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

Hebrew Vowels

• /a/ - as in אב (av), pronounced /av/ (like "a" in father /ˈfɑːðər/)
• /e/ - as in בן (ben), pronounced /ben/ (like "e" in bed /bɛd/)
• /i/ - as in מי (mi), pronounced /mi/ (like "ee" in see /siː/)
• /o/ - as in כל (kol), pronounced /kol/ (like "o" in not /nɒt/)
• /u/ - as in הוא (hu), pronounced /hu/ (like "oo" in boot /buːt/)

Hebrew Consonants

• /b/ - as in בית (bayit), pronounced /ˈbajit/ (like "b" in bat /bæt/)
• /v/ - as in אב (av), pronounced /av/ (like "v" in voice /vɔɪs/)
• /ɡ/ - as in גל (gal), pronounced /ɡal/ (like "g" in go /ɡoʊ/)
• /d/ - as in דג (dag), pronounced /daɡ/ (like "d" in dog /dɒɡ/)
• /h/ - as in הוא (hu), pronounced /hu/ (like "h" in hat /hæt/)
• /z/ - as in זה (ze), pronounced /ze/ (like "z" in zebra /ˈzɛbrə/)
• /x/ - as in חג (chag), pronounced /χaɡ/ (like the "ch" in the German Bach /bax/)
• /t/ - as in תפוח (tapuach), pronounced /taˈpuaχ/ (like "t" in top /tɒp/)
• /k/ - as in כלב (kelev), pronounced /ˈkelev/ (like "k" in cat /kæt/)
• /l/ - as in לבן (lavan), pronounced /laˈvan/ (like "l" in leaf /liːf/)
• /m/ - as in מים (mayim), pronounced /ˈmajim/ (like "m" in man /mæn/)
• /n/ - as in נהר (nahar), pronounced /naˈhar/ (like "n" in net /nɛt/)
• /p/ - as in פרי (pri), pronounced /pri/ (like "p" in pen /pɛn/)
• /f/ - as in ספר (sefer), pronounced /ˈsefer/ (like "f" in fun /fʌn/)
• /ʃ/ - as in שלום (shalom), pronounced /ʃaˈlom/ (like "sh" in shoe /ʃuː/)
• /ʔ/ - as in אמת (emet), pronounced /eˈmet/ (a glottal stop, like the sound between the syllables of "uh-oh" /ʌʔoʊ/)
• /ʁ/ - as in רעב (ra'av), pronounced /ʁaʔav/ (like the French "r" in rouge /ʁuːʒ/)
• /ts/ - as in צדק (tsedek), pronounced /ˈtsɛdɛk/ (like "ts" in cats /kæts/)
• /d͡ʒ/ - as in ג׳ונגל (jungle), pronounced /ˈd͡ʒuŋɡel/ (like "j" in jam /dʒæm/)

Unique Features of Hebrew Pronunciation

Hebrew pronunciation has distinctive features that are important for learners to understand.

• Beged Kefet Letters: Beged Kefet is the traditional group of six letters (ב, ג, ד, כ, פ, ת). In Modern Israeli Hebrew, only ב, כ and פ retain both stop and fricative pronunciations. For example, ב represents /b/ or /v/; in pointed spelling, a dagesh (dot) marks /b/.
• Shin and Sin: The letter ש can be pronounced as /ʃ/ (shin) or /s/ (sin), depending on the placement of a dot.
• Glottal Stop: In Modern Israeli Hebrew, א (aleph) and often ע (ayin) can be pronounced with a glottal stop [ʔ], but it is frequently omitted in ordinary speech. Some speakers preserve the pharyngeal pronunciation [ʕ] of ayin.
• Aspiration: Aspiration does not distinguish word meanings in Hebrew. The /p/ written פ (pe) can vary in aspiration; it is not always entirely unaspirated. English aspiration also depends on the phonetic context.
• Vowel Reduction: Modern Hebrew has five vowel phonemes, /a, e, i, o, u/. In rapid speech, unstressed vowels can weaken towards [ə], similar to English schwa; this is a phonetic reduction rather than a sixth vowel phoneme.