Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "groot" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce groot in Dutch?

groot is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ɣroːt/. It means “big.” khroht — the scraping g, a light r, a long pure "oh," and a final t.

khroht — the scraping g, a light r, a long pure "oh," and a final t.

groot /ɣroːt/

One stressed syllable dominated by its long vowel. When the adjective inflects to "grote," the spelling drops an o because the syllable opens — same sound, same stress, leaner orthography. Reading that alternation fluently is a real milestone in Dutch literacy.

Listen: groot

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Sound it out

gr Velar friction running straight into a tapped or scraped r. Keep the airflow continuous rather than stopping between them — this cluster is one of the signature sounds of Dutch.

oo Long, steady "oh." English "grote" or "groat" glides toward "oo"; Dutch holds one position throughout.

t A quiet unaspirated stop closing the word. It is a genuine t here, not a devoiced d.

Hear it in a sentence

Ze wonen in een groot huis.

They live in a big house.

Listen: Ze wonen in een groot huis.

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"Ze wonen in een groot huis" keeps the adjective uninflected before a neuter noun with "een" — one of the few cases where Dutch adjectives take no -e. So this sentence is quietly teaching a grammar exception, and "huis" right afterward gives you the difficult ui diphthong.

Where English speakers slip

The English "great" and "grow" both interfere, supplying a hard g and a gliding vowel. Dutch needs the fricative and a flat "oh." The gr- cluster also tempts learners to insert a schwa — "khuh-root" — which breaks the word in two. Keep the friction running straight into the r.