A complete reference for every Dutch phoneme using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Use this alongside the Pronunciation Guide for practical tips and the Alphabet page for letter-by-letter breakdown.
What Is the IPA?
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a universal system for writing down the sounds of any language. Unlike regular spelling, where one letter can represent many sounds (think of English “a” in cat, cake, call), each IPA symbol represents exactly one sound. This makes it the most reliable way to know how a Dutch word is pronounced — even before you hear it.
How to Read IPA Notation
Slashes/…/ indicate the intended pronunciation (phonemic): /maːn/
Square brackets[…] indicate the actual spoken sound (phonetic): [maːn]
ː (colon) means the vowel is held longer: /aː/ is a long a
ˈ (vertical tick before a syllable) marks primary stress: /ˈmaː.nən/ — stress on maa
. (dot) separates syllables: /ˈmaː.nən/ = maa-nen
Quick Reference: Common IPA Symbols
IPA Symbol
Sounds Like
Example
IPA
/ɑ/
”ah” (short)
man
/mɑn/
/aː/
”ah” (long)
maan
/maːn/
/ɛ/
”eh” as in bed
bed
/bɛt/
/eː/
”ay” without the glide
been
/beːn/
/ə/
”uh” (unstressed, like the)
de
/də/
/ɪ/
”ih” as in bit
dit
/dɪt/
/iː/
”ee” as in see
niet
/niːt/
/ɔ/
”oh” (short, British lot)
pot
/pɔt/
/oː/
”oh” (long, no glide)
boon
/boːn/
/ʏ/
”ih” with rounded lips
bus
/bʏs/
/yː/
”ee” with rounded lips
muur
/myːr/
/øː/
”ay” with rounded lips
deur
/døːr/
/x/
throat clearing (Scottish loch)
goed
/ɣut/
/ʋ/
between English “v” and “w”
water
/ˈʋaː.tər/
The Big Picture
Dutch has a compact but precise sound system. Here’s the inventory at a glance:
Category
Count
Key Point
Monophthongs
12
Every basic vowel has a short + long pair
Diphthongs
6
Three core (/ɛi/, /œy/, /ɑu/) + three long (/aːi/, /oːi/, /ui/)
Consonants
~23
Most match English — only a handful don’t
Sounds with No English Equivalent
These five sounds are where learners spend most of their effort. Listen and compare:
Sound
IPA
Hear It
Quick Approximation
uu
/yː/
Say “ee” with tightly rounded lips
eu
/øː/
Say “ay” with rounded lips (like French eu)
ui
/œy/
No shortcut — starts like “eu” and glides up
Short u
/ʏ/
Say “ih” with rounded lips
g/ch
/x/
Like clearing your throat (like Scottish loch)
The #1 Rule: Open and Closed Syllables
Dutch spelling is predictable once you know this: a single vowel in a closed syllable is short; in an open syllable it’s long. This one rule explains most spelling changes.
Word
Syllable Type
Vowel
IPA
man
closed (CVC)
short a
/mɑn/
maan
closed + doubled vowel
long aa
/maːn/
ma-nen
open (CV-)
long a
/ˈmaː.nən/
man-nen
closed (CVC)
short a
/ˈmɑ.nən/
See Patterns & Rules for the full spelling system that follows from this principle.
Vowel Chart
Every basic vowel comes in a short + long pair. Three vowels — /ʏ/, /yː/, and /øː/ — have no English equivalent because they combine front tongue position with rounded lips.
