 | This is thepronunciation key forIPA transcriptions of Hebrew on Wikipedia. It provides a set of symbols to represent the pronunciation of Hebrew in Wikipedia articles, and example words that illustrate the sounds that correspond to them. Integrity must be maintained between the key and the transcriptions that link here; do not change any symbol or value without establishingconsensus on thetalk page first. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. For the distinction between[ ],/ / and ⟨ ⟩, seeIPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters. |
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The charts below show the way in which theInternational Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) representsBiblical andModernHebrew language pronunciations in Wikipedia articles. For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, seeTemplate:IPA andWikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Entering IPA characters.
Since Modern Hebrew has different pronunciations in Israel, certain letters may be transcribed differently depending on the background of the speaker. SeeBiblical Hebrew phonology andModern Hebrew phonology for a more thorough look at the sounds of Hebrew.
| IPA | Usual pronunciation | Letter(s) | Romanisation | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ð | d /z | ד׳ (Dalet withgeresh) | dh | the |
| ɣ | ʁ /ɡ | ע׳[7] (Ayin withgeresh) orר׳[7] (Resh withgeresh) | gh | No English equivalent;ArabicGhayn (غ) |
| ŋ | ŋɡ | נג (Nun-Gimel) | ng | ring |
| θ | t /s | ת׳[8] (Tav withgeresh) | th | thing |
| TH | MH | Letter(s) | Romanization | English approximation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a |  (Patach), (Hataf Patach) | TH: a, ă MH: a | Scottish bath | |
| eː | ej (e)[9] | י (Tzere-Yodh), (Zeire) | TH: ē MH: eor ei/ey | TH: Scottish bay MH: bay |
| e̞ | Scottish bay | |||
| ɛ |  (Segol), (Hataf Segol) | TH: e, ĕ MH: e | bed | |
| ə | e̞ (e)[9] |  (Shva) | TH: e/ĕ MH: eor unwritten | TH: comma MH: bed |
| ∅[10] | TH: comma MH: silent | |||
| i |  (Hiriq) | i | see | |
| iː | i | י(Hiriq-Yud) | TH: ī MH: i | |
| oː | o |  (Holam alone),וֹ (with anymater lectionis) | TH: ō MH: o | story |
| ɔ |  (Kamatz katan), (Hataf Kamatz) | TH: o, ŏ MH: o | TH:off MH: story | |
| ɔː | a | (Kamatz) | TH: ā MH: a | TH:off MH: Scottish bath |
| u |  (Kubutz) | u | cool | |
| uː | u | וּ (Vav withshuruk) | TH: ū MH: u | |
| IPA | Letter(s) | Romanization | English approximation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ao | אוֹ (Patach-Holam),אוֹ (Kamatz-Holam) | ao | cow |
| au | אוּ (Patach-Shuruk),אוּ (Kamatz-Shuruk) | au | |
| eu | אוּ (Segol-Shuruk),אוּ (Tzere-Shuruk) | eu | no (some dialects[11]) |
| ou | וֹאוּ (Holam-Shuruk) | ou | goal |
| IPA | Explanation |
|---|---|
| ˈ | Primary stress (placedbefore the stressed syllable):אֹכֶל ('food')/ˈʔoχel/,אוֹכֵל ('eating' [participle])/ʔoˈχel/ |
| ˌ | Secondary stress, e.g.הַאֻמְנָם? ('oh, really?')/ˌhaʔumˈnam/ |
| ː | Long vowels (inTiberian Hebrew) can be transcribed using the IPA gemination signː: the word for "hand" would beיָד/jɔːð/ in absolute state andיַד־/jað/ in construct state.[12] Indicating normative consonant gemination uses a double consonant:גַּנָּב ('a thief')/ɡanˈnav/not/ɡaˈnːav/ |