Dutch Vocabulary

Vowels and Consonants

Dutch Vowels (Short and Long)

A-short

A-long

E-short

E-long

Voiceless E (“schwa”)

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Dutch Vowels Continued

I-short

I-long (often written IE)

O-short

O-long

U-short

U-long

Basic Kitchen and Table Words

Drinks and Containers

Other Food Items

Diphthongs in Dutch

AU = OU

EI = IJ

EU

OE

UI

Recap of the Diphthongs

More Diphthong Comparisons

Long AAI Comparison

Hearing Illusions

More Diphthong Examples

Special Vocabulary and Sounds

The Long and Short of Dutch Vowels

Basic Rules

Examples:

How Long and Short Are Determined

• Double vowels (aa, ee, oo, uu) are always long.
• Single vowel at end of word is long (except -e, which is voiceless).
• Single vowel + consonant at end is short.
• Single vowel + consonant + vowel → split syllables → long.
• Single vowel + double consonants → short.

Examples:

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Spelling Patterns

Open Syllables (long vowel)

Closed Syllables (short vowel)

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Special Cases

Double Consonants

Pronunciation same: double consonants only indicate short vowel before.

Double Vowels in Closed Syllables

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More Vocabulary Examples

Long vowels:

Short vowels:

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Important Notes

• Single “e” at end of a word is voiceless (uh sound): me (me), ze (they), je (you).
• UW (your) is long vowel even if single.
• Diphthongs (au/ou, ei/ij, eu, oe, ui) are always long.

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Practice Words

Voiceless E in Dutch

Three Ways to Pronounce E

Examples:

Voiceless E Patterns

Prefixes (beginning):

Examples:

Suffixes (ending):

Examples:

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Exceptions and Details

• One-syllable words (bes, pen, ster) have a short e, not voiceless.
• Single e between two consonants → short.
• Single e followed by vowel → long (unless prefix/suffix).

Comparisons:

Prefixes her- and ter-:

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The Ending -el

Normally voiceless:

Exceptions (short e):

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Compound Word Patterns

Prefix (voiceless) + stressed syllable + suffix (voiceless)

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Special Notes

Examples:

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Articles: de and het

Examples:

Notes:

• All diminutives (-je endings) are het-words.
• Plurals always use de.
• In casual speech, het can sometimes sound like “het” unstressed, but not ‘t in writing.

Indefinite Article

The Dutch Consonants

Not all Dutch consonants are pronounced like in English, and even those that are may not come naturally to native speakers of other languages.

Some of the words in the pronunciation examples are not very common and translations may lack precision – they’re just to give you an idea of what the words mean.

Double Consonants

A pair of consonants (“two of a kind”) is pronounced exactly the same as one single consonant. A double consonant usually means that a preceding single vowel is short.

• maken — to make, makker — comrade, willen — to want, wielen — wheels
• vlot — raft, vlotten — rafts, vloot — fleet, vloten — fleets
• grote — big, grootte — size

End-of-Word B

At the end of a word, B is pronounced as P; otherwise B is pronounced as in English.

• slab — bib, slap — weak
• heb — (I) have, step — scooter
• lip — lip, lippen — lips

C Pronunciation

• K sound before A, O, U and consonants: code — code, collega — colleague
• S sound before E, I, Y: cel — cell, citroen — lemon
• Mixed KS: concept — concept, concert — concert

CH, G, and K

The Dutch CH and G sound like clearing your throat. They are very typical Dutch sounds and exist in Hebrew, Arabic, and Spanish.

• wij lachen — we are laughing
• wij lagen — we were lying down

End-of-Word D

D at the end of a word is pronounced as T; otherwise D is normal.

• wat — what, wad — flood plain
• raad — council, raden — councils

DT and TD Combinations

At normal speaking speed, mid-word DT sounds like T, TD like D. At the end of a verb, DT is always T.

• ontdekken — to discover, ontdaan — upset
• ik word — I become, hij wordt — he becomes

F, V and W

• fee — fairy, vee — cattle, wee — birth contraction
• fier — proud, vier — four
• even — even, moment, effen — flat, even

Dutch W vs English W

Dutch W is made with relaxed lips and touching teeth, unlike English W which rounds the lips.

J

Dutch J sounds like English Y in “yes.”

• ja — yes, je — you
• jouw — your, jeuk — itch

K before N

In Dutch, K is pronounced even before N:

• knie — knee
• knabbelen — to nibble

L

Dutch L is similar to English L, but flatter, with the tongue touching the teeth.

End-of-Word N

Some Dutch people drop the final -N in verbs and plurals when speaking fast, but it’s better to pronounce it clearly.

NG

Same as in English “sing” — not like “stranger.”

• zang — song, zanger — singer

P before S

• psalm — psalm, psycholoog — psychologist

R

Dutch R is made far back in the mouth, different from English R.

• raad — counsel, roos — rose

S and Z

• gras — grass, grassen — grasses, grazen — to graze
• les — lesson, lessen — lessons, lezen — to read

SCH

Combination of S + hard throat CH:

• schip — ship, schop — spade, schep — scoop

Polders: The Reclaimed Land

• de polder — reclaimed land
• de dijk — dike
• de sloot — ditch
• de molen — windmill
• het gemaal — pumping station
• het kanaal — canal
• het nieuwe land — the new land

Numbers

Colors

Fruits

Vegetables

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