Swedish flashcards
for vocabulary learning

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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 Swedish pronunciation, with examples and descriptions, including the pronunciation of these sounds in English.

Swedish Vowels

• /ɑː/ - as in mat, pronounced /mɑːt/ (like "a" in father /ˈfɑːðər/)
• /ɛ/ - as in hem, pronounced /hɛm/ (like "e" in bed /bɛd/)
• /eː/ - as in det, pronounced /deː/ (similar to "ay" in say /seɪ/)
• /iː/ - as in fil, pronounced /fiːl/ (like "ee" in see /siː/)
• /uː/ - as in bok, pronounced /buːk/ (like "oo" in boot /buːt/)
• /ʉː/ - as in hus, pronounced /hʉːs/ (similar to "oo" in food /fuːd/ but with rounded lips)
• /ʉː/ - as in fru, pronounced /frʉː/ (similar to "oo" in food /fuːd/ but with rounded lips)
• /øː/ - as in hör, pronounced /høːr/ (similar to "ur" in fur /fɜːr/ but with rounded lips)
• /yː/ - as in by, pronounced /byː/ (like "u" in muse /mjuːz/ but with rounded lips)

Swedish Diphthongs

• /ai̯/ - as in maj, pronounced /maj/ (like "i" in kite /kaɪt/)
• /au̯/ - as in sauna, pronounced /ˈsauna/ (like "ow" in cow /kaʊ/)
• /ei̯/ - as in hej, pronounced /hɛi̯/ (like "ay" in say /seɪ/)

Swedish Consonants

• /p/ - as in på, pronounced /pɔː/ (like "p" in pen /pɛn/)
• /b/ - as in bil, pronounced /biːl/ (like "b" in bat /bæt/)
• /t/ - as in tala, pronounced /ˈtɑːla/ (like "t" in top /tɒp/)
• /d/ - as in dator, pronounced /ˈdɑːtʊr/ (like "d" in dog /dɒɡ/)
• /k/ - as in katt, pronounced /katː/ (like "k" in cat /kæt/)
• /ɡ/ - as in gå, pronounced /ɡoː/ (like "g" in go /ɡoʊ/)
• /f/ - as in få, pronounced /foː/ (like "f" in fun /fʌn/)
• /v/ - as in vin, pronounced /viːn/ (like "v" in voice /vɔɪs/)
• /s/ - as in sol, pronounced /suːl/ (like "s" in see /siː/)
• /s/ - as in zoo, pronounced /suː/ (like s in see; the written z is voiceless here)
• /ʃ/ - as in sjö, pronounced /ʃøː/ (like "sh" in shoe /ʃuː/)
• /ɕ/ - as in tjej, pronounced /ɕɛj/ (similar to "sh" in shoe /ʃuː/ but more palatalized)
• /ɕ/ - as in kex, pronounced /ɕɛks/ (a palatal fricative, as in Swedish tjej; the word also has a pronunciation beginning with /k/: /kɛks/)
• /j/ - as in jätte, pronounced /ˈjɛtːɛ/ (like y in yes, not j in jam)
• /j/ - as in ja, pronounced /jaː/ (like "y" in yes /jɛs/)
• /h/ - as in hatt, pronounced /hatː/ (like "h" in hat /hæt/)
• /l/ - as in liten, pronounced /ˈliːtɛn/ (like "l" in leaf /liːf/)
• /r/ - as in ros, pronounced /ruːs/ (a trilled or tapped "r", similar to Spanish "r" in perro /ˈpero/)
• /ŋ/ - as in sjunga, pronounced /ˈʃɵŋa/ (like "ng" in sing /sɪŋ/)
• /m/ - as in man, pronounced /man/ (like "m" in man /mæn/)
• /n/ - as in nej, pronounced /nɛj/ (like "n" in net /nɛt/)

Unique Features of Swedish Pronunciation

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

• Vowel Length: Swedish has both short and long vowels, and the length of the vowel can change the meaning of a word. For example, vit (white) /viːt/ vs. vitt (white, neuter form) /vɪtː/.
• Tonal Accents: Many Swedish varieties distinguish two pitch accents, though Finland Swedish generally does not. Compare anden (the duck) /ˈanːdɛn/ (1) with anden (the spirit) /ˈanːdɛn/ (2).
• Retroflex Consonants: In many varieties, /r/ followed by an alveolar consonant can form a retroflex consonant such as /ʈ/, /ɖ/ or /ɳ/. In gärna (gladly) [ˈjæːɳa], the rn sequence becomes retroflex [ɳ].
• Soft and Hard Consonants: The pronunciation of some consonants, like "k" and "g", changes depending on the following vowel. For example, kall (cold) /kalː/ vs. kyrka (church) /ˈɕʏrka/.
• Final Voiced Consonants: Unlike many languages, voiced consonants like /b/, /d/, and /ɡ/ can appear at the end of words and remain voiced. For example, skog (forest) /skuːɡ/.