Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "dicht" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce dicht in Dutch?

dicht is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /dɪxt/. It means “closed.” dikht — short tight i, then the harsh ch running straight into a t.

dikht — short tight i, then the harsh ch running straight into a t.

dicht /dɪxt/

One dense beat with more consonant than vowel in it. Inflected as "dichte," a schwa opens up behind the t and the cluster suddenly has room to breathe, which makes the longer form easier despite the extra syllable.

Listen: dicht

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Sound it out

d A voiced stop with the tongue on the upper teeth, released quietly straight into the vowel.

i Brief, with the tongue relaxed — the vowel of "dish," cut off almost before it begins.

cht Friction and then a stop, sharing one syllable. Dutch neither simplifies the fricative to a k nor wedges a vowel between the two.

Hear it in a sentence

Het museum is vandaag dicht.

The museum is closed today.

Listen: Het museum is vandaag dicht.

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"Het museum is vandaag dicht" ends on the adjective with the cht cluster fully exposed at the close. "Museum" is a loanword with stress on the second syllable, mu-SAY-um, so the sentence has an unusually late peak before settling back onto the short final adjective.

Where English speakers slip

Substituting a k for the ch is the near-universal error, giving "dikt." A k seals the airflow; the Dutch ch keeps it scraping. Inserting a vowel — "di-khut" — is the other common repair, and it adds a syllable. Beginners also confuse "dicht" (closed) with "dichtbij" (nearby), which share the word but not the meaning.