Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "makkelijk" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce makkelijk in Dutch?

makkelijk is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈmɑkələk/. It means “easy.” MAK-uh-luhk — the -lijk ending is said "-luhk," not "-like."

MAK-uh-luhk — the -lijk ending is said "-luhk," not "-like."

makkelijk /ˈmɑkələk/

Three syllables with the beat on the first and everything after it reduced to schwas: MAK-uh-luhk. The -lijk suffix is permanently unstressed, which is exactly why its vowel has worn down from a full diphthong to nothing — an unstressed syllable in Dutch cannot hold a real vowel.

Listen: makkelijk

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Sound it out

a Short and open, kept brief by the doubled k behind it. It takes the stress but stays quick.

kk One k in speech, unaspirated. The doubling is a spelling device protecting the short vowel, not an instruction to hold the consonant.

e A colourless schwa in the middle syllable — the neutral resting position of the mouth.

-lijk Despite containing the ij diphthong on paper, this suffix is pronounced /lək/ with a bare schwa. It is one of the biggest spelling-to-sound mismatches in the language, and it appears in dozens of common adjectives.

Hear it in a sentence

Deze oefening is makkelijk.

This exercise is easy.

Listen: Deze oefening is makkelijk.

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"Deze oefening is makkelijk" ends on the adjective, so both weak syllables trail off at the close of the sentence. The subject "oefening" starts with the "oo" of "oe" and adds another unstressed ending, making the whole sentence an exercise in not over-pronouncing weak syllables.

Where English speakers slip

Seeing "lijk," learners produce "-like" with the full diphthong, giving "MAK-uh-like." It is "-luhk." This one suffix trips people up in makkelijk, moeilijk, natuurlijk, eigenlijk and dozens more, so it is worth over-learning. The doubled k also tempts an English speaker into holding it, which no Dutch speaker does.