The Czech alphabet is based on the Latin script, just like English. However, it has 42 letters in total. Many of these extra letters are created by adding small marks, called diacritics, to familiar letters. These marks change how the letter is pronounced.

There are three main diacritics you'll see in Czech:

1. The čárka (acute accent), like in á. This mark makes a vowel sound longer.
2. The háček (caron), which looks like a little hook, as in č. This mark softens a consonant or changes its sound entirely.
3. The kroužek (ring), found only on ů. It also indicates a long vowel sound, just like the čárka.

Here is the full alphabet: A, Á, B, C, Č, D, Ď, E, É, Ě, F, G, H, Ch, I, Í, J, K, L, M, N, Ň, O, Ó, P, Q, R, Ř, S, Š, T, Ť, U, Ú, Ů, V, W, X, Y, Ý, Z, Ž.

Notice that Ch is treated as a single letter. In a Czech dictionary, it comes right after H. The letters Q and W are only used in words borrowed from other languages.

Many Czech letters sound just like their English counterparts, but a few are special. Let's look at the ones that often trip up learners. The háček is responsible for many of these unique sounds.

These sounds are consistent. Once you learn them, you can apply the rule every time you see the letter.

Now for the most famous letter in the Czech alphabet: Ř.

This sound is notoriously difficult for foreigners, but don't worry. Even some native Czech children need speech therapy to master it. The sound is a combination of a rolled R (like in Spanish) and the Ž sound (like the 's' in "pleasure").

The famous Czech composer's last name is a great example. The ř is a key part of the sound. Getting it right will make you sound much more authentic, but getting it close is a great start.

Ready to test your knowledge? Let's see how much you remember about the Czech alphabet.

Learning these letters and their sounds is the first major step. With this foundation, you're ready to start putting them together to form words and sentences.