Monophthongs (Pure Vowels)
IPA
Dutch Spelling
Tongue Position
Lip Shape
Dutch
English
/ɑ/
a
open, back
unrounded
man
like “father” but shorter
/aː/
aa, a (open syllable)
open, front
unrounded
maan
like “father” held longer
/ɛ/
e
mid-open, front
unrounded
bed
like “bed”
/eː/
ee, e (open syllable)
mid-close, front
unrounded
been
like “say” without the glide
/ə/
e (unstressed)
mid-central
neutral
de
like “the” in English
/ɪ/
i
near-close, front
unrounded
dit
like “bit”
/iː/
ie
close, front
unrounded
niet
like “see”
/ɔ/
o
mid-open, back
rounded
pot
like British “lot”
/oː/
oo, o (open syllable)
mid-close, back
rounded
boon
like “go” without the glide
/ʏ/
u
near-close, front
rounded
bus
say “ih” with rounded lips
/yː/
uu, u (open syllable)
close, front
rounded
muur
say “ee” with rounded lips
/øː/
eu
mid-close, front
rounded
deur
say “ay” with rounded lips
Diphthongs (Gliding Vowels)
IPA
Dutch Spelling
Starting Position
Glides Toward
Dutch
English
/ɛi/
ij, ei
mid-open front
close front
wijn
like “say”
/œy/
ui
mid-open front rounded
close front rounded
huis
no English equivalent
/ɑu/
ou, au
open back
close back rounded
oud
like “how”
/aːi/
aai
open front long
close front
draai
”ah” + “ee”
/oːi/
ooi
mid-close back long
close front
mooi
”oh” + “ee”
/ui/
oei
close back rounded
close front
moeite
”oo” + “ee”
Consonant Chart
Most Dutch consonants match English. Three don’t: g/ch (the throat sound), w (between English “v” and “w”), and r (which varies by region).
Plosives (Stop Consonants)
The airflow is completely blocked, then released.
IPA
Dutch Spelling
Place
Voicing
Dutch
English
/p/
p
bilabial (both lips)
voiceless
pak
like English “p”
/b/
b
bilabial
voiced
bad
like English “b”
/t/
t
alveolar (tongue tip behind teeth)
voiceless
tak
like English “t”
/d/
d
alveolar
voiced
dag
like English “d”
/k/
k
velar (back of tongue)
voiceless
kat
like English “k”
Fricatives (Continuous Airflow)
Air is pushed through a narrow gap.
IPA
Dutch Spelling
Place
Voicing
Dutch
English
/f/
f
labiodental (lip + teeth)
voiceless
fiets
like English “f”
/v/
v
labiodental
voiced
vader
like English “v”
/s/
s
alveolar
voiceless
soep
like English “s”
/z/
z
alveolar
voiced
zon
like English “z”
/x/
g, ch
velar/uvular
voiceless
goed
like clearing your throat
/ɣ/
g (between vowels)
velar/uvular
voiced
vragen
softer version of /x/
/ɦ/
h
glottal
voiced
huis
like English “h” but softer
/ʃ/
sj, sh
postalveolar
voiceless
sjaal
like English “sh”
/ʒ/
j (in loanwords)
postalveolar
voiced
journaal
like “s” in “measure”
Nasals
Air flows through the nose.
IPA
Dutch Spelling
Place
Dutch
English
/m/
m
bilabial
moeder
like English “m”
/n/
n
alveolar
naam
like English “n”
/ŋ/
ng
velar
lang
like “ng” in “sing”
Approximants & Liquids
IPA
Dutch Spelling
Place
Dutch
English
/ʋ/
w
labiodental
water
between English “v” and “w”
/j/
j
palatal
ja
like English “y” in “yes”
/l/
l
alveolar lateral
land
like English “l”
/r/
r
varies by dialect
rood
rolled, uvular, or English-like
The Dutch R — Three Accepted Variants
Variant
IPA
Where
How to Produce
Alveolar trill
/r/
Traditionally standard
Tongue tip vibrates against the ridge behind the teeth
Uvular trill
/ʁ/
Randstad (Amsterdam, Rotterdam)
Back of tongue vibrates against the uvula
Approximant
/ɹ/
Informal/younger speakers
Similar to American English “r”
All three are accepted in standard Dutch. Use whichever feels most natural.
Articulatory Tips for Hard Sounds
The g/ch sound /x/: Start by whispering “h” but pull your tongue back until you feel friction in your throat. If you speak German, it’s like the ch in Buch. If you speak Scottish English, it’s the ch in loch. Practice:
The w sound /ʋ/: Place your upper teeth lightly on your lower lip (like starting an English “v”) but don’t fully commit to the contact — let air flow loosely. It’s softer than English “v” but firmer than English “w”. Practice:
Consonant Clusters
Dutch loves stacking consonants. These clusters are common and worth drilling:
Cluster
IPA
Example
IPA
Meaning
sch
/sx/
school
/sxoːl/
school
schr
/sxr/
schrijven
/ˈsxrɛi.vən/
to write
str
/str/
straat
/straːt/
street
spr
/spr/
spreken
/ˈspreː.kən/
to speak
thr
/tr/
drie
/driː/
three
See Cognates & Borrowed Words for familiar words where you can practice hearing these consonant patterns.
