The alphabet and pronunciation

What you learn in this chapter

• Recognise all Dutch letters A–Z.
• Hear and write important Dutch sounds: ij, ei, ui, eu, ou/au, ie.
• Spell your first name and last name in Dutch.
• Ask and answer: “How do you spell your name?”

1. The Dutch alphabet: same letters, different sounds

The Dutch alphabet has the same 26 letters as English.

The big difference is: pronunciation, not the shapes.

Letters that often sound different from English

Letter	Dutch example	Global sound idea (for English ears)
G	goud (gold)	Harsh / throaty sound from the back of the mouth
J	jas (coat)	Like English y in yes
R	raam (window)	Can be rolled or soft; varies by region
V	vogel (bird)	Between English f and v in many accents
W	water	Between English v and w; lips closer together

• For spelling your name, you mainly need: letter names.
• For speaking, you need: word sounds.

These are related, but not always identical. Listen carefully when the audio spells words.

2. Important Dutch letter combinations (klanken)

Dutch uses several very common two-letter combinations that act like one sound.

Key Dutch sound combinations in this chapter

Spelling	Example	Tip for your ear
IJ	prijs (price)	Often sounds like English ay in day, but shorter
EI	meisje (girl)	Same sound as ij in modern Dutch
UI	huis (house)	Typical Dutch; between English ow and oy
EU	neus (nose)	Rounded vowel, a bit like French peu
OU	trouw (loyal)	Sounds like English ow in now
AU	auto (car)	Same sound as ou
IE	fiets (bike)	Like English ee in see

• Think of these as teams of two letters = one sound.
• Do not split them when you hear them in a word.

3. IJ and EI: same sound, different spelling

This is one of the first questions learners have.

• IJ and EI are pronounced the same in modern Dutch.
• Examples: prijs, meid, meisje.
• You must learn the spelling per word.

Compare EI and IJ

Sound	Word	Spelling
/ɛi/	prijs (price)	IJ
/ɛi/	reis (trip/journey)	EI

When someone spells a word with this sound:

• They say either “EI” or “IJ”.
• Always ask again if you are not sure: “EI of IJ?”

4. OU and AU: one sound, two spellings

Another common question: what is the difference between ou and au?

• OU and AU are also pronounced the same.
• Examples: trouw (loyal), auto (car).
• Again: you must memorise the spelling per word.

Compare OU and AU

Sound	Word	Spelling
/ʌu/ or /ɑu/	trouw (loyal)	OU
/ʌu/ or /ɑu/	auto (car)	AU

Spelling tip for official situations (forms, email, contracts):

• Repeat or ask: “Is dat met O-U of A-U?”

5. The special status of IJ when spelling

In many Dutch contexts, IJ is treated a bit like its own letter.

• At the start of a name, you often see both letters as capitals: IJ in IJmuiden, IJssel.
• When spelling, people often say: “I – J, IJ” as one unit.

Example: spelling a name with IJ

Dutch	Explanation
Mijn naam is IJda. I-J: IJ, D, A.	Speaker signals that I+J belong together.

For A1 level, you do not need the historical details.

Just remember: if you hear “IJ” when someone spells, you always write IJ.

6. From sound to spelling: a simple strategy

When you hear a new Dutch word, you can follow this small routine.

1. Listen for a long vowel sound or diphthong
   Does it sound like English ee, ay, ow, or something unfamiliar (like ui, eu)?
2. Ask for the spelling
   Use: “Hoe spel je dat?” or “Kunt u dat spellen?”
3. Note special pairs
   When you hear a letter pair name, link it to the sound:
   • Hear “EI” → write ei.
   • Hear “IJ” → write ij.
   • Hear “A-U” → write au.
   • Hear “O-U” → write ou.
   • Hear “U-I” → write ui.
   • Hear “E-U” → write eu.

7. Spelling your name in Dutch

In Dutch, people often check spelling of names in formal situations:

• at the town hall,
• in the doctor’s office,
• on the phone,
• at work (email, personnel system).

Useful questions:

• Hoe spel je je voornaam? – How do you spell your first name?
• Hoe spel je je achternaam? – How do you spell your last name?
• Kunt u dat spellen, alstublieft? – Could you spell that, please?

Useful answers:

• Ik heet Anna. A, N, N, A.
• Mijn achternaam is Meijer. M, E, I, J, E, R.
• Dat is met EI. – That is with EI.
• Dat is met IJ. – That is with IJ.

8. Typical mistakes and how to avoid them

• Writing English-style vowels
  *Hous* → huis
  *Fiets* with EE → fiets with ie.
• Forgetting that some pairs are one sound
  *H-u-i-s* as three separate vowels → think of ui as one sound.
• Mixing EI and IJ
  This happens to Dutch people too. Do not worry. Just always ask the spelling for names and important words.
• Not checking OU vs AU
  On forms, contracts, and email addresses, always confirm: “Met O-U?” or “Met A-U?”

9. Quick self-check

Answer these for yourself. If you can answer “yes”, you are ready to move on.

1. Can I recognise and name all letters A–Z in Dutch?
2. Do I know that ij & ei and ou & au have the same sound, but different spellings?
3. Can I hear the difference between ui, eu, and English vowels (even if my own pronunciation is not perfect yet)?
4. Can I spell my first name and last name in Dutch without looking?
5. Can I ask politely in Dutch if someone can spell their name or a word?

If 1–2 answers are still “no”, focus your practice on:

• listening to the alphabet audio and repeating,
• spelling your own name and 3–5 colleagues’ names aloud,
• writing small lists of words with ij, ei, ui, eu, ou/au, ie and reading them aloud.

Once you are comfortable with these sounds and spellings, conversations about names, email addresses, and forms will become much easier.