Vowel sounds in Slovakian

Vowels play a significant role in Slovakian pronunciation. There are 14 vowels and understanding the differences between the short and long vowels is crucial.
Short vowels (a, e, i, o, u, y) are pronounced briefly.
Long vowels (á, é, í, ó, ú, ý) are held for a more extended period.
For instance, a and á represent short and long 'a' sounds, respectively.
The prolongation mark only means that the syllable should be pronounced twice as long as a short syllable and does not mean that the syllable should be emphasised.
Two long syllables do not occur consecutively.

💬 Please read the following examples aloud.

Stretch out the long vowels and keep the short ones short.

In the beginning of your training: Exaggerate – this will give you a better feeling for your pronunciation in the future.

auto [ˈaw.to] ‒ car
hora [ˈho.ra] ‒ mountain
áno [ˈaːnɔ] ‒ yes
káva [ˈkaː.va] ‒ coffee

jeden [ˈjɛ.dɛn] ‒ one
kéž [keʒ] ‒ I wish

my [mɪ] ‒ we
sytý [ˈsɪ.tiː] ‒ full
rýchlý [ˈriːx.li] ‒ fast

Nasal vowels in Slovak

Slovakian features nasal vowels (ä, ô), unlike English.
When encountering nasal vowels, remember to pronounce them through your nose, creating a distinctive sound.

💬 Practice with words containing ä and ô to develop this skill.

kräva [kræ.va] ‒ cow
mäso [ˈmæ.so] ‒ meat
môj [moj] ‒ my
dôvera [ˈdo.ve.ra] ‒ trust
tôň [toŋ] ‒ sink

Slovak diphthongs

Diphthongs have a phonetic quality and are combinations of two vowel sounds pronounced in one syllable.
It's important to distinguish diphthongs from vowel combinations in Slovak.
Diphthongs are pronounced as a single sound within one syllable, whereas vowel combinations are pronounced as separate sounds in two different syllables.
Slovakian diphthongs are combinations of short and long vowels.
Some common diphthongs in Slovak include ia, ie, iu, äu, and au.
Diphthongs are pronounced as a single sound, with a smooth transition from one vowel to the other within the same syllable.
For example, the diphthong ia is pronounced as a single sound, similar to the English [ya].

💬 Practice with these examples.

diaľka [ˈɟa.ʎ.ka] ‒ distance
dieťa [ˈɟe̝.ca] ‒ child
rieka [ˈri̝.ɛ.ka] ‒ river

➠ Hard and soft consonants