Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "belangrijk" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce belangrijk in Dutch?

belangrijk is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /bəˈlɑŋrɛik/. It means “important.” buh-LAHNG-rayk — stress on LANG, and here the "rijk" ending really is the ij diphthong.

buh-LAHNG-rayk — stress on LANG, and here the "rijk" ending really is the ij diphthong.

belangrijk /bəˈlɑŋrɛik/

The be- prefix is weightless, so the beat falls on LANG, with "-rijk" taking clear secondary stress. This is worth contrasting with "makkelijk": the -lijk suffix has eroded to a schwa precisely because it is unstressed, while -rijk keeps its vowel because it keeps some weight.

Listen: belangrijk

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Sound it out

be- The unstressed prefix, reduced to a bare schwa. It reliably pushes the accent rightward.

lang The stressed core: bright l, short open "ah," and a single velar nasal. No hard g follows the ng.

rijk Unlike the -lijk suffix, this ending keeps its full diphthong — it is the word "rijk" (rich) used as a suffix, and it never reduces. The k at the end is unaspirated.

Hear it in a sentence

Het is een belangrijke dag.

It's an important day.

Listen: Het is een belangrijke dag.

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"Het is een belangrijke dag" uses the inflected form with -e, adding a fourth syllable that flows straight out of the final k. The reduced "het" and "een" around it mean the sentence has only two strong beats, on LANG and on DAG.

Where English speakers slip

Learners who have just learned that -lijk is "-luhk" over-apply the rule and say "buh-LANG-ruhk." This suffix is different: -rijk keeps its diphthong. The other slips are the usual ones for this shape — stressing the be- prefix, and inserting a hard g after the ng.