Dutch Alphabet

Dutch Alphabet

If you're trying to learn the Dutch Alphabet which is also called Nederlands, check our courses about pronunciation, and sound of all letters... to help you with your Dutch grammar. Try to concentrate on the lesson and memorize the sounds. Also don't forget to check the rest of our other lessons listed on Learn Dutch. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!

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Dutch Alphabet

Learning the Dutch alphabet is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation. Without it, you will not be able to say words properly even if you know how to write those words. The better you pronounce a letter in a word, the more understood you will be in speaking the Dutch language.

Below is a table showing the Dutch alphabet and how it is pronounced in English, and finally examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.

Dutch AlphabetEnglish SoundPronunciation Example
A aaashort (a) long (aa) 
B bbeesimilar to English
C cseeeither s or k, e.g. sirkel
D ddeesimilar to English
E eeeshort (a) long (aa)
F fefsimilar to English
G ggeetwo sound possible, soft and gutteral 
H hhaasimilar to English
I iieshort (i) long (ie), and not (ii) 
J jjotlike English y, e.g. jes(afr) = yes(eng) 
K kkaasimilar to English
L lelsimilar to English
M memsimilar to English
N nensimilar to English
O oooshort (o) long (oo)
P ppeesimilar to English
Q qkuukw used, eg. kwart = 1/4 
R rersimilar to spanish
S sessimilar to English
T tteesimilar to English
U uuushort (u) long (uu)
V vvausimilar to English f 
W wweeunique sound 
X xexused in loan words only
Y yylike English "ay" e.g. yl(afr) = ale (eng) 
Z zsets is often used 

Dutch Pronunciation

You saw how a letter is written and might be pronounced, but there is nothing better than hearing the sound of the letters in a video or audio. Below you will be able to hear how the letters above are pronounced, just press the play button:

Dutch Pronunciation

The alphabet and its pronunciation have a very important role in Dutch, therefore they need very special attention. Once you're done with the Nederlands alphabet, you might want to check the rest of our Dutch lessons here: Learn Dutch. Don't forget to bookmark this page.

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