Learn Swedish 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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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
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Phonetic Symbols in Swedish 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 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/)
- /oː/ - as in bok, pronounced /buːk/ (like "oo" in boot /buːt/)
- /uː/ - 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 bai, pronounced /bai̯/ (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/)
- /z/ - as in zo, pronounced /zoː/ (like "z" in zebra /ˈziːbrə/)
- /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)
- /t͡ʃ/ - as in kex, pronounced /t͡ʃɛks/ (like "ch" in chess /tʃɛs/)
- /d͡ʒ/ - as in jätte, pronounced /ˈd͡ʒɛtə/ (like "j" in jam /dʒæm/)
- /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 (wide) /vit/.
- Tonal Accents: Swedish uses two distinct pitch accents to differentiate words. For example, anden (the duck) /ˈanːdɛn/ vs. anden (the spirit) /ˈanːdən/.
- Retroflex Consonants: Certain consonants, when followed by /r/, become retroflex, such as /ʈ/, /ɖ/, and /ɳ/. For example, gärna (gladly) /ˈjærːna/ has a retroflex "r" sound.
- Soft and Hard Consonants: The pronunciation of some consonants, like "k" and "g", changes depending on the following vowel. For example, kall (cold) /kal/ 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/.