📚 Free Dutch Lesson
Dutch Alphabet — All 26 Letters with Sounds & Examples
Learn the Dutch alphabet: every letter with pronunciation, the 3 trickiest Dutch sounds (G, UI, IJ), key digraphs, and example words. With a 5-question quiz.
26 lettersfull table
3 tricky soundsg, ui, ij
6 digraphsij, oe, ui…
5-Q Quiztest yourself
The Dutch Alphabet — 26 Letters
The Dutch alphabet is identical to the English alphabet — 26 letters. However, several letters sound very different. Dutch also uses digraphs (two-letter combinations) with their own sounds.
| Letter | Dutch Name | Approx. Sound | Example Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| A a | ah | like 'a' in "father" | arm (arm) |
| B b | bay | like English b | boek (book) |
| C c | say | k or s depending on vowel | café |
| D d | day | like English d (at end: t-sound) | deur (door) |
| E e | ay | short: like "e" in "bed" | eten (to eat) |
| F f | ef | like English f | fiets (bike) |
| G g | khay | ⚠️ guttural/throaty — like Scottish "loch" | goed (good) |
| H h | hah | breathy, like English h | huis (house) |
| I i | ee | like "ee" in "see" | iets (something) |
| J j | yay | like English y in "yes" | ja (yes) |
| K k | kah | like English k | kat (cat) |
| L l | el | like English l | lamp |
| M m | em | like English m | melk (milk) |
| N n | en | like English n | nee (no) |
| O o | oh | rounded "o" — no English equivalent | oma (grandma) |
| P p | pay | like English p | pen |
| R r | air | rolled or uvular r | regen (rain) |
| S s | es | like English s | stad (city) |
| T t | tay | like English t | tafel (table) |
| U u | uu | like French "u" — rounded | uur (hour) |
| V v | fay | between f and v | vader (father) |
| W w | way | softer than English w | water |
| X x | ix | ks sound (rare in Dutch) | taxi |
| Y y | ee-grek | like ee or y — rare | yoga |
| Z z | zet | like English z | zee (sea) |
The 3 Trickiest Dutch Sounds
G / CH: The Dutch g is guttural — made at the back of the throat. Think of clearing your throat gently. It sounds nothing like the English g in "go".
UI: The ui combination has no English equivalent. It's a rounded vowel — start to say "ow" but round your lips as if saying "oo".
IJ / EI: Both ij and ei sound the same — roughly like "ay" in "say". Ijs (ice) and ei (egg) start with the same sound.
Key Digraphs (Two-Letter Sounds)
| Digraph | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ij | like "ay" in "say" | ijs (ice), zijn (to be) |
| ei | same as ij | ei (egg), trein (train) |
| oe | like "oo" in "food" | boek (book), groep (group) |
| ui | unique Dutch sound | huis (house), uit (out) |
| eu | like French "eu" | deur (door), neus (nose) |
| au / ou | like "ow" in "now" | auto, oud (old) |
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Quick quiz — Dutch Alphabet
Q1: How many letters are in the Dutch alphabet?
Q2: How is the Dutch 'g' pronounced?
Q3: Which combination makes an 'ay' sound (like 'say')?
Q4: 'Oe' sounds like…
Q5: Dutch 'j' sounds like English…
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