Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "het bos" in Dutch?

ut BOS — a clean b, a short rounded o, and a plain hissing s.

het bos /ət ˈbɔs/

The plural doubles the s in writing for the usual reason — to keep the o from lengthening — so the accented syllable sounds identical in both forms.

Listen: het bos

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Sound it out

b A voiced stop with an unaspirated release, opening straight into the vowel.

o Lips slightly pursed and the vowel brief — British "boss" rather than the American version, which unrounds and lengthens it.

s A clean hiss to close. The plural "bossen" doubles it in spelling to protect the short vowel.

Hear it in a sentence

We wandelen in het bos.

We're walking in the woods.

Listen: We wandelen in het bos.

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"We wandelen in het bos" uses "wandelen" for walking recreationally, distinct from "lopen" for walking generally. The reduced "het" flattens to "ut," so the sentence's second half runs together as "in-ut-BOS."

Where English speakers slip

The English "boss" is very close and mostly helpful, though American speakers unround the vowel. Keep the lips slightly pursed and the vowel short. The b needs no adjustment, which makes this one of the easier nouns in the course — the trap is only in the vowel quality.