The Open/Closed Syllable Rule
This is the single most important spelling-pronunciation rule in Dutch. Once you internalize it, you can predict pronunciation from spelling — and vice versa.
The Core Principle
Syllable Type
Vowel Length
Spelling
Example
IPA
Closed (ends in consonant)
Short
Single vowel
man
/mɑn/
Closed (ends in consonant)
Long
Double vowel
maan
/maːn/
Open (ends in vowel)
Long
Single vowel
ma-nen
/ˈmaː.nən/
How Spelling Reflects It
When you add a suffix (like a plural), the syllable structure changes, and the spelling adjusts to preserve the vowel sound:
Base
IPA
Plural
IPA
What Happens
maan
/maːn/
manen
/ˈmaː.nən/
Drop one a — syllable opens, single a is already long
man
/mɑn/
mannen
/ˈmɑ.nən/
Double the n — keeps syllable closed, preserving short a
boot
/boːt/
boten
/ˈboː.tən/
Drop one o — syllable opens, single o is already long
bot
/bɔt/
botten
/ˈbɔ.tən/
Double the t — keeps syllable closed, preserving short o
Practical implication: If you can split a word into syllables, you can predict every vowel length — and therefore the pronunciation. This rule also drives verb stem formation; see Verbs: Present Tense and Patterns & Rules for more.
Minimal Pairs
Minimal pairs are word pairs that differ by just one sound. They are the best way to train your ear.
Short vs. Long Vowels
Dutch
IPA
Dutch
IPA
man
/mɑn/
maan
/maːn/
bed
/bɛt/
beet
/beːt/
bos
/bɔs/
boos
/boːs/
mus
/mʏs/
muur
/myːr/
Commonly Confused Sounds
Dutch
IPA
Dutch
IPA
vuur
/vyːr/
vier
/viːr/
deur
/døːr/
deer
/deːr/
huis
/hœys/
hijs
/hɛis/
veel
/veːl/
feel
/feːl/
zee
/zeː/
see
/seː/
Rounded vs. Unrounded Vowels
The distinction between rounded and unrounded front vowels is unique to Dutch (and similar to French/German). Compare:
Dutch
IPA
Dutch
IPA
buur
/byːr/
boer
/buːr/
deur
/døːr/
deer
/deːr/
bus
/bʏs/
bis
/bɪs/
Consonant Pairs
Dutch
IPA
Dutch
IPA
veel
/veːl/
feel
/feːl/
gaan
/ɣaːn/
haan
/ɦaːn/
Final Devoicing Rules
All voiced consonants become voiceless at the end of a word — the plural or inflected form reveals the true underlying sound.
Voiced
Voiceless at End
Example
IPA
Proof (Vowel Follows)
IPA
/d/
/t/
hond
/hɔnt/
honden
/ˈhɔn.dən/
/b/
/p/
web
/ʋɛp/
webben
/ˈʋɛ.bən/
/ɣ/
/x/
dag
/dɑx/
dagen
/ˈdaː.ɣən/
/v/
/f/
brief
/brif/
brieven
/ˈbri.vən/
/z/
/s/
huis
/hœys/
huizen
/ˈhœy.zən/
This is why verb stems sometimes look different from what you’d expect — see Patterns & Rules for how this interacts with verb conjugation.
Assimilation Rules
Assimilation happens automatically in fast speech — don’t fight it. Let your mouth take the natural shortcut.
Rule
Example
IPA
Pronunciation
Voicing assimilation
zakdoek
/ˈzɑɡ.duːk/
”k” becomes “g” before “d”
Nasal assimilation
inpakken
/ˈɪm.pɑ.kən/
”n” becomes “m” before “p”
Degemination
uittreden
/ˈœyt.reː.dən/
double “t” simplifies
Pronunciation Practice Drills
Try saying each row aloud. Click the speaker to check yourself. Drills are ordered from foundational to advanced.