Dutch · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "wit" in Dutch?

Q: How do you pronounce wit in Dutch?

wit is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ʋɪt/. It means “white.” Something between "vit" and "wit" — the Dutch w is a soft lip-and-teeth sound, and the vowel is the short i of "sit."

Something between "vit" and "wit" — the Dutch w is a soft lip-and-teeth sound, and the vowel is the short i of "sit."

wit /ʋɪt/

Vowel and consonants are all short, making this one of the briefest words in the colour set. In "witte" the t doubles in spelling purely to protect that short vowel, so the stressed syllable stays identical while a schwa is added behind it.

Listen: wit

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Sound it out

w Made by bringing the lower lip toward the upper teeth with the airflow only lightly obstructed. It is not the German w (a full v) and not the English w (a rounded glide); it sits between them, closer to a whispered v.

i Short and lax, exactly the vowel of "sit." The closing t keeps the syllable shut, which is why the vowel cannot lengthen.

t Unaspirated final stop — no puff of air on release, unlike the English t ending "wit."

Hear it in a sentence

De jurk is wit.

The dress is white.

Listen: De jurk is wit.

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"De jurk is wit" places the adjective after the verb, so it stays uninflected and the final t is fully exposed. Note that "jurk" is a de-word — before the noun you would say "de witte jurk," with the doubled t appearing in writing to keep the i short.

Where English speakers slip

The spelling is identical to an English word, which practically guarantees the English pronunciation: rounded w and aspirated t. Fix the w first, since it is the audible one — pull the lower lip up to the teeth. Beginners also confuse this with "wat" (what) when speaking quickly; the two differ only in vowel, and keeping the i high and tight preserves the distinction.