Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "ik" in Dutch?

Rhymes with English "ick." A short, tight vowel and a clean unaspirated k.

ik /ɪk/

In running speech this pronoun is usually a weak beat: Dutch speakers lean on the verb or the noun and let "ik" ride along lightly, sometimes trimming it toward /ək/ in fast casual speech. Give it full weight only when you mean "*I* did it, not you."

Listen: ik

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Sound it out

i The short lax vowel of "sit" — never the "ee" of "seek." Dutch spells that longer sound "ie," so a lone i in a closed syllable is always the short one.

k A crisp k released without the puff of air English adds at the start of "kick." Hold the tongue against the soft palate and let go cleanly.

Hear it in a sentence

Ik ben Anna.

I am Anna.

Listen: Ik ben Anna.

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In "Ik ben Anna" the pronoun sits first and the verb second — the rigid verb-second rule that governs Dutch main clauses. Say the three words with the melodic peak on "Anna," not on "ik," which keeps the sentence from sounding like a defensive correction.

Where English speakers slip

The reflex is to read the i as the English letter name and produce "eek." That vowel belongs to Dutch "iek"-type spellings, not here. A second habit worth killing early: English speakers aspirate the final k into "ick-huh." Dutch stops end quietly, so the word finishes the instant the tongue touches the palate.