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)
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Heart. The letter qaf is a deep 'k' sound made far back in the throat, unlike the English 'k'.- كلب (kalb)
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Dog. The letter kaf is a regular 'k' sound, like in English. Compare with qalb (heart) to hear the difference.- حار (harr)
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Hot. The letter ha is a breathy 'h' made by tightening the throat, stronger and more forceful than the English 'h'.- خبز (khubz)
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Bread. The letter kha sounds like the 'ch' in the Scottish word 'loch', a raspy back-of-throat sound.- عين ('ayn)
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Eye. The letter 'ayn is a tight, voiced throat sound with no English equivalent; try humming while constricting your throat.- غريب (gharib)
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Strange, stranger. The letter ghayn sounds like a French 'r', a soft gargling sound made at the back of the throat.- سمك (samak)
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Fish. The letter sin is a light 's' sound, like in English 'sun'.- صديق (sadiq)
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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')
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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)
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House. The letter dal is a regular light 'd' sound, like in English 'day'. Compare with dad above.- طويل (tawil)
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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)
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Apple. The letter ta (light) is a regular 't' sound, like in English 'top'. Compare with the heavy ta above.- ذهب (dhahab)
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Gold. The letter dhal sounds like the 'th' in English 'this', a soft voiced sound.- ثلاثة (thalatha)
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Three. The letter tha sounds like the 'th' in English 'think', a soft unvoiced sound. Compare with dhal above.- رجل (rajul)
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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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