Learn Slovak vocabulary by typing words and phrases from flashcards. The flashcard summary allows you to check your progress and select flashcards to learn.
People
Appearance
Home
Shopping
Food
Eating out
Education and study
Work
Environment
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 Slovak 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 Slovak pronunciation, with examples and descriptions, including the pronunciation of these sounds in English.
Slovak Vowels
- /a/ - as in mama, pronounced /ˈmama/ (like "a" in father /ˈfɑːðər/)
- /ɛ/ - as in pes, pronounced /pɛs/ (like "e" in bed /bɛd/)
- /i/ - as in môj, pronounced /moi̯/ (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/)
- /æ/ - as in päť, pronounced /pæc/ (like "a" in cat /kæt/)
- /ɪ/ - as in byť, pronounced /bɪc/ (like "i" in bit /bɪt/)
Slovak Diphthongs
- /ie̯/ - as in pieklo, pronounced /ˈpie̯klo/ (like "ye" in yes /jɛs/)
- /ou̯/ - as in hory, pronounced /ˈou̯ri/ (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/)
Slovak Consonants
- /p/ - as in pes, pronounced /pɛs/ (like "p" in pen /pɛn/)
- /b/ - as in byť, pronounced /bɪtʲ/ (like "b" in bat /bæt/)
- /t/ - as in tabuľa, pronounced /ˈtabuʎa/ (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 fakt, pronounced /fakt/ (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 rýchly, pronounced /ˈriːxlɪ/ (a unique sound, a trill combined with a fricative, not present in English)
- /m/ - as in môj, pronounced /moi̯/ (like "m" in man /mæn/)
- /n/ - as in noha, pronounced /ˈnoɦa/ (like "n" in net /nɛt/)
- /x/ - as in chata, pronounced /ˈxata/ (like "ch" in loch /lɒx/ in Scottish English)
- /ʦ/ - as in cesta, pronounced /ˈʦɛsta/ (like "ts" in cats /kæts/)
Unique Features of Slovak Pronunciation
Slovak pronunciation has unique features that are important for learners to understand, some of which are shared with other Slavic languages.
- Vowel Length: Slovak has both short and long vowels. The length of the vowel can change the meaning of the word. For example, láka (tempts) /ˈlaːka/ vs. laka (scares) /ˈlaka/.
- Consonant Clusters: Slovak frequently uses consonant clusters, which can be challenging for non-native speakers. For instance, the word štvrť (quarter) / ʃtvr̩c/.
- Palatalization: Consonants like /t/, /d/, and /n/ can become palatalized when followed by certain vowels or the letter "i". For example, ďalší (another) is pronounced /ˈɟalʃiː/.
- The "r̝" Sound: The sound /r̝/ is unique to Slovak and is a combination of a trill and a fricative, found in words like rýchly (fast) /ˈriːxlɪ/.
- Stress: Slovak has fixed stress on the first syllable of the word, unlike Czech, which can vary.
- Vowel Reduction: Unlike Russian, Slovak does not reduce vowels in unstressed positions; all vowels are pronounced clearly.