The Swedish alphabet looks very familiar to English speakers. It's built on the same 26 Latin letters, but with three extras added to the end. This brings the total count to 29.

The good news is that most of these letters sound just like their English counterparts. Letters like B, D, F, H, L, M, N, P, R, T, and V are pronounced almost identically. This gives you a huge head start.

A handful of letters have pronunciations that can trip up beginners. Some change their sound depending on the vowel that follows them. The vowels e, i, y, ä, and ö are called "soft vowels," and they often change the sound of the consonant that comes before them. The other vowels (a, o, u, å) are "hard vowels."

Let's break down the main differences you'll need to know.

Now for the three letters you won't find in the English alphabet. These characters aren't just decorated letters; they represent distinct vowel sounds and are official letters in their own right, placed at the very end of the alphabet.

Å, å This letter is pronounced like the 'o' sound in the English word "or" or "four." Think of it as a deep, rounded sound.

Ä, ä This one sounds like the 'a' in "air" or "hair." It's a more open sound than the English short 'e' in "bet."

Ö, ö To make this sound, try saying the English word "her." The vowel sound there is very close to the Swedish ö. You can also shape your lips as if you're about to say "oh," but say "eh" instead.

Now let's practice putting these letters together.

That's a quick tour of the Swedish alphabet. Getting comfortable with these 29 letters and their sounds is the first major step toward reading and speaking the language.