See Polish phonology for a more thorough look at the sounds of Polish.
Template:Nonumtoc
Consonants[1]
|
IPA |
Polish |
Example |
English approximation
|
b
|
b
|
bardzo (help·info)
|
bike
|
ɕ
|
ś, s(i)[2]
|
Jaś (help·info)
|
she
|
d
|
d
|
dawno (help·info)
|
door
|
d͡z[3]
|
dz
|
dzban (help·info)
|
beds
|
d͡ʑ[3]
|
dź, dz(i)[2]
|
dziadek (help·info)
|
jeep[4]
|
d͡ʐ[3]
|
dż
|
Dżakarta (help·info)
|
jug[4]
|
f
|
f
|
foka (help·info)
|
feist
|
ɡ
|
g
|
grać (help·info)
|
girl
|
ɡʲ
|
g(i)[2]
|
Giewont (help·info)
|
argue
|
ɣ
|
ch, h
|
niechby
|
Spanish amigo
|
j
|
j, i[2]
|
jak (help·info)
|
yes
|
j̃[5]
|
ń
|
Gdańsk (help·info)
|
point
|
k
|
k
|
krowa (help·info)
|
scam
|
kʲ
|
k(i)[2]
|
kierowca (help·info)
|
skew
|
l
|
l
|
lampa (help·info)
|
lion
|
m
|
m[6]
|
morze (help·info)
|
mile
|
n
|
n[6]
|
nad (help·info)
|
Nile
|
ɲ
|
ń, n(i)[6][2]
|
nie (help·info)
|
canyon
|
ŋ[7]
|
n[6]
|
mango (help·info)
|
doing
|
p
|
p
|
policja (help·info)
|
spike
|
r
|
r
|
różowy (help·info)
|
American English atom
|
s
|
s
|
smak (help·info)
|
sign
|
ʂ
|
sz
|
szybko (help·info)
|
shore[4]
|
t
|
t
|
tak (help·info)
|
stow
|
t͡ɕ[3]
|
ć, c(i)[2]
|
cierpki (help·info)
|
cheer[4]
|
t͡s[3]
|
c
|
całkiem (help·info)
|
cats
|
t͡ʂ[3]
|
cz
|
czy (help·info)
|
child[4]
|
v
|
w
|
wartość (help·info)
|
vile
|
w
|
ł
|
ładny (help·info)
|
way
|
x
|
ch, h
|
chleb (help·info)
|
Scottish loch
|
xʲ
|
ch(i), h(i)[2]
|
hiacynt (help·info)
|
huge
|
z
|
z
|
zebra (help·info)
|
raisin
|
ʑ
|
ź, z(i)[2]
|
ziarno (help·info)
|
vision, azure[4]
|
ʐ
|
ż, rz
|
rzadko (help·info)
|
|
Other symbols used for Polish
|
IPA |
Explanation
|
ˈ
|
Primary stress (placed before the stressed syllable), usually the penultimate syllable of a word.
|
ˌ
|
Secondary stress (placed before the stressed syllable).
|
.
|
Syllable break.
|
|
- ↑ All voiced obstruents /b, d, ɡ, v, z, ʐ, ʑ, d͡ʐ, d͡ʑ/ are devoiced to [p, t, k, f, s, ʂ, ɕ, t͡ʂ, t͡ɕ] respectively at the ends of words and in clusters ending in any unvoiced obstruents. Voiceless obstruents are voiced (/x/ becoming Template:Wy/syl/IPAblink, etc.) in clusters ending in any voiced obstruent except /v/ and /ʐ/ (when spelled with rz), which are then themselves devoiced.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 The letter Template:Wy/syl/Angbr, when it is followed by a vowel, represents a pronunciation like a Template:Wy/syl/Angbr or a "soft" pronunciation of the preceding consonant (so Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found. is pronounced as if it were spelt *pjes). It has the same effect as an acute accent on alveolar consonants (Template:Wy/syl/Angbr, Template:Wy/syl/Angbr, Template:Wy/syl/Angbr, Template:Wy/syl/Angbr, Template:Wy/syl/Angbr) so Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found., Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found. and Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found. are pronounced as if they were spelt *śę, *ćos, *ńańa. A following Template:Wy/syl/Angbr also softens consonants when it is itself pronounced as a vowel: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found., Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found. and Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found. are pronounced as if they were spelled *źima, *ći, *dźiśaj.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Polish contrasts affricates /t͡s, d͡z, t͡ɕ, d͡ʑ, t͡ʂ, d͡ʐ/ with stop–fricative clusters: for example, Template:Wy/syl/Wikt-lang Template:Wy/syl/Audio-IPA "clean" versus Template:Wy/syl/Wikt-lang Template:Wy/syl/Audio-IPA "three hundred".
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Polish makes a distinction between retroflex and alveolo-palatal consonants, both of which sound roughly like the English postalveolars /ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/. The retroflex sounds are pronounced "hard", with the tip of the tongue approaching the alveolar ridge and the blade of the tongue somewhat lowered, and the alveolo-palatal sounds are "soft", realized with the middle of the tongue raised, adding a bit of an Template:Wy/syl/Angbr sound to them.
- ↑ Allophone of /ɲ/ before fricatives.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 The letters Template:Wy/syl/Angbr and Template:Wy/syl/Angbr represent the nasal vowels /ɔ̃, ɛ̃/ except when they are followed by a stop or affricate, in which case they represent oral vowels /ɔ, ɛ/ followed by a nasal consonant homorganic with the following stop or affricate: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found. [ˈkɔnt], Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found. [ˈɡɛmba], Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found. [ˈrɛŋka], Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found. [piˈʂɔnt͡sɨ], Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found. [pjɛˈɲɔnd͡zɛ], Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found. [ˈpjɛɲt͡ɕ], Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Wy/syl/Language/name/data' not found. [ˈjɛnt͡ʂɨ] (as if spelled *kont, *gemba, *renka, *piszoncy, *pieńondze, *pieńć, *jenczy).
- ↑ Allophone of /n/ before a velar /ɡ, k, x/ in some cases.