Key Turkmen Latin-alphabet letters and sounds, vowel harmony, and stress patterns for accurate pronunciation. Front: the sound pattern or example word. Back: meaning plus a plain-English pronunciation note.
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- Ä sound
- A front, open vowel like the "a" in English "cat," distinct from plain "a." Example: är (husband, man).
- Ç sound
- Pronounced like English "ch" in "chair." Example: çaý (tea).
- Ž sound
- Pronounced like the "s" in English "measure," a soft "zh" sound. Example: žurnal (magazine, a Russian loanword).
- Ň sound
- A velar nasal, like "ng" in English "sing." Example: meniň (my, mine).
- Ö sound
- A rounded front vowel, similar to German "ö" or French "eu." Example: öý (house).
- Ş sound
- Pronounced like English "sh" in "shoe." Example: şäher (city).
- Ü sound
- A rounded front vowel, similar to German "ü" or French "u." Example: üzüm (grape).
- Ý sound
- Pronounced like English "y" in "yes." Example: ýyl (year).
- W sound
- Pronounced like English "w" in "water," used in native Turkmen words. Example: söwda (trade).
- Vowel harmony
- Turkmen suffixes change their vowel to match the last vowel of the word's root, a feature shared with other Turkic languages.
- Long vowels
- Turkmen distinguishes short and long vowels in certain words, with vowel length able to affect meaning.
- Word stress pattern
- Turkmen word stress generally falls on the last syllable of a word.
- Minimal pair: at and ot
- "At" (horse) and "ot" (fire, or grass) are distinguished only by the vowel.
- Minimal pair: ol and öl
- "Ol" (he, she, it) and "öl" (wet) are distinguished only by the vowel "ö" versus "o."
- Consonant cluster simplicity
- Turkmen generally avoids complex consonant clusters at the start of native words, unlike many Russian loanwords.
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