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Phonetics - Main concepts

Introduction

The Czech phonetic system is relatively easy to learn and use. Most letters are pronounced the same way they are written. However, certain sound combinations and specific phonetic positions require closer attention.

In this guide, pronunciation is indicated using slashes:

/práce/

To make the explanations easier to follow, we avoid special symbols from the IPA unless necessary. Scientific terminology related to the description of sounds is kept to a minimum, and we encourage enthusiasts to refer to relevant sources such as Wikipedia: Phonetics.

Word stress

Unlike English (and many other languages), Czech has a simple rule: word stress always falls on the first syllable of a word.

/ˈstudovat/ (to study)

/ˈpříležitost/ (opportunity)

Although longer words may contain secondary stress, it is insignificant and often omitted by native speakers in fast, everyday speech.

Nucleus of a syllable

A vowel typically forms the nucleus (core) of a syllable:

pra - co - vat (pracovat - to work)

However, the consonants r and l can also serve as syllable nuclei:

Br - no (Brno)

vlk (vlk - wolf)

Alphabet

The Czech alphabet consists of 42 letters:

Velká písmena (Capital letters):

A, Á, B, C, Č, D, Ď, E, É, Ě, F, G, H, CH, I, Í, J, K, L, M, N, Ň, O, Ó, P, Q, R, Ř, S, Š, T, Ť, U, Ú, Ů, V, W, X, Y, Ý, Z, Ž

Malá písmena (Small letters):

a, á, b, c, č, d, ď, e, é, ě, f, g, h, ch, i, í, j, k, l, m, n, ň, o, ó, p, q, r, ř, s, š, t, ť, u, ú, ů, v, w, x, y, ý, z, ž

and one digraph, ch, pronounced [χ]; this sound is similar to the Scottish [χ] in loch [loχ].

  • a
  • e
  • i
  • o
  • u
  • y

The duration of long vowels is doubled compared to that of short vowels.

  • á
  • é
  • í
  • ó
  • ú
  • ů (same pronunciation as ú but positioned in the middle or at the end of a word)
  • ý
  • b
  • c
  • d
  • f
  • g
  • h
  • ch
  • j
  • k
  • l
  • m
  • n
  • o
  • p
  • q
  • r
  • s
  • t
  • v
  • w
  • x
  • z

Factually, the caron signals the palatalized pronunciation of a respective non-palatalized consonant.

  • č - česnek (garlic) like the English ch in church [tʃɜːtʃ]
  • ď - ďábel (devil) like the English d in duty [ˈdjuːtɪ]
  • ě - this letter itself does not have a special pronunciation. It can signal:
    • soft (palatalized) pronunciation of preceding /ď/, /ť/, /ň/: dědeček (grandfather), tělo (body), něco (something)
    • additional /j/ for bě, pě, vě combinations: běžet (to run) - /bježet/, pět (five) - /pjet/, věk (age) - /vjek/
    • additional /ň/ in combination mě: město (city) - /mňesto/
  • ň - kůň like the English n in new [njuː]
  • ř - řeka (river) - no equivalent in English
  • š - šíp (arrow) like the English s in sure [ʃʊə]
  • ť - zeť (son-in-law) like the English t in Tuesday [ˈtjuːzdeɪ]
  • ž - žába (frog) like the English leisure [ˈleʒə]

See Palatalization for more details.

More information is available on the Alphabet page.