The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Dutch pronunciations in Wiktionary entries.
|
Vowels
|
IPA |
Examples |
English approximation
|
Monophthongs
|
ɑ
|
dak |
dog (but more open), father (but shorter)
|
a
|
baan |
pa (but shorter)
|
aː
|
daar |
pa
|
ɛ
|
bed |
bed
|
e
|
beet |
bait (without the 'y' sound at the end)
|
ɛː
|
crème |
yeah, or RP English bare
|
ɪ
|
zit |
sit
|
ɪː
|
beer |
sit (but longer)
|
i
|
ziet |
seat (but shorter)
|
iː
|
zier |
seat
|
ɔ
|
post |
boss
|
ɔː
|
door |
door
|
o
|
boot |
boat
|
ø
|
leuk |
somewhat like hurl; French deux (but shorter)
|
u
|
poets |
you but shorter, took but more closed/tense
|
uː
|
boer |
you
|
ʏ
|
nut |
much like the one below (y), but with the tongue slightly further from the lips
|
ʏː
|
deur |
somewhat like er; French œuf
|
y
|
nu |
French rue
|
yː
|
zuur |
French rue, but longer
|
Diphthongs
|
ɛi̯
|
wijd, eis |
between tie and day (the latter more as in Australia)
|
ɑu̯
|
hout, blauw |
how
|
œy̯
|
huid |
Similar to French fauteuil, no exact equivalent in English. Approximated as tie with rounded lips, or how with fronted lips.
|
eːu̯ or ɪːu̯
|
eeuw |
like the 'i' in sit, and mouth slightly closing
|
iːu̯
|
nieuw |
somewhat like new, but with the mouth wider
|
Reduced vowels
|
ə
|
halte |
comma, label, chatter
|
|