Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "waar" in Dutch?

vahr — soft lip-teeth w, a long open "aah," and a light r. Not the English "war" or "where."

waar /ʋaːr/

Question words in Dutch are inherently prominent, so this one takes its sentence's melodic peak. Dutch then falls in pitch after that peak, unlike English yes/no questions which climb at the end.

Listen: waar

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Sound it out

w Made at the teeth rather than with the lips, and with no rounding at all. Round the lips and the word slides straight into English "war."

aa Noticeably longer than a short a in a closed syllable — the length is the whole point of the doubled letter.

r Kept separate from the vowel so that the long "aah" stays clean right up to the moment the r begins.

Hear it in a sentence

Waar woon je?

Where do you live?

Listen: Waar woon je?

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"Waar woon je?" fronts the question word and puts the verb second, with the subject after it. Because "je" follows the verb, "woon" takes no -t — the same small rule that governs "spreek je" and "kom je."

Where English speakers slip

English "where" contributes a rounded w and a diphthongised vowel; "war" contributes a heavy r. Dutch wants a labiodental w, a flat long "aah," and a light r. Beginners also confuse "waar" as a question word with "waar" meaning "true" — one spelling, two meanings, and only context separates them.