Learning Danish is easier with an account
Interactive pronunciation guide
How to pronounce Danishwhen it isn't said the way it's written
“What's your name?”
WrittenSaid
HvadvaSilent letters
hedderhethaSoft d · -er → a
du?doo
Why it matters
Grammar mistakes are forgiven. Sound mistakes aren't.
01Danes won't understand youPerfect sentences with the wrong vowels turn into different words. Danes politely switch to English, and you lose the practice.
02You won't recognise words you knowYou know hvad hedder du? on paper. Out loud it's closer to "va hetha doo". Reading doesn't prepare your ear.
03You'll say things you don't meanSome words differ by one small sound. Tap a pair to hear it:
Seven things English speakers run into
Why is Danish so hard to pronounce?
æ ø åThree extra lettersNot decoration: each is its own vowel, and ø and å have no close English match.Danish Vowels →
ni / nyMore vowels than lettersThe same letter can sound different in different words, and Danish uses far more vowel sounds than it has vowel letters.Danish Vowels →
hvadSilent lettersh before v and j, d after n and l, and plenty of word endings are written but never said.Silent Letters →
madSoft d, g and vAfter a vowel these consonants soften or melt into the vowel. The soft d is close to the th in English "the".Stød and the Soft D →
hundA catch in the voiceSome words get a tiny break in the voice, like the middle of "uh-oh". Spelling never shows it.Stød and the Soft D →
jeg harFast, reduced speechSmall words shrink and run together. Natural Danish can sound like one long word.Reduction →
Not sure which one is you?Pick what's going wrong and get a place to start.What's going wrong for me? ↓The good news
Part of it follows rules. The rest you pick up by ear.
Learn as rules
Patterns that hold almost every time. Learn them once and use them on words you've never seen.
hv- hj- → v- j-hvad, hvor, hjem: the h is silent
-nd -ld → -n -lhund, kold: the d drops
-er → abager, hedder, lærer
vowel + d → soft dmad, gade: close to the th in "the"
Learn by ear
No neat rule: you memorise these at first. Keep listening and copying Danes and they start to feel natural.
Which sound a vowel makeso in ost and op, e in hel and let. Learn it word by word.
Where the voice catchesThere are tendencies, but you mostly learn the stød with each word.
How much words shrinkDepends on speed, region and mood. Your ear learns it with exposure.
The melody of a sentencePicked up by copying, not by reading descriptions.
- 1Learn the rulesGet the patterns down quickly.
- 2Listen a lotSlow first, then at full speed.
- 3Copy out loudRepeat straight after the audio until it feels automatic.
Where to start
What's going wrong for you?
Usually vowels and the stød, not grammar.
Danes recognise words by their vowels first. Get those right, plus the stød, and more conversations stay in Danish.