Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "nodig" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce nodig in Dutch?

nodig is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈnoːdəx/. It means “necessary / needed.” NOH-duhkh — long "oh" under the stress, and the -ig ending is a schwa plus the harsh fricative.

NOH-duhkh — long "oh" under the stress, and the -ig ending is a schwa plus the harsh fricative.

nodig /ˈnoːdəx/

The -ig suffix is guaranteed weightless, which pins the accent to the front. That suffix is one of Dutch's most reliable rhythm signposts: wherever it appears, the beat is to its left, and here that means the very first syllable.

Listen: nodig

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Sound it out

n Tongue tip on the ridge and voice on — identical to the English sound.

o Long and pure, stretched by the open syllable. Keep the tongue still rather than gliding toward "oo."

d Voiced here because a vowel follows it. This is not word-final position, so no devoicing applies.

-ig The standard suffix, said /əx/: a schwa plus the velar scrape. It never rhymes with English "dig" and never takes stress.

Hear it in a sentence

Ik heb hulp nodig.

I need help.

Listen: Ik heb hulp nodig.

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"Ik heb hulp nodig" places "nodig" at the very end, after the noun — Dutch uses the fixed frame "iets nodig hebben" where English says "to need something." The word order feels backwards to an English speaker and has to be learned as a template.

Where English speakers slip

The suffix gets an English hard g, producing "NO-dig." It is "-uhkh." The other issue is structural: "nodig hebben" is a two-part expression, and learners regularly say "ik nodig hulp," which turns the adjective into a nonsense verb. Keep "hebben" and put "nodig" last.