You are here: grammar > spelling & pronunciation
Spelling and pronunciation
  • Click here to print this page. Only the contents of the middle column will be printed.
  • Send this page by e-mail
  • Bookmark this page [IE]
  • Report an error [anything: typos, broken links, a bad explanation]

This is an internal web link, which will open in the same window.Spelling exercises   This is an external web link, which will open a new browser window.Dutch spelling reform in 2006 

English version by Bieneke Berendsen :: other languages
This chapter is certainly not the most exciting topic to start out your journey through the Dutch grammar jungle with, but it is absolutely essential for a good understanding of the more interesting chapters about verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc. A proper spelling is a necessary base for everything else you will learn in this course. Read this chapter thoroughly, and get back to it regularly when going through the rest of the course.

In the following sections, we will deal with both spelling and pronunciation. First, you will learn how to divide a word into syllables. This may seem a trivial affair, but you will find that this is a very useful starting point. Only after you have familiarized yourself with dividing words into syllables, will you be able to determine how a word should be pronounced. A very useful website is This is an external web link, which will open a new browser window.www.woordenlijst.org. Enter a Dutch word and the website shows you how it is divided into syllables.

Then, we will move on to the pronunciation of Dutch words. There are sound files available for the example words but you can listen to many more Dutch words at This is an external web link, which will open a new browser window.demo.acapela-group.com. Just enter a Dutch word and listen to its pronunciation.
Questions? Questions?
     Visit our forum!