FaclairDictionary EnglishGàidhlig

Gaelic Sounds Fuaimean na Gàidhlig

Learn to pronounce Scottish Gaelic sounds with our video guide. These videos will help you learn many of the Gaelic sounds! Ionnsaich fuaimneachadh leis an iùl bhidio againn. Cuidichidh na bhidiothan seo gus cuid de ne fuaimean Ghàidhlig ionnsachadh.

a
The vowel a

We will cover both the short a and long à forms of the vowel a, with examples to get you used to the sound.

a
The vowel e

Let’s look at the sound the vowel e makes in Gaelic.

i
The vowel i

The short i in Gaelic has multiple distinct sounds, and a long ì sound with the grave accent.

o
The vowel o

The Gaelic o has three short and two long sounds.

u
The vowel u

Let’s look at the u sound in Gaelic, for which there is a short u and a long ù.

ch
CH - 'h' with a consonant

We are going to have a look at the Gaelic sound made by the letters ch.

mh
MH - 'h' with a consonant

The letter ‘v’ does not exist in the Gaelic alphabet, however mh is one letter combination in Gaelic that can create a ‘v’ sound.

ch
BH - 'h' with a consonant

Bh can be used to create a ‘v’ sound.

dh
DH - 'h' with a consonant

We are going to have a look at the Gaelic sound made by the letters dh.

fh
FH - 'h' with a consonant

We are going to have a look at the Gaelic sound made by the letters fh.

gh
GH - 'h' with a consonant

Let’s take a look at the Gaelic sound made by the letters gh.

ph
PH - 'h' with a consonant

The ph sound in Gaelic sounds similar to the sound of the letter ‘f’.

th
TH - 'h' with a consonant

In Gaelic, the th sound is pronounced like the English ‘h’.

Sh
SH - 'h' with a consonant

The sh sound in Gaelic is pronounced like the English h.

dh
Vowel pairs - ia

Let us now explore the vowel combination ia.

fh
Vowel pairs - ua

Let us now consider the sound made by the vowels ua in Gaelic.

ph
Vowel pairs - eu

Let's take a look at how to pronounce the vowels eu in Gaelic.

th
Vowel pairs - ai

Let’s have a look at how to pronounce the vowels ai in Gaelic.

gh
Vowel pairs - ei

Let’s have a look at how to pronounce the vowels ei in Gaelic.

Sh
Vowel pairs - ui

Let’s have a look at how to pronounce the vowels ui in Gaelic.

Sh
Vowel pairs - ao

Let’s have a look at how to pronounce the vowels ao in Gaelic.

gh
Vowel pairs - ea

Let’s have a look at how to pronounce the vowels ea in Gaelic.

gh
Broad L

How to pronounce the variations of the broad L sound in Gaelic.

gh
Slender L

Look at the variations of the slender L sound in Gaelic.

gh
Non-slender L

Let’s have a look at the non-slender L sound in Gaelic.

gh
Broad N

The broad N sound in Gaelic.

gh
Slender N

How to produce the slender N sound in Gaelic.

gh
Ending with an N

Let’s have a look at how N sounds at the end of a word in Gaelic.

gh
R

Let’s have a look at how to pronounce the R sounds in Gaelic.

rr
R and RR

Let’s have a look at how to pronounce the R and RR sounds in Gaelic.

ll
Double consonants - LL

Learn how to pronounce the LL.

nn
Double consonants - NN

Learn how to pronounce the NN.

rd
RD

Learn how to pronounce the RD.

nn
RT

How the consonants rt are pronounced in Gaelic.

ng
NG

Learn how to pronounce NG.

chd
CHD

Let’s have a look at how the consonants chd are pronounced.

bl
BL

Learn how to pronounce BL.

sgr
SGR

Learn how to pronounce the SGR.

cn
CN

How CN is pronounced.

ghn
GHN

How the consonants ghn are pronounced in Gaelic.