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Czech contains some unfamiliar letters and a few difficult sounds for English speakers. The letters b d f g h k l m n p s t v x and z sound the same as in English. Note that g is always hard as in âlagâ, never soft as in âlargeâ, and s is always hissed as in âlessâ, never like z as in âLesâ. The stress is always on the first syllable of the word. The pronunciation guide in this book uses hyphens to separate the syllables. The letters l and r can be a syllable in their own right, e.g. Vltava (vl-ta-va), sprcha (sprr-kha), and h is always pronounced, even at the end of a word, e.g. pstruh (pstroo-h). See ALPHABET for a full list of the pronunciation symbols we use.
| Consonants | |
| c | is pronounced like âtsâ in âbitsâ, not like âkâ or âsâ |
| Ä | is pronounced like âchâ in âchurchâ |
| ch | (considered a separate letter) is pronounced like the rasping âchâ in the Scottish word âlochâ, not like âchâ in âchurchâ |
| Å¡ | is pronounced like âshâ in âshutâ |
| j | is pronounced like âyâ in âyesâ |
| dâ | is something like the sound in âled youâ; we show this in the pronuciation guide with a small raised y, e.g. tedâ (tedy) |
| tâ | is something like the sound in âlet youâ, e.g. letâ (lety) |
| Å | is pronounced like âniâ in âonionâ, e.g. PlzeÅ pl-zeny |
| Å |
is an unusual sound combining rolled ârâ and âzhâ, e.g. DvoÅák
|