EI/IJ in Dutch - Skip General Introduction

Pronunciation: Hear for Yourself

Adjectives in most positions get an -E  ending ‑>>
Several words appear twice on the page. I do not have an infinite number of recordings, and some combinations of letters are rarely or never found in Dutch.

Spelling and Pronunciation

• a double vowel is always 'long'
  (de) slaap ('sleep') - (de) vloot 2 ('fleet')
• a single vowel at the end of a word is always 'long' (except E)
  (de) sla ('lettuce') - (de) vlo 2 ('flea