Dutch vowels explained, short, long and diphthongs
A clear guide to Dutch vowel sounds, short a, e, i, o, u vs long aa, ee, ie, oo, uu, the diphthongs ei/ij, ui, ou, the schwa, and how spelling shows them.
Man or maan? Pen or peen? In Dutch, the length of a vowel can completely change a word: man is "man", maan is "moon". Dutch has more vowel sounds than most learners expect, including a few that English doesn't have at all. The good news is that Dutch spelling is very consistent, so once you know which letters make which sound, you can read almost any word aloud. This guide walks through every vowel, with real word pairs to practise.
Short and long vowels
The five basic vowels each have a short and a long version. The short one is written with one letter in a closed syllable; the long one is usually written with a double letter.
| Short | Sound like… | Long | Sound like… |
|---|---|---|---|
| a in man | "a" in British "father", but short | aa in maan | "a" in "father", long |
| e in bed | "e" in "bed" | ee in been | "ay" in "say", with less glide |
| i in zit | "i" in "sit" | ie in ziet | "ee" in "see", but short |
| o in bot | "o" in British "pot" | oo in boot | "o" in "go", with less glide |
| u in bus | no English match; between "u" in "fur" and "i" in "sit" | uu in muur | "ee" said with rounded lips, like French "tu" |
A few things to notice:
- Short a is pronounced at the back of the mouth, not like the "a" in English "man". Dutch man sounds closer to English "mun".
- Long ee and oo glide only slightly. Don't turn been (leg) into English "bane" with a big "ay-ee" glide.
- ie is short in most words, even though it's the partner of short i. It only sounds long before r: bier (beer).
- uu is the sound English speakers find hardest: say "ee" and round your lips as if to whistle. Practise with nu (now), uur (hour), minuut (minute).
Minimal pairs: hear the difference
These pairs differ only in the vowel. Say them aloud and listen for the change.
| Short | Long |
|---|---|
| man — man | maan — moon |
| tak — branch | taak — task |
| pen — pen | peen — carrot |
| bed — bed | beet — bite |
| zit — sit(s) | ziet — see(s) |
| pot — pot | poot — paw, leg (of an animal) |
| bot — bone | boot — boat |
| kok — cook | kook — I cook, boil |
For u and uu there are few neat everyday pairs, but you can hear the contrast in bus (bus) and buur (neighbour), or dun (thin) and duur (expensive).
Notice bed and beet: a d at the end of a word is pronounced as t in Dutch, so the only difference you hear is the vowel.
Spelling and sound: open and closed syllables
Here's the rule that makes Dutch spelling logical. It depends on whether a syllable ends in a vowel (open) or a consonant (closed).
Long vowel, closed syllable → double letter: maan, boom, muur.
Long vowel, open syllable → single letter. When you add -en for the plural, the vowel ends its syllable and one letter is enough:
- maan → ma-nen — moons
- boom → bo-men — trees
- muur → mu-ren — walls
Short vowel → always closed. To keep a short vowel short in the plural, the consonant doubles so the syllable stays closed:
- man → man-nen — men
- bus → bus-sen — buses
- pot → pot-ten — pots
So bomen (trees) has a long o, and bommen (bombs) has a short one. Single vowel at the end of a syllable = long sound. This works for a, e, o, u; ie is always written ie. Our post on Dutch spelling rules covers this in more depth.
Diphthongs: two sounds in one
Dutch has three "true" diphthongs, where the sound glides from one vowel to another.
| Spelling | Sound like… | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ei / ij | between "ay" in "say" and "i" in "fight" | klein (small), mei (May), wijn (wine), mij (me) |
| ui | no English match; start at "uh" with rounded lips, glide to a rounded "ee" | huis (house), uit (out), ui (onion) |
| au / ou | like "ow" in "how", but with rounded lips | blauw (blue), saus (sauce), oud (old), koud (cold) |
Ei and ij are pronounced exactly the same; so are au and ou. The spelling difference is historical, so you just learn which words use which. Children in the Netherlands call them korte ei (ei) and lange ij (ij).
Ui is famously tricky. A good way in: make the "ow" of English "house" with your lips rounded and your tongue further forward. Practise Ik ga naar huis. — I'm going home.
Single sounds written with two letters
Some two-letter spellings are not diphthongs but single vowels:
| Spelling | Sound like… | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| oe | "oo" in "food", but short | boek (book), goed (good), moe (tired) |
| eu | like "u" in "fur" with rounded lips, French "peu" | deur (door), neus (nose), leuk (nice) |
| ie | "ee" in "see", short | fiets (bike), niet (not), drie (three) |
Don't read oe as in English "toe": it's the "oo" of "food", kept short.
Vowel + w and vowel + i
When a vowel is followed by w or i, you get gliding combinations. Each part keeps its own sound:
- ieuw — nieuw (new), kieuw (gill): ie + a light "oo"
- eeuw — eeuw (century), leeuw (lion), sneeuw (snow)
- uw — uw (your, formal), duwen (to push), ruw (rough)
- aai, ooi, oei — haai (shark), mooi (beautiful), groei (growth): a long vowel or oe followed by a light "ee"
The schwa: the most common vowel
The schwa is the short, relaxed "uh" sound in English "about". In Dutch it's everywhere, and it's spelled in several ways:
- the e in unstressed syllables: de (the), lopen (to walk), kamer (room), vrolijke (cheerful)
- the prefixes be-, ge-, ver-: betalen (to pay), gedaan (done), vergeten (to forget)
- een (a/an) and het (the) when unstressed: een boek sounds like "un book"
- the i in -ig: gezellig (cosy), prettig (pleasant)
- the ij in -lijk: vriendelijk (friendly), eerlijk (honest)
Two practical tips:
- Een vs één. Een with a schwa means "a"; één, with a long ee, means "one": één boek — one book.
- Final -en. In the Netherlands, the n at the end of -en is usually dropped in normal speech: lopen sounds like "lopuh", we gaan eten like "we gaan etuh". Pronouncing the n is never wrong, but dropping it sounds more natural.
Vowels before r
The letter r changes the vowels in front of it. Long ee, oo and eu sound more open and slightly longer before r, and many speakers add a tiny schwa:
- meer (lake, more), weer (weather)
- door (through), oor (ear)
- deur (door), beurt (turn)
And ie becomes properly long: hier (here), bier (beer), vier (four). Don't worry too much about this at first; your ear will pick it up. For more on the r itself and the other consonants, see our pronunciation guide.
Quick summary
- Short a, e, i, o, u vs long aa, ee, ie, oo, uu: length changes meaning (man / maan, pen / peen, bot / boot).
- Long vowels are written double in closed syllables (maan) and single in open syllables (ma-nen).
- Short vowels double the following consonant in the plural: man → mannen.
- ei = ij, au = ou; ui has no English equivalent.
- oe = "oo", eu = rounded "uh", ie = short "ee".
- The schwa hides in de, een, -en, be-/ge-/ver-, -ig and -lijk.
Practise it
Hear and repeat everyday words in Greetings, train long and short vowels with een, twee, drie in Numbers, and practise pairs like dun and dik in Opposites. For the full alphabet, see the Dutch alphabet.