Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "koud" in Dutch?

kowt — the ou diphthong of "out," and the final d is said as a t.

koud /kʌut/

One beat, with the diphthong providing all the internal movement. Because the word ends on a stop, the vowel gets cut off cleanly — compare "koude" where the vowel flows on into the following syllable and the word feels twice as long.

Listen: koud

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Sound it out

k Unaspirated, released without a puff of air.

ou A diphthong from an open "ah" gliding toward "oo," like the vowel in "cow." Dutch writes this sound as both "ou" and "au."

d Devoiced to t at the end of the word. The inflected "koude" puts the d between vowels and restores its voicing, which shows what the spelling is really recording.

Hear it in a sentence

Het water is koud.

The water is cold.

Listen: Het water is koud.

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"Het water is koud" ends on the bare adjective, so the devoiced t is fully audible. Set this against "Wij houden van koude melk" elsewhere in the course, where the inflected "koude" reveals the d — the same adjective, two different final consonants depending on position.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers read "ou" as "oo" or "oh" and produce "kood" or "kohd." It is the glide of "cow." They also voice the final d, which the spelling encourages and Dutch forbids. Say "kowt" and treat the written d as historical information rather than an instruction.