Farsi · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "کلید" in Farsi?

Say "ke-LEED," with a short "eh" first and a longer, stressed "ee" on the second syllable.

کلید /keˈlid/

kelid

Stress falls on the final syllable -lid; the ک here is a plain, hard k, clearly distinct from the گ (g) sound in other words like گوشت.

Listen: کلید

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Sound it out

ک ke, a crisp "k" (lighter and less puffy than English word-initial "k") plus a short "eh" vowel.

لی li, "l" plus a crisp "ee," as in "believe."

د d, like English "d" in "day," fully voiced at the end rather than softened.

Hear it in a sentence

کلید خانه را گم کردم.

Kelid-e khāne rā gom kardam.

I lost the house key.

Listen: کلید خانه را گم کردم.

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"کلید خانه را گم کردم" (Kelid-e khāne rā gom kardam) uses the ezafe -e to join کلید and خانه into "the house's key," i.e. "the house key," then را marks that phrase as the object of گم کردم, a light verb meaning "to lose" (literally "to make lost").

Where English speakers slip

English speakers sometimes devoice the final د into a "t" sound, since English often does this at the end of words, making کلید sound like "kelit." Keep that last consonant fully voiced as a d, and keep the second syllable's "ee" long and stressed rather than rushed.