Arabic · Pronunciation

Arabic Listening and Pronunciation Guide

Key Arabic sounds and minimal pairs for listening and pronunciation practice. Front: the Arabic word or sound pattern with romanization in parentheses. Back: English meaning plus a plain-English pronunciation note.

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قلب (qalb)

Heart. The letter qaf is a deep 'k' sound made far back in the throat, unlike the English 'k'.

كلب (kalb)

Dog. The letter kaf is a regular 'k' sound, like in English. Compare with qalb (heart) to hear the difference.

حار (harr)

Hot. The letter ha is a breathy 'h' made by tightening the throat, stronger and more forceful than the English 'h'.

خبز (khubz)

Bread. The letter kha sounds like the 'ch' in the Scottish word 'loch', a raspy back-of-throat sound.

عين ('ayn)

Eye. The letter 'ayn is a tight, voiced throat sound with no English equivalent; try humming while constricting your throat.

غريب (gharib)

Strange, stranger. The letter ghayn sounds like a French 'r', a soft gargling sound made at the back of the throat.

سمك (samak)

Fish. The letter sin is a light 's' sound, like in English 'sun'.

صديق (sadiq)

Friend. The letter sad is a heavier, deeper 's' made with the tongue pulled back and the mouth rounded, unlike the light sin.

ضوء (daw')

Light. The letter dad is a heavy, deep 'd' sound unique to Arabic, made with the side of the tongue pressed against the upper molars.

دار (dar)

House. The letter dal is a regular light 'd' sound, like in English 'day'. Compare with dad above.

طويل (tawil)

Long, tall. The letter ta (heavy) is a deep, forceful 't' made with the tongue flat and pulled back, unlike the light ta.

تفاح (tuffah)

Apple. The letter ta (light) is a regular 't' sound, like in English 'top'. Compare with the heavy ta above.

ذهب (dhahab)

Gold. The letter dhal sounds like the 'th' in English 'this', a soft voiced sound.

ثلاثة (thalatha)

Three. The letter tha sounds like the 'th' in English 'think', a soft unvoiced sound. Compare with dhal above.

رجل (rajul)

Man. The letter ra is a rolled or tapped 'r', made by flicking the tongue tip against the roof of the mouth, similar to a Spanish 'r'.

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