Three Key Rules of Czech Pronunciation
One-Letter-One-Sound Rule
Every letter in Czech represents a single, consistent sound. Unlike English, there are no surprises:C is always [ts]
O is always [o]
E is always [e]
This makes reading new words easier — if it’s Czech, you can pronounce it.
Word Stress
Stress is always on the first syllable, no exceptions. Even words with long vowels later in the word keep stress on the first syllable:salát (salad) → stress on sa
kamarád (friend) → stress on ka
Full Vowel Pronunciation
All vowels are pronounced fully, even in unstressed syllables:koleno (knee) → ko-le-no
salát → sa-lát
Vowels
Czech has short and long vowels, distinguished by accent marks:
Short vowels: a, e, i, o, u
Long vowels: á, é, í, ó, ú (or ú sometimes written with a circle called kroužek)
| Czech | Sound (approx. English) | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | [a] as in cup | hala | hall |
| á | [aː] as in father | káva | coffee |
| e | [ɛ] as in bed | pes | dog |
| é | [eː] as in they | lék | medicine/cure |
| i | [ɪ] as in bit | dítě | child |
| í | [iː] as in machine | mít | to have |
| o | [o] as in lot | koleno | knee |
| ó | [oː] as in more | móda | fashion |
| u | [u] as in put | guma | rubber |
| ú/ů | [uː] as in school | dům, ústa | house, mouth |
Ú vs. ů in Czech
Both ú and ů represent the same long vowel sound [uː], like in English school. The difference is historical and positional:
Ú – at the beginning of a word
Only used at the start of a word.
Examples:
ústa → mouth
úl → beehive
úkol → task
Ů – in the middle or end of a word
Used anywhere except the start.
Examples:
dům → house
půl → half
kůň → horse
Tip:
Historically, ů comes from a diphthong uo that later merged into a long u. That’s why it’s only in the middle or end.
Ú is used at the start because words rarely historically began with that diphthong.
Practice trick:
Think Ú = start, Ů = middle/end.
Pronunciation is the same, so when reading aloud, just say [uː] in all cases.
Important notes:
Vowel length can change meaning:
vila → villa
víla → fairy
All vowels are pronounced fully, even in unstressed syllables:
kamarád → friend
salát → salad
Consonants
Some consonants sound similar to English (p, t, k, h), but without aspiration:
pes (dog), káva (coffee)
Unique Czech consonants include:
j → like English y in yes
c → [ts]
r → trilled, characteristic Czech sound
ch → [x], like Scottish loch
Consonants with háček (ˇ):
z → ž (measure)
s → š (shoe)
c → č (check)
- ř → trilled, characteristic Czech sound
d, t, n → ď, ť, ň
Softened consonants with i (di, ti, ni)
In regular Czech words, i (měkké i) after d, t, n can also soften the consonant:
| Sequence | Pronunciation | Example | English meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| di | [ďi] | díky | thanks |
| ti | [ťi] | ticho | silence |
| ni | [ňi] | ninja | ninja (loanword) |
Note: In loanwords or exceptions, d, t, n may remain hard even before i, e.g., diktát → [dik-tát] → dictation.
Softened consonants with ě (dě, tě, ně)
When ě follows d, t, n, the consonant is automatically softened:
| Sequence | Pronunciation | Example | English meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| dě | [ďe] | dělat | to do |
| tě | [ťe] | tělo | body |
| ně | [ňe] | něco | something |
This is a very consistent rule in Czech: every d, t, n before ě becomes ď, ť, ň.
Loanwords from English and Other Languages
Modern loanwords in Czech often keep their original spelling but are adapted to Czech sounds. This generally follows two patterns:
1. Czech-adapted pronunciation
These words are read as closely as possible to English, using only Czech phonemes:
internet → [in-te-rnet]
chat → [čet]
software → [sof-twer]
Some words break the usual softening rule (d, t, n followed by i), so the consonants are not softened to ď, ť, ň:
diktát → [diktát]
ministr → [ministr]
tip → [tip]
Even when a letter exists in English, Czech may replace it with a similar-sounding phoneme:
kiwi → [ki-vi] (no [w] in Czech)
rock → [rok] (Czech “r”)
2. Irregular pronunciation
Some words are exceptions and are pronounced differently than expected under Czech rules:
sci-fi → [sci-fi]
wi-fi → [wi-fi]
Summary: Older loanwords were often fully adapted in both spelling and pronunciation, while newer English imports often retain their original spelling, creating small pronunciation quirks that learners need to memorize.
Assimilation (Advanced Tip)
Assimilation is a phenomenon where consonants change their sound depending on neighboring letters or position in a word.
Consonant clusters: the last consonant in a group determines whether previous consonants are voiced or unvoiced.
vzduch → [vzduch] (air), d keeps the voice of the cluster
vztek → [vstek] (anger), because t is unvoiced, v and z also become unvoiced
Word-final devoicing: voiced consonants become unvoiced at the end of a word:
led → [let] (ice)
hlad → [hlat] (hunger)
hrob → [hrop] (grave)
This rule affects reading natural Czech speech but doesn’t need to be memorized by beginners — it’s something you’ll notice as you listen and practice.