Dutch alphabet
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HideThe 26 letters of the Dutch alphabet
a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z
The table below shows you the letters and their pronunciation.
| Letters (capital) | Letters (small) | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | a | Pronounced as 'aa'. | Appel (apple) |
| B | b | Pronounced as 'bee'. | Beker (mug) |
| C | c | Pronounced as 'cee'. | Cirkel (circle) |
| D | d | Pronounced as 'dee'. | Deur (door) |
| E | e | Pronounced like the English 'a'. | Eten (to eat) |
| F | f | Pronounced as 'ef'. | Fiets (bike) |
| G* | g | Pronounced as 'g'. | Grappen (to joke) |
| H | h | Pronounced as 'haa'. | Helpen (to help) |
| I | i | Pronounced like the English 'e'. | Irritant (annoying) |
| J | j | Pronounced like the English 'y' in 'you'. | Jaren (years) |
| K | k | Pronounced as 'kaa'. | Konijn (rabbit) |
| L | l | Pronounced as 'el'. | Laars (boot) |
| M | m | Pronounced as 'em'. | Moeder (mother) |
| N | n | Pronounced as 'en'. | Noten (nuts) |
| O | o | Pronounced like the English 'o'. | Ogen (eyes) |
| P | p | Pronounced as 'pee'. | Praten (to talk) |
| Q | q | Pronounced as 'kuu'. | Quiz (guiz) |
| R | r | Pronounced as 'er'. | Rennen (to run) |
| S | s | Pronounced as 'es'. | Slang (snake) |
| T | t | Pronounced as 'tee'. | Tafel (table) |
| U | u | Pronounced as 'uu'. | Huur (rent) |
| V | v | Pronounced as 'vee'. | Vriendelijk (friendly) |
| W | w | Pronounced like a combination of the English 'v' and 'w'. | Water (water) |
| X | x | Pronounced as 'iks'. | Xylofoon (xylophone) |
| Y | y | Pronounced as 'ij'. | Yoghurt (yoghurt) |
| Z | z | Pronounced as 'set'. | Zon (sun) |
*The pronunciation of the 'g' is different per region in the Netherlands. The northern parts use a more hard 'g' sound and in the southern parts a more soft 'g' sound is used.
Just like in English, the pronunciation of the letters will change per word.
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The Dutch vowels
The pronunciation of Dutch vowels depends on if it is an open or closed syllable. It is a closed syllable when it is between two consonants. An open syllable is when it is not.
- 'De rat' (The rat) → closed syllable
- 'De aap' (The monkey) → open syllable
The pronunciation of the cominbation of vowels and of consonants can be found on the Dutch pronunciation page.