Key Haitian Creole sounds, nasal vowels, and stress patterns, with plain-English pronunciation notes and minimal pairs. Front: the word or sound pattern. Back: the meaning plus a pronunciation note.
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- ou
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Pronounced like "oo" in "food." Example: "ou" (you) sounds like "oo."- an
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A nasalized "ah" sound, said through the nose. Example: "manman" (mother).- en
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A nasalized "eh" sound. Example: "byen" (well) sounds like a nasal "bee-ehn."- on
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A nasalized "oh" sound. Example: "non" (no) sounds like a nasal "noh."- r
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Pronounced softly, closer to an English "w" or a light guttural touch, much weaker than a rolled Spanish r. Example: "rat" (rat) sounds close to "wat."- ch
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Pronounced like "sh" in "shoe," never like "ch" in "chair." Example: "chat" (cat) sounds like "shaht."- y
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Pronounced like "y" in "yes" when it starts a syllable. Example: "pye" (foot, leg) sounds like "pyeh."- ny
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Pronounced like the "ny" in "canyon," a palatal n sound. Example: "manyen" (to touch).- j
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Pronounced like the "s" in "measure," a soft "zh" sound, not like English j in "jump." Example: "jou" (day) sounds like "zhoo."- w
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Pronounced like English "w" in "we." Example: "wi" (yes) sounds like "wee."- è
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An open "eh" sound, like the e in "bed." Example: "mèsi" (thank you) sounds like "meh-see."- ò
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An open "oh" sound, like "aw" in "saw." Example: "bò" (near) sounds like "baw."- Word stress
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Haitian Creole generally stresses the last syllable of a word. Example: "kreyòl" is stressed as kreh-YOL.- Vowel length
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Haitian Creole rarely blends or doubles vowel sounds; each vowel letter is short and clear, unlike English vowel blends.- Silent letters
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Unlike French, Haitian Creole spelling avoids silent letters entirely, every letter written is meant to be pronounced.
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