Hebrew Pronunciation Guide - Audio & Phonetic Reference

🔑 Phonetic Key

ʾ Glottal stop (silent pause)

ʿ Voiced pharyngeal (deep throat)

kh Like "ch" in Scottish "loch"

ch Guttural, like clearing throat

ts Like "ts" in "cats"

ˈ Stress mark (before syllable)

א The Aleph-Bet

22 Hebrew consonants with phonetic breakdowns

Aleph

ʾ (silent letter)

Pronunciation

AH-lef

Silent — acts as a vowel carrier. Like the pause between "uh-oh"

בּ / ב

Bet / Vet

b / v

Pronunciation

BAYT / VAYT

בּ (with dot) = "B" as in "boy"
ב (no dot) = "V" as in "vine"

גּ

Gimel

Pronunciation

GEE-mel

"G" as in "good" — always hard G, never soft

Dalet

Pronunciation

DAH-let

"D" as in "door"

He

Pronunciation

HAY

"H" as in "hello" — often silent at end of words

Vav

v / w / o / u

Pronunciation

VAHV

"V" as consonant; also serves as "O" or "U" vowel (וֹ = oh, וּ = oo)

Zayin

Pronunciation

ZAH-yeen

"Z" as in "zebra"

Chet

ch (guttural)

Pronunciation

KHAYT

Deep throat sound — like "ch" in German "Bach" or clearing your throat gently

Tet

Pronunciation

TAYT

"T" as in "top" — emphatic T (tongue touches roof of mouth)

Yod

y / i

Pronunciation

YOHD

"Y" as in "yes"; also used for "ee" sound (as vowel helper)

כּ / כ

Kaf / Khaf

k / kh

Pronunciation

KAHF / KHAHF

כּ (with dot) = "K" as in "kite"
כ (no dot) = "KH" like Scottish "loch"

Lamed

Pronunciation

LAH-med

"L" as in "love" — clear L sound

מ / ם

Mem

Pronunciation

MAYM

"M" as in "mother" — ם is final form (end of word)

נ / ן

Nun

Pronunciation

NOON

"N" as in "no" — ן is final form (end of word)

Samekh

Pronunciation

SAH-mekh

"S" as in "sun"

Ayin

ʿ (silent/guttural)

Pronunciation

AH-yeen

Originally a deep throat sound; today often silent or treated as a glottal stop

פּ / פ

Pe / Fe

p / f

Pronunciation

PAY / FAY

פּ (with dot) = "P" as in "peace"
פ (no dot) = "F" as in "father"

צ / ץ

Tsade

Pronunciation

TSAH-dee

"TS" as in "cats" or "pizza" — ץ is final form

Qof

Pronunciation

KOHF

"Q/K" sound from back of throat — deeper than Kaf

Resh

Pronunciation

RAYSH

"R" — slightly rolled or guttural (like French R)

שׁ / שׂ

Shin / Sin

sh / s

Pronunciation

SHEEN / SEEN

שׁ (dot right) = "SH" as in "shalom"
שׂ (dot left) = "S" as in "sun"

Tav

Pronunciation

TAHV

"T" as in "tall"

◌ַ Vowel Sounds (Nikud)

The pointing system that indicates vowel sounds

💡

Vowel Placement

Hebrew vowels (nikud) appear as dots and dashes placed below, above, or within consonants. They're read AFTER the consonant they're attached to.

A-Class Vowels (אָ sounds)

בַ

Patach

Short "a" sound — like "a" in "father" but shorter

בַּת bat = daughter

בָ

Kamatz

ah / oh

Long "a" (or sometimes "o") — like "a" in "father"

אָב av = father

בֲ

Chataf Patach

Reduced/hurried "a" — very short, almost a half-vowel

אֲנִי ani = I

E-Class Vowels (אֵ sounds)

בֵ

Tsere

Long "e" — like "ay" in "day" or "e" in "they"

בֵּן ben = son

בֶ

Segol

Short "e" — like "e" in "bed" or "set"

מֶלֶךְ melekh = king

בֱ

Chataf Segol

Reduced/hurried "e" — very quick, like a schwa

אֱלֹהִים Elohim = God

I-Class Vowel (אִ sound)

בִ

Chiriq

"ee" sound — like "ee" in "see" or "i" in "machine"

בִּי bi = in me

בִי

Chiriq Male

ee (long)

Long "ee" with Yod — fuller, longer sound

דָּוִיד David

O-Class Vowels (אֹ sounds)

בֹ

Cholam

"oh" sound — like "o" in "go" or "bone"

קֹל qol = voice

בוֹ

Cholam Male

oh (long)

Full "oh" with Vav — the most common O spelling

שָׁלוֹם shalom = peace

בֳ

Chataf Kamatz

Reduced "o" — quick, hurried O sound

חֳלִי choli = sickness

U-Class Vowels (אֻ sounds)

בֻ

Kubutz

"oo" sound — like "oo" in "moon" or "u" in "rule"

כֻּלָּם kullam = all of them

בוּ

Shuruk

oo (long)

Full "oo" with Vav — longer U sound

רוּחַ ruach = spirit

Shva (Silent or Quick Vowel)

בְ

Shva

ə / —

Either silent OR a very quick "uh" (schwa) depending on position

בְּרֵאשִׁית b'reshit = in the beginning

📌

When is Shva Pronounced?

Vocal Shva (pronounced): At the start of a word, after a long vowel, or when two Shvas are together (first is silent, second is vocal).
Silent Shva: At the end of a syllable or word.

🔊 Special Consonant Sounds

Unique Hebrew sounds that require special attention

🔹 The BeGaD KeFaT Letters

Six letters that have two sounds — hard (with dagesh dot) and soft (without):

בּ→ב

B → V

גּ→ג

G → Gh

דּ→ד

D → Dh

כּ→כ

K → Kh

פּ→פ

P → F

תּ→ת

T → Th

🔹 Guttural Letters

Four letters pronounced from the throat — they cannot take a dagesh:

Aleph (glottal)

He (breathy)

Chet (deep throat)

Ayin (pharyngeal)

🔹 The Chet (ח) Sound

A distinctive throat-clearing sound not found in English:

Like the "ch" in German "Bach" or Scottish "loch"
NOT like "ch" in "church" (that's צ׳)
Produced by constricting the back of the throat

חַיִּים

chayyim = life

חֶסֶד

chesed = mercy

🔹 The Ayin (ע) Sound

Originally a voiced pharyngeal sound (deep in throat):

In modern Hebrew, often pronounced as a glottal stop or silent
In Sephardic/Yemenite traditions, still pronounced distinctly
Different from Aleph — historically a voiced sound

עֶבֶד

'eved = servant

עוֹלָם

'olam = world

🔹 Shin vs. Sin (שׁ / שׂ)

The same letter with different dot positions:

שׁ (dot on RIGHT) = "SH" as in "shalom"
שׂ (dot on LEFT) = "S" as in "sun"

שָׁלוֹם

SHalom = peace

שָׂרָה

Sarah (with S)

🔹 Final Letter Forms

Five letters have special forms when they appear at the end of a word:

כ → ך

Kaf final

מ → ם

Mem final

נ → ן

Nun final

פ → ף

Pe final

צ → ץ

Tsade final

📍 Syllable Stress Rules

Where to put the emphasis in Hebrew words

📌 Rule 1: Default Stress on Last Syllable (Milra)

Most Hebrew words are stressed on the last syllable. This is called milra (מִלְרַע) — "from below."

שָׁלוֹם

shalom — peace

Common greeting

שָׁ

sha

לוֹם

LOM

Full pronunciation: sha-LOM

📌 Rule 2: Some Words Stress the Second-to-Last (Mil'el)

Some words are stressed on the second-to-last syllable. This is called mil'el (מִלְעֵיל) — "from above." Common with segolate nouns.

מֶלֶךְ

melekh — king

Segolate noun

מֶ

לֶךְ

lekh

Full pronunciation: ME-lekh

📌 Rule 3: Names Often Follow Patterns

Biblical names often stress different syllables. Learning common names helps develop an ear for stress patterns.

אַבְרָהָם

Avraham — Abraham

Genesis 17:5

אַבְ

רָ

הָם

HAM

Full pronunciation: av-ra-HAM

🎯

Stress Tip

When in doubt, stress the last syllable. You'll be right about 70% of the time! Segolate nouns (two-syllable words with segol vowels) are the main exception.

📝 Word Pronunciation Guide

Common Biblical Hebrew words with full phonetic breakdowns

אֱלֹהִים

Elohim — God

Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God..."

אֱ

לֹ

הִים

HEEM

Full pronunciation: e-lo-HEEM

יֵשׁוּעַ

Yeshua — Jesus/Salvation

Matthew 1:21

יֵ

שׁוּעַ

SHOO-ah

Full pronunciation: ye-SHOO-ah

מָשִׁיחַ

Mashiach — Messiah/Anointed One

Daniel 9:25

מָ

שִׁיחַ

SHEE-ach

Full pronunciation: ma-SHEE-ach

תּוֹרָה

Torah — Law/Instruction

Deuteronomy 4:44

תּוֹ

רָה

RAH

Full pronunciation: to-RAH

רוּחַ

Ruach — Spirit/Wind/Breath

Genesis 1:2

רוּחַ

ROO-ach

Full pronunciation: ROO-ach

בְּרָכָה

Berakhah — Blessing

Genesis 12:2

בְּ

רָ

כָה

KHAH

Full pronunciation: be-ra-KHAH

אַהֲבָה

Ahavah — Love

Deuteronomy 6:5

אַ

הֲ

בָה

VAH

Full pronunciation: a-ha-VAH

קֹדֶשׁ

Qodesh — Holiness/Holy

Exodus 3:5

קֹ

דֶשׁ

desh

Full pronunciation: KO-desh

אָמֵן

Amen — Truly/So be it

Deuteronomy 27:15

אָ

מֵן

MEN

Full pronunciation: a-MEN

הַלְלוּיָהּ

Halleluyah — Praise the LORD

Psalm 150:1

הַלְ

hal

לוּ

יָהּ

YAH

Full pronunciation: hal-le-LOO-yah

🎯 Interactive Practice

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🔤 Pronunciation Challenge

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בְּרֵאשִׁית

                            be-ray-SHEET
                        

b'reshit — "In the beginning"

Genesis 1:1