14 focused pronunciation lessons
Choose one sound or spelling rule, practise useful words and contrasts, then keep the target inside a complete sentence. Regional G and R variation is treated as normal when speech remains intelligible.
Dutch G and CH are made with friction at the back of the mouth, but the exact sound varies by region and speaker. Keep the airflow continuous, avoid adding a full K, and choose a version that remains stable inside a sentence.
Open pronunciation lesson →Dutch speakers use several R sounds, including tongue-tip and back-of-mouth versions. Pick a version you can repeat reliably, keep the following vowel clear, and avoid adding an extra vowel after a final R.
Open pronunciation lesson →Dutch UI is a rounded front diphthong with no exact everyday English equivalent. Keep the tongue toward the front, round the lips, and glide without turning UI into English ow, Dutch OE or a plain UU.
Open pronunciation lesson →In standard Dutch, IJ and EI normally represent the same diphthong. Start from an open front position and move toward a closer sound without splitting the word into two syllables. Pronunciation usually cannot tell you which spelling a word uses.
Open pronunciation lesson →Dutch EU is a rounded front vowel. Keep the lips rounded and the tongue farther forward than for an English-style oh. Hold the vowel steadily before moving to the following consonant.
Open pronunciation lesson →Dutch UU and OE both use rounded lips, but the tongue position differs. UU keeps the tongue forward; OE moves it farther back. Train the contrast without changing the surrounding consonants.
Open pronunciation lesson →Dutch NG is normally one nasal sound made with the back of the tongue; it is not an N followed by a separately pronounced G. NK uses the same nasal position and then adds a clear K release.
Open pronunciation lesson →At the start of many Dutch words, SCH keeps an audible S before the back fricative. Build the cluster slowly, then shorten the transition until it behaves as one word opening.
Open pronunciation lesson →Dutch uses the same basic 26-letter Latin alphabet as English, but several letter names sound different. Learn the names in contrast groups and practise them inside real spelling tasks rather than reciting the alphabet only once.
Open pronunciation lesson →Dutch spelling often marks a tense or traditionally long vowel with two letters in a closed syllable and one letter in an open syllable. The consonant spelling changes when word endings are added, so learn word families rather than isolated forms.
Open pronunciation lesson →At the end of a Dutch word, voiced obstruents are normally pronounced without voicing. That is why final D can sound like T and final B like P, even though the spelling returns visibly in related forms.
Open pronunciation lesson →Dutch speech does not give every syllable equal weight. Stressed syllables are clearer and more prominent; many unstressed E spellings reduce toward schwa. Learning the rhythm prevents slow, letter-by-letter pronunciation.
Open pronunciation lesson →Goedemorgen means good morning. Practise it as goe-de-mor-gen, with the main rhythmic focus around mor and weaker unstressed syllables. Use a comfortable regional G rather than forcing the harshest possible sound.
Open pronunciation lesson →Gouda, Van Gogh and Schiphol combine several famous Dutch sound patterns: OU, back-of-mouth G/CH, initial SCH, short vowels and Dutch word stress. Learn the pattern in each whole name instead of chasing one English respelling.
Open pronunciation lesson →These pages organize mouth cues, contrasts and recording practice. Text cannot demonstrate every regional realization or replace current dictionary audio and a qualified teacher.