Pronunciation

Introduction

This is the most difficult part of the language. Like English, it is rarely pronounced the way it's written.

If you've already met a Dane, you might have been challenged with this phrase: Rødgrød med fløde

It means 'Red pudding with cream'

It is fairly important to pronounce Danish correctly. Unlike English, which is more widely spoken, Danish does not easily tolerate deviations. You might on the odd occasion find yourself misunderstood because of a single sound, especially the farther away you move from Copenhagen.

For example, in et æg

(an egg) the g sounds a bit like a k. It is not pronounced with the voiced g as it is in English.
To you the two words might sound quite similar, but many Danish speakers won't understand you if you say egg.

The following pages will introduce you to the Danish alphabet and give examples of how each letter is pronounced in different words.