Swedish Pronunciation Guide

By Dick Oakes

A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g,
H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p,
Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v,
X x, Y y, Z z, Ä ä, Å å, Ö ö

Swedish is a North Germanic language and has over nine million speakers. It is closely related to Danish and Norwegian.

Letters not listed below are pronounced approximately as in English.

A, a	- aw as in law
E, e	- ie as in pier
I, i	- i as in pin; i as in machine
O, o	- o as in note; also o as in gone
U, u	- u as in duke; eu as in fleur
Y, y	- eu as in fleur

Ä, ä	- o as in note
Å, å	- a as in tap
Ö, ö	- eu as in fleur; e as in her

D, d	- as in English but with the tip of the tongue touching the upper teeth
G, g	- g as in go before a consonant or hard vowel (a, o u, å); e as in pet
J, j	- y as in yes
K, k	- k as in keep before a hard vowel; ch as in check (but without the t) before a soft vowel (e, i, y, ä, ö)
L, l	- as in English but with the tongue not actually touching the teeth
R, r	- slightly rolled
X, x	- x as in exceed (never with the g sound of example)
Z, z	- s as in sing