Dutch phonology

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007)

Dutch grammar series

Dutch grammar

• Dutch verbs
  • Dutch conjugation
  • 't kofschip
  • T-rules
• Dutch nouns
  • Dutch declension
  • Gender in Dutch grammar
• Dutch orthography
  • History of Dutch orthography
  • Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal
  • IJ
• Dutch phonology

This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters.

Dutch is a Germanic language and as such has a similar phonology to other Germanic languages (particularly Low German, Frisian, English and German). (See the West Germanic languages.)

The Dutch as spoken in Haarlem is popularly said to be closest to northern “Standard” Dutch, not the Amsterdam dialect. Amsterdam dialect is different from northern Standard Dutch in that, for example, /z/ is replaced by [sʲ].

Vowels

Dutch has an extensive vowel inventory consisting of 13 plain vowels and four diphthongs. The vowels /eː/, /øː/ and /oː/ are included in the diphthong chart below because many northern dialects realize them as diphthongs, though they behave phonologically like the other simple vowels. When they precede /r/, these vowels are pronounced [ɪː], [ʏː] and [ɔː] respectively. [ɐ] (a near-open central vowel) is an allophone of unstressed /a/ and /ɑ/.

Dutch Vowels with Example Words Symbol Example
Vowel IPA orthography Gloss
ɪ kɪp (help·info) kip 'chicken'
i bit (help·info) biet 'beetroot'
ʏ ɦʏt (help·info) hut 'cabin'
yː fyːt (help·info) fuut 'grebe'
ɛ bɛt (help·info) bed 'bed'
eɪ, eː¹ beɪt (help·info)
beːt (help·info) beet 'bite'
ə də (help·info) de 'the'
øʏ, øː¹ nøʏs (help·info)
nøːs (help·info) neus 'nose'
ɑ bɑt (help·info) bad 'bath'
aː baːt (help·info) baad 'bathe'
ɔ bɔt (help·info) bot 'bone'
oʊ, oː¹ boʊt (help·info)
boːt (help·info) boot 'boat'
u ɦut (help·info) hoed 'hat'
ɛi bɛit (help·info), ɛi (help·info) bijt, ei 'bite', 'egg'
œy bœyt (help·info) buit 'booty'
ʌu, ɔu² fʌut (help·info), nʌu (help·info)

fɔut (help·info), nɔu (help·info)

fout, nauw 'mistake', 'narrow'

1. Pronounced as long vowels in Belgium, but as narrow closing diphthongs in the Netherlands. The transcription /eɪ øʏ oʊ/ for this diphthongal pronunciation is non-standard and used here for the sake of clarity.
2. Pronounced /ʌu/ in Northern Standard Dutch and /ɔu/ in Standard Belgian Dutch.

Consonants

  Bilabial Labio-
dental Alveolar Post-
alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
Nasal m n ŋ
Plosive voiceless p t k (ʔ)¹
voiced b d ɡ ²
Fricative voiceless f s ʃ ³ ç ⁴ x ~ χ ⁴
voiced v ⁵ z ⁵ ʒ ³ ʝ ⁴ ɣ ⁴ ʁ ⁶ ɦ ⁵
Trill r ⁶ ʀ ⁶
Approximant β̞ ~ ʋ ⁷ l ⁸ j w⁷

Notes: