KoseligTalk
GrammaruttaleDet norske alfabetet og spesielle bokstaver
uttaleA1

Det norske alfabetet og spesielle bokstaver

[The Norwegian Alphabet & Special Letters (Æ, Ø, Å)]

1. The 29 Letters of the Alphabet

Norwegian uses the Latin alphabet with three extra vowels at the end: Æ, Ø, and Å. Letters C, Q, W, X, and Z are almost exclusively used in foreign loanwords.

Letter
A a(A a)
Letter Name
a(ah)
Sound / Transcription
[ɑː] / [ɑ]([ɑː] (like 'father'))
Example Word (translation)
ape(monkey)
Letter
B b(B b)
Letter Name
be(beh)
Sound / Transcription
[b]([b])
Example Word (translation)
bok(book)
Letter
C c(C c)
Letter Name
se(seh)
Sound / Transcription
[s] eller [k]([s] before e/i/y, [k] elsewhere)
Example Word (translation)
camping(camping)
Letter
D d(D d)
Letter Name
de(deh)
Sound / Transcription
[d] (ofte stum til slutt)([d] (often silent at word ends))
Example Word (translation)
dag(day)
Letter
E e(E e)
Letter Name
e(eh)
Sound / Transcription
[eː] / [ɛ] / [ə]([eː] long / [ɛ] short)
Example Word (translation)
eple(apple)
Letter
F f(F f)
Letter Name
eff(eff)
Sound / Transcription
[f]([f])
Example Word (translation)
fisk(fish)
Letter
G g(G g)
Letter Name
ge(geh)
Sound / Transcription
[ɡ] eller [j] foran i/y/ei([ɡ] or [j] before i/y/ei)
Example Word (translation)
gate(street)
Letter
H h(H h)
Letter Name
hå(haw)
Sound / Transcription
[h] (stum foran v og j)([h] (silent before v and j))
Example Word (translation)
hus(house)
Letter
I i(I i)
Letter Name
i(ee)
Sound / Transcription
[iː] / [ɪ]([iː] (like 'see'))
Example Word (translation)
is(ice cream / ice)
Letter
J j(J j)
Letter Name
jodd(yodd)
Sound / Transcription
[j]([j] (like English 'yes'))
Example Word (translation)
ja(yes)
Letter
K k(K k)
Letter Name
kå(kaw)
Sound / Transcription
[k] eller [ç] foran i/y/ei([k] or [ç] ('kj-sound') before i/y)
Example Word (translation)
kaffe(coffee)
Letter
L l(L l)
Letter Name
ell(ell)
Sound / Transcription
[l] / [ɭ]([l] light European l)
Example Word (translation)
lese(read)
Letter
M m(M m)
Letter Name
emm(emm)
Sound / Transcription
[m]([m])
Example Word (translation)
mat(food)
Letter
N n(N n)
Letter Name
enn(enn)
Sound / Transcription
[n]([n])
Example Word (translation)
natt(night)
Letter
O o(O o)
Letter Name
o(oo)
Sound / Transcription
[uː] eller [ɔ](usually [uː] (like 'boot'), sometimes [ɔ])
Example Word (translation)
ost(cheese (pronounced [ust]))
Letter
P p(P p)
Letter Name
pe(peh)
Sound / Transcription
[pʰ] (aspirert p)([p] aspirated)
Example Word (translation)
pause(break)
Letter
Q q(Q q)
Letter Name
ku(koo)
Sound / Transcription
[k]([k] (loanwords only))
Example Word (translation)
quiz(quiz)
Letter
R r(R r)
Letter Name
err(err)
Sound / Transcription
[ɾ] (rullende) / [ʁ] (skarre-r)(tapped [ɾ] or uvular [ʁ])
Example Word (translation)
rød(red)
Letter
S s(S s)
Letter Name
ess(ess)
Sound / Transcription
[s]([s] always voiceless)
Example Word (translation)
sol(sun)
Letter
T t(T t)
Letter Name
te(teh)
Sound / Transcription
[tʰ] (aspirert t)([t] aspirated (silent in -et))
Example Word (translation)
tog(train)
Letter
U u(U u)
Letter Name
u(close central rounded [ʉː])
Sound / Transcription
[ʉː] / [ʉ](between 'oo' and 'ee')
Example Word (translation)
ugle(owl)
Letter
V v(V v)
Letter Name
ve(veh)
Sound / Transcription
[v]([v])
Example Word (translation)
vann(water)
Letter
W w(W w)
Letter Name
dobbelt-ve(double-veh)
Sound / Transcription
[v]([v] (loanwords only))
Example Word (translation)
web(web)
Letter
X x(X x)
Letter Name
eks(eks)
Sound / Transcription
[ks]([ks])
Example Word (translation)
xylofon(xylophone)
Letter
Y y(Y y)
Letter Name
y(rounded [yː])
Sound / Transcription
[yː] / [ʏ](German ü / French u)
Example Word (translation)
lys(light)
Letter
Z z(Z z)
Letter Name
sett(sett)
Sound / Transcription
[s]([s] (pronounced voiceless))
Example Word (translation)
zebra(zebra (pronounced [sebra]))
Letter
Æ æ(Æ æ)
Letter Name
æ(ash)
Sound / Transcription
[æː] / [æ]([æː] (like English 'bad'))
Example Word (translation)
bær(berry)
Letter
Ø ø(Ø ø)
Letter Name
ø(o-slash)
Sound / Transcription
[øː] / [œ]([øː] (like French 'peu' / German 'schön'))
Example Word (translation)
dør(door)
Letter
Å å(Å å)
Letter Name
å(a-ring)
Sound / Transcription
[oː] / [ɔ]([oː] (like English 'door' or 'saw'))
Example Word (translation)
båt(boat)
In the Norwegian alphabet, Æ, Ø, and Å come at the very end, after Z. This is crucial to remember when browsing Norwegian dictionaries!

2. The Three Unique Letters: Æ, Ø, and Å

These three vowels do not exist in standard English, but they are vital in Norwegian. Pronouncing them clearly ensures native speakers understand you:

Letter & IPA
Æ æ [æː](Æ æ [æː] (broad e))
Mouth & Tongue Position
Åpne munnen bredt som ved A, men si E. Tungen er flat og lav.(Open your mouth wide as for A, but produce an E. Tongue lies low and flat.)
Minimal Pairs (sound changes meaning)
bær vs bar • lære vs leire • være vs vare(bær [bæːr] (berry) vs bar [bɑːr] (bar) • lære [læːrə] (to learn))
Letter & IPA
Ø ø [øː](Ø ø [øː] (rounded front vowel))
Mouth & Tongue Position
Si lyden E og rund leppene som om du skal plystre eller si O.(Shape your lips to say O, but try to pronounce E. Similar to French 'feu'.)
Minimal Pairs (sound changes meaning)
dør vs der • sønn vs sånn • øl vs el(dør [døːr] (door) vs der [dæːr] (there) • øl [øːl] (beer))
Letter & IPA
Å å [oː](Å å [oː] (deep open o))
Mouth & Tongue Position
En ren, dyp O-lyd. Leppene er lett rundede, munnen er middels åpen.(A pure, open O sound as in British 'saw' or American 'law'.)
Minimal Pairs (sound changes meaning)
båt vs bot • låne vs lane • gå vs god(båt [boːt] (boat) vs bot [buːt] (fine) • gå [ɡoː] (to walk/go))
Crucial difference between O and Å: Letter O in Norwegian is usually pronounced like [U] (ost = [ust], bok = [buk]), whereas letter Å is ALWAYS pronounced like [O] (båt = [båt], gå = [gå])!

3. The Vowel Triad I - Y - U and Key Diphthongs

Distinguishing I, Y, and U is a classic milestone for Norwegian learners. Norwegian also features three prominent diphthongs:

Sound / Combination
I i(I i)
Written Transcription
[iː] (som i 'is')([iː] like 'see')
Pronunciation & Word Examples
Munnen smiler bredt: bil [biːl], fin [fiːn], vi [viː](Lips smile wide: bil (car), fin (fine))
Sound / Combination
Y y(Y y)
Written Transcription
[yː] (som tysk ü)([yː] German ü / French u)
Pronunciation & Word Examples
Tungen er som for I, men leppene er spisset: lys [lyːs], by [byː](Tongue says 'ee', lips purse tight: lys (light), by (city))
Sound / Combination
U u(U u)
Written Transcription
[ʉː] (som i 'hus')([ʉː] close central rounded)
Pronunciation & Word Examples
Leppene er formet som et lite rør midt i munnen: hus [hʉːs], sur [sʉːr](Central rounded: hus (house), sur (sour))
Sound / Combination
Diftong: EI / EG(Diphthong: EI / EG)
Written Transcription
[æɪ]([æɪ] (glides from broad e to i))
Pronunciation & Word Examples
vei [væɪ], nei [næɪ], jeg [jæɪ], meg [mæɪ](vei (road), nei (no), jeg (I), meg (me))
Sound / Combination
Diftong: ØY(Diphthong: ØY)
Written Transcription
[øʏ]([øʏ] (glides from ø to y))
Pronunciation & Word Examples
øy [øʏ], røyke [røʏkə], høyre [høʏrə](øy (island), røyke (to smoke), høyre (right))
Sound / Combination
Diftong: AU(Diphthong: AU)
Written Transcription
[æʉ]([æʉ] (glides from æ to u))
Pronunciation & Word Examples
pause [pæʉsə], august [æʉɡʉst], sau [sæʉ](pause (break), august (August), sau (sheep))

4. Silent Letters in Norwegian

Norwegian spelling retains many silent consonants from older forms. The four most common rules are silent D, T, G, and H:

Silent Letter
Stum D(Silent D)
Phonetic Drop Rule
D er stum til slutt i mange vanlige ord, samt i kombinasjonene -ld, -nd og -rd.(D is silent at the end of core words, and in consonant clusters -ld, -nd, and -rd.)
Word Examples (with spoken sound)
med [meː], det [deː], bord [buːr], kald [kɑl], hånd [hɔn](med = [meː] (with), det = [deː] (it/that), bord = [buːr] (table), kald = [kal] (cold))
Silent Letter
Stum T(Silent T)
Phonetic Drop Rule
T er stum i ordet 'det' og i alle intetkjønnsord med bestemt form ending (-et).(T is silent in the word 'det' and in the definite neuter suffix (-et).)
Word Examples (with spoken sound)
det [deː], huset [hʉːsə], eplet [ɛplə], bordet [buːrə](det = [deː] (it), huset = [hʉːse] (the house), eplet = [eple] (the apple))
Silent Letter
Stum G(Silent G)
Phonetic Drop Rule
G er stum i ordet 'og' (og = [å]), samt i adjektiv-endingen -ig og -lig.(G is silent in the conjunction 'og' (pronounced [å]), and in adjective endings -ig and -lig.)
Word Examples (with spoken sound)
og [ɔ], koselig [kuːʃlɪ], vanskelig [vɑnskəlɪ], rolig [ruːlɪ](og = [å] (and), koselig = [koosh-lee] (cozy), vanskelig = [vanskelig] (difficult))
Silent Letter
Stum H(Silent H)
Phonetic Drop Rule
H er alltid stum foran V og J i spørreord og vanlige ord.(H is always silent before V and J at the beginning of question words and core verbs.)
Word Examples (with spoken sound)
hva [vɑː], hvem [vɛm], hvor [vur], hvordan [vurdɑn], hjelp [jɛlp](hva = [va] (what), hvem = [vem] (who), hvor = [voor] (where), hjelp = [yelp] (help))
Notice: Both the conjunction 'og' (and) and the infinitive marker 'å' sound 100% identical in spoken Norwegian: [å]!
All topics
Grammatikk[Overview]
Next
Vokallengde og dobbeltkonsonant[Vowel Length and Double Consonants]