Welsh Pronunciation Guide: Every Letter, Sound, and Stress Rule

Welsh has an unfair reputation. People see Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch and conclude the language is unpronounceable. But Welsh spelling is actually one of the most phonetically consistent writing systems in Europe. Every letter (including digraphs like ll and dd) always makes the same sound. No exceptions, no silent letters, no "ough" chaos.

Learn the rules on this page and you'll be able to read any Welsh word aloud — including that famously long place name.

The Welsh Alphabet

Welsh has 28 letters (29 if you count j, which appears only in loanwords). Eight of these are digraphs — two-letter combinations that count as a single letter: ch, dd, ff, ng, ll, ph, rh, th.

The full alphabet in order: a, b, c, ch, d, dd, e, f, ff, g, ng, h, i, j, l, ll, m, n, o, p, ph, r, rh, s, t, th, u, w, y.

Letters not in the Welsh alphabet: k, q, v, x, z. If you see these in a Welsh text, the word is a borrowing.

Consonants and Digraphs

How to Pronounce Ll

Ll is the sound that defines Welsh pronunciation. It's a voiceless lateral fricative. Here's how to make it:

1. Place your tongue exactly where you would say an English "l."
2. Instead of voicing the sound, blow air past both sides of your tongue — like a breathy, hissing "l."
3. Your vocal cords should not vibrate.

It's not "cl" or "thl" or "hl" — it's its own sound. Most learners get a recognisable version within minutes of trying. It doesn't have to be perfect to be understood.

Vowels

Welsh has seven vowels: a, e, i, o, u, w, y. Yes — w and y are vowels in Welsh (they can also be consonants). Each vowel has a short and long form.

The circumflex accent (ˆ) marks a long vowel: â, ê, î, ô, û, ŵ, ŷ. It's used to distinguish pairs like man (place, short a) vs mân (fine, long a).

Stress Rules

Welsh stress is almost always on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable. This is one of the most consistent rules in the language.

• Cym-RAEG (Welsh)
• ys-GOL (school)
• Caer-DYDD (Cardiff)
• pry-NHAWN (afternoon)
• cy-FRI-fiad-UR → stress on UR? No — cy-FRIF-i-a-dur → stress on FRIF

Exceptions are rare and mostly involve loanwords or the emphatic suffix -OL (as in arddERCHog — excellent).

F vs FF: The Most Common Trip-Up

This catches every beginner. In Welsh:

• f = "v" (as in English "of")
• ff = "f" (as in English "off")

So fi (I/me) is pronounced "vee", while ffilm is pronounced "film." The word fawr (big, after soft mutation) is "vowr" — not "four."

Practice Words

Notice that every word follows the rules on this page. There are no surprises — if you know the sound rules, you know the pronunciation. For the grammar that goes alongside these sounds, see our Welsh grammar beginner's guide. And for practice phrases you can use immediately, see the 50 essential Welsh phrases.