The Dutch alphabet looks just like the English one. It has the same 26 letters. The big difference isn't in the letters themselves, but in how you say them. Getting the sounds right is the first major step to speaking Dutch clearly.

Let's start by looking at the name of each letter.

The letter 'Y' is uncommon in native Dutch words and is often called i-grec (Greek I) or simply pronounced as ij.

While most consonants sound similar to their English counterparts, Dutch vowels can be tricky. They have both long and short sounds, depending on the structure of the word.

A vowel at the end of a syllable is usually long. Think of the a in maken (to make). A vowel followed by a consonant in the same syllable is usually short, like the a in man (man).

To make a short vowel long in a closed syllable, the Dutch simply double it. So, man (man) becomes maan (moon).

Some consonants also have distinct Dutch pronunciations you'll want to master.

Dutch also combines letters to create unique sounds. Some of these are diphthongs, which are two vowel sounds blended together. They can look intimidating, but once you learn the sound for each pair, you can pronounce a huge number of Dutch words.

Here are the most important combinations to know.

Notice that ij and ei sound identical, as do ou and au. You just have to memorize which words use which spelling. The good news is that these rules are very consistent.

Now you have a solid foundation for pronouncing Dutch words. Let's review what we've covered.

Getting these sounds right from the start will make learning new vocabulary much easier.