phonetic_brackets(
     for entry in entries:
         for field in ('english', 'german', 'example'):
             text = entry.get(field, '') or ''
-            if '[' not in text:
+            # Check for any bracket type — Tesseract garbles [ into { or (
+            if not any(ch in text for ch in '[{('):
                 continue
             entry[field] = _replace_phonetics_in_text(text, pronunciation)
 
     return entries
 
 
+# German prefixes/words commonly in parentheses in vocab tables: (zer)brechen, Tanz(veranstaltung)
+_GERMAN_BRACKET_PREFIXES = frozenset({
+    'ab', 'an', 'auf', 'aus', 'be', 'bei', 'dar', 'ein', 'emp', 'ent',
+    'er', 'ge', 'her', 'hin', 'los', 'mit', 'nach', 'um', 'un', 'unter',
+    'ver', 'vor', 'weg', 'zer', 'zu', 'zurück',
+})
+
+
+def _is_meaningful_bracket_content(content: str) -> bool:
+    """Return True if bracket content is a meaningful word/prefix, not garbled IPA.
+
+    Meaningful: (zer)brechen, (veranstaltung), (Haupt)stadt
+    Garbled IPA: {'tfatno, (cy, 1u], 'daens
+    """
+    if not content:
+        return False
+    # Must be pure letters (no digits, punctuation, IPA symbols)
+    if not re.match(r'^[a-zA-ZäöüÄÖÜßé]+$', content):
+        return False
+    # Known German prefix
+    if content.lower() in _GERMAN_BRACKET_PREFIXES:
+        return True
+    # Long enough to be a real word (not 1-2 char garbled IPA like "cy")
+    if len(content) >= 4:
+        return True
+    return False
+
+
 def _replace_phonetics_in_text(text: str, pronunciation: str = 'british') -> str:
-    """Replace [phonetic] after words with dictionary IPA."""
+    """Replace [phonetic] / {phonetic} / (phonetic) after words with dictionary IPA.
+
+    Tesseract garbles IPA brackets, e.g. China [ˈtʃaɪnə] → China {'tfatno].
+    We match any bracket type and replace with dictionary IPA if found.
+    Legitimate parenthetical content like (zer)brechen or (veranstaltung) is preserved.
+    """
     if not IPA_AVAILABLE:
         return text
 
     def replacer(match):
         word = match.group(1)
-        ocr_phonetic = match.group(2)
+        bracket_content = match.group(2).strip()
 
-        # Skip if bracket content looks like regular text (has spaces + capitals)
-        if len(ocr_phonetic.split()) > 3:
-            return match.group(0)  # Keep original
+        # Skip if bracket content looks like regular text (multiple words)
+        if len(bracket_content.split()) > 3:
+            return match.group(0)
+
+        # Skip if bracket content is a meaningful word/prefix — e.g. (zer)brechen,
+        # Tanz(veranstaltung). These are real German morphemes, not garbled IPA.
+        if _is_meaningful_bracket_content(bracket_content):
+            return match.group(0)
 
         # Look up in IPA dictionary
         ipa = _lookup_ipa(word, pronunciation)