A Helpful Welsh Pronunciation Guide (with Audio) for Learners

If you’ve only just started learning Welsh, its pronunciation may seem somewhat daunting at first due to its many double consonants, Ys and Ws. However once you’ve learned the basics, you’ll realise that many of the words are easier to pronounce than you might have expected!

How to pronounce DD in Welsh

IPA Symbol: /ð/ (voiced dental fricative)

The DD sound in Welsh shouldn’t be in the least bit difficult for English speakers. Why? Because it is pronounced just like TH in English in words like THose / THese / weaTHer / faTHer!

How to pronounce LL in Welsh

IPA Symbol: /ɬ/ (alveolar lateral fricative)

The LL sound in Welsh doesn’t exist in English but it is present in other languages such as Icelandic, Mongolian, and Zulu to name a few.

It is produced by preparing your tongue to make a normal L sound and blowing air out of either side of your mouth.

How to pronounce CH in Welsh

IPA Symbol: /χ/ (voiceless uvular fricative)

The CH sound in Welsh appears in numerous languages such as German, Korean and Spanish to name a few. It is produced all the way back against the uvula. Some people compare it to the noise you make when you clear your throat!

How to pronounce R in Welsh

IPA Symbol: /r/ (alveolar trill)

The R sound in Welsh is trilled just like the Italian R. Unfortunately this can be a tricky sound to produce for English speakers.

How to pronounce F in Welsh

IPA Symbol: /v/ (voiced labiodental fricative)

It may look like the letter F but don’t be deceived! The F sound in Welsh is pronounced exactly like the letter V in English.

How to pronounce FF in Welsh

IPA Symbol: /f/ (voiceless labiodental fricative)

The FF sound on the other hand is pronounced exactly like a normal F in English.

How to pronounce C in Welsh

IPA Symbol: /k/ (voiceless velar stop)

The C sound in Welsh is always pronounced like the hard letter K in English, and never like the letter S (as in romance). (The only exception is CH which we saw above.)

How to pronounce RH in Welsh

IPA Symbol: /r̥/ (voiceless alveolar trill)

The RH sound in Welsh is a breathy version of the R sound we saw above. The best tactic to try and exhale as you say it.

How to pronounce U in Welsh

IPA Symbol: /iː/ (long front close unrounded vowel)

The U sound in Welsh is pronounced in the same way as the long EE sound in English in words such as bEAt / pIEr / wEEd.

Note: You will encounter some local variation in the pronunciation of U, especially in the north of Wales.

How to pronounce Y in Welsh

IPA Symbol: /ə/ (schwa) or /ɪ/ (near-close near-front unrounded vowel) or /iː/ (long front close unrounded vowel)

I would consider the letter Y one of the trickiest to learn in Welsh, not because the pronunciation itself is difficult but because its sound changes depending on its location within a word.

1. The long Y

Y can be pronounced as a long EE sound as in the English words trEE and sEE. It sometimes appears with a “to bach” accent (ŷ).

2. The short Y

Y can also be pronounced as a short i sound as in the English words win or bin.

3. The relaxed Y

The final sound is the relaxed Y (called a schwa in linguistics) which is similar to the UH sound in the English words bun or fun.

Note: Once again, there is some local variation in the pronunciation but these rules are a good starting point. In the north, in particular, y is produced further back in the mouth, giving it a deeper quality. To find out more, I would highly suggest checking out this YouTube video by Welsh Plus.

Generally speaking, Y is pronounced EE or I when it appears a) in the final syllable of a word, b) in a monosyllabic word*, or c) after the letter ‘w’ as in the word ‘gwYrdd’. Everywhere else, it is pronounced UH.

*There are five monosyllabic words where Y is pronounced UH: y / yr (the), yn (a grammatical particle), fy (my), and dy (your).

Stress in Welsh

In Welsh, word stress almost always falls on the penultimate (second last) syllable. The only exceptions are loanwords borrowed from other languages such as English and a handful of native words where it falls on the final syllable.

Regular stress in Welsh

Irregular stress in Welsh

Try pronouncing these Welsh words and names!

Once you’ve got the hang of the difficult sounds in Welsh, the best way to practise your Welsh pronunciation is to try and say some words. Why not give the ones below a go!

1. Hiraeth

Meaning: the Welsh word for “longing”

2. Pwllheli

Meaning: a town in the north whose name is notorious difficult to pronounce

3. Llewelyn

Meaning: a Welsh boy’s name

4. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Meaning: the longest Welsh town name!

5. Aberystwyth

Meaning: one of our favourite Welsh towns in mid-Wales

6. Machynlleth

Meaning: a market town in mid-Wales that was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr’s Welsh Parliament in 1404

7. Myfanwy

Meaning: a Welsh girl’s game