Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "links" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce links in Dutch?

links is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /lɪŋks/. It means “left.” links — a bright l, a short tight i, and the n turning velar before the ks cluster.

links — a bright l, a short tight i, and the n turning velar before the ks cluster.

links /lɪŋks/

A heavy consonant close on a single beat. The word is an adverb and does not inflect, so this compact shape is the only one you will meet — unlike the related adjective "linker," which adds a weak syllable.

Listen: links

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Sound it out

l Tongue tip forward and the body low, giving a light l. English darkens it before a consonant, which changes the vowel too.

i The vowel of English "links," identical in both languages — the cognate spelling is telling the truth here.

nks The n assimilates to a velar nasal before the k, then a quiet k and a hiss. Three consonants said in one gesture, exactly as in English "links."

Hear it in a sentence

Ga hier naar links.

Turn left here.

Listen: Ga hier naar links.

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"Ga hier naar links" uses "naar" for the direction of turning, a fixed combination — Dutch cannot say "ga links" for turning left. The imperative "ga" opens with no pronoun, as all Dutch imperatives do.

Where English speakers slip

The sounds transfer almost perfectly from English, so the errors are elsewhere: the l should stay bright, and the preposition "naar" is obligatory. Learners also confuse "links" the direction with "links" meaning politically left-wing — Dutch uses one word for both, and only context separates them.