Pronunciation of 'ij' and 'ei'

What are ij and ei in Dutch?

• ij and ei are two different spellings for (almost) the same sound.
• In most words, they sound like the English vowel in price or time.
• Because the sound is the same, you must learn the spelling for each word.

You will hear Dutch people say:

• lange ij = the spelling ij
• korte ei = the spelling ei

How do they sound?

• ij → like English price, time
  ijs, blijven, grijs, konijn
• ei → same sound
  trein, klein, geheim, geit

When you listen, you usually cannot hear if it is written with ij or ei.

So… how do I know when to write ij or ei?

• There is no simple A1 rule that always tells you which one to use.
• Native speakers also just know the spelling of common words.
• For now: treat each word with this sound as a new vocabulary item + its spelling.

When you learn a word, always learn the “package”:

• blijven – to stay (with ij)
• klein – small (with ei)
• trein – train (with ei)
• grijs – grey (with ij)

Helpful patterns (not perfect rules)

These tips will help you guess, but there are exceptions. At A1, use them only as support, not as strict rules.

• Word families: related words usually keep the same spelling.
  • trein → treinkaartje, treinstation (always ei)
  • grijs → grijze, grijzig (always ij)
  • blijven → ik blijf, we blijven (always ij)
• Common verb pattern with jij/je/hij/zij:
  • ij often appears in very frequent verbs: blijven, lijken, schrijven.
  • You will see them again and again → they quickly feel “normal”.

If you are not sure: it is normal. Check a dictionary or your word list.

Important exception: words ending in -lijk

In words with -lijk the letters ij are not pronounced like our usual ij/ei sound.

Spelling	IPA (approx.)	English help
verschrikkelijk	/vərˈsxrɪkələk/	sounds like verschrikke-luk
vreselijk	/ˈvreːsələk/	sounds like vreese-luk
moeilijk	/ˈmuːɪlək/	sounds like moo-iluk

• The ending -lijk is pronounced more like -luk / -lik, with a short sound.
• So: spelling has ij, but your ear does not hear the normal ij-sound.
• Remember this as a fixed ending: “adjective ending that looks like ij but sounds like -luk/-lik”.

Minimal pairs: same sound, different spelling

These examples show why spelling matters:

With ij	With ei	Meaning (in English)
lijken	leiken (wrong)	lijken = to seem
prijs	preis (wrong)	prijs = price, prize
blijven	bleiven (wrong)	blijven = to stay
ijs	eis (wrong)	ijs = ice, ice cream

When you write, pay attention to the exact spelling, not only the sound.

Step-by-step: how to study ij/ei words

1. Notice the sound in a word
   • Listen: do you hear the “English price / time” sound?
   • Check the written word: is it ij or ei?
2. Highlight the letters
   • Underlining helps your brain: blijven, trein, grijs, geit.
3. Say the word and spell it aloud
   • Example: “blijven, B–L–I–J–V–E–N (with ij)”.
   • Example: “trein, T–R–E–I–N (with ei)”.
4. Connect it to a picture or context
   • trein: think of your daily commute.
   • ijs: think of your favourite ice cream.
   • konijn: think of a rabbit in a garden.
5. Write small sentences
   • Ik neem de trein naar mijn werk.
   • Mijn hond blijft rustig.
   • Ik koop een ijsje.

What to pay attention to when listening

• When you hear the sound, ask yourself:
  • Is this a word I already know? Then I also know the spelling.
  • Is it new? Then I write both in my notes: ??ij / ??ei and check later.
• Notice the special -lijk words:
  • If you hear something like verschrikkelu(k), check the spelling: verschrikkelijk.

Quick self-check

• Can you explain in English what “lange ij” and “korte ei” mean?
• Do you know that they usually have the same sound?
• Do you remember that words with -lijk are pronounced differently?
• Can you write at least 3 words with ij and 3 with ei without looking?

If you can do this, you are ready to use these words in conversation and writing. For everything else, use your word list and keep noticing the spelling.