Flashcards

Learn Czech vocabulary by typing words and phrases from flashcards. The flashcard summary allows you to check your progress and select flashcards to learn.

 
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Flashcards settings

The flashcards have their specific settings. You can make the following changes to customize your vocabulary learning experience:
  • Choosing the number of flashcards per exercise

    You can choose how many flashcards you want to practice during a typing session. The default number is ten. Selecting a smaller amount of vocabulary may be a good idea if you are a beginner.

  • Choosing a variant of the English language

    You can choose which variant of English the flashcards will use: British or American English. Since there are differences between the two, you can select the variant you prefer.

  • Changing non-supported keyboard characters

    If your keyboard layout does not support certain special characters or diacritics of the language you practice with flashcards, the system can ignore some of these characters. Special characters will be accepted as their closest Latin alphabet equivalents when possible. For example, if the word to type is único and you type unico because your layout doesn't support accents, it won't be considered an error.

Phonetic Symbols in Czech Pronunciation

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) provides a standardized set of symbols to represent the sounds of spoken language. Below are the IPA symbols for Czech pronunciation, with examples and descriptions, including the pronunciation of these sounds in English.

Czech Vowels

  • /a/ - as in matka, pronounced /ˈmatka/ (like "a" in father /ˈfɑːðər/)
  • /ɛ/ - as in pes, pronounced /pɛs/ (like "e" in bed /bɛd/)
  • /i/ - as in mít, pronounced /miːt/ (like "ee" in see /siː/)
  • /o/ - as in oko, pronounced /ˈoko/ (like "o" in not /nɒt/)
  • /u/ - as in ruka, pronounced /ˈruka/ (like "oo" in boot /buːt/)

Czech Diphthongs

  • /ou̯/ - as in louka, pronounced /ˈlou̯ka/ (like "ow" in cow /kaʊ/)
  • /au̯/ - as in auto, pronounced /ˈau̯to/ (like "ow" in how /haʊ/)
  • /ɛu̯/ - as in euro, pronounced /ˈɛu̯ro/ (similar to "eu" in feud /fjuːd/)

Czech Consonants

  • /p/ - as in pes, pronounced /pɛs/ (like "p" in pen /pɛn/)
  • /b/ - as in být, pronounced /biːt/ (like "b" in bat /bæt/)
  • /t/ - as in tabule, pronounced /ˈtabulɛ/ (like "t" in top /tɒp/)
  • /d/ - as in dom, pronounced /dom/ (like "d" in dog /dɒɡ/)
  • /k/ - as in kočka, pronounced /ˈkot͡ʃka/ (like "k" in cat /kæt/)
  • /ɡ/ - as in gorila, pronounced /ɡorɪla/ (like "g" in go /ɡoʊ/)
  • /f/ - as in fakta, pronounced /ˈfakta/ (like "f" in fun /fʌn/)
  • /v/ - as in voda, pronounced /ˈvoda/ (like "v" in voice /vɔɪs/)
  • /s/ - as in sestra, pronounced /ˈsɛstra/ (like "s" in see /siː/)
  • /z/ - as in zima, pronounced /ˈzɪma/ (like "z" in zebra /ˈzɛbrə/)
  • /ʃ/ - as in šaty, pronounced /ˈʃaty/ (like "sh" in shoe /ʃuː/)
  • /ʒ/ - as in žižala, pronounced /ˈʒɪʒala/ (like "s" in measure /ˈmɛʒər/)
  • /t͡ʃ/ - as in čaj, pronounced /t͡ʃaj/ (like "ch" in chess /tʃɛs/)
  • /d͡ʒ/ - as in džem, pronounced /d͡ʒɛm/ (like "j" in jam /dʒæm/)
  • /ɲ/ - as in koně, pronounced /ˈkoɲɛ/ (like "ny" in canyon /ˈkænjən/)
  • /l/ - as in les, pronounced /lɛs/ (like "l" in leaf /liːf/)
  • /r/ - as in ruka, pronounced /ˈruka/ (like "r" in carrot /ˈkærət/)
  • /r̝/ - as in řeka, pronounced /ˈr̝ɛka/ (a unique sound, a trill combined with a fricative, not present in English)
  • /m/ - as in mít, pronounced /miːt/ (like "m" in man /mæn/)
  • /n/ - as in noha, pronounced /ˈnoɦa/ (like "n" in net /nɛt/)

Unique Features of Czech Pronunciation

While Czech pronunciation shares similarities with other Slavic languages, it also has unique features that are important for learners to understand.

  • Vowel Length: Czech has both short and long vowels. The length of the vowel can change the meaning of the word. For example, rada (council) /ˈrada/ vs. ráda (glad) /ˈraːda/.
  • Consonant Clusters: Czech often uses consonant clusters that can be challenging for non-native speakers, such as in krk (neck) /kr̩k/.
  • Palatalization: Some consonants, like /n/ and /d/, have palatalized versions (like /ɲ/ and /d͡ʒ/) when followed by certain vowels or the letter "i".
  • The "ř" Sound: The sound /r̝/ is unique to Czech and is a combination of a trill and a fricative, found in words like řeka (river) /ˈr̝ɛka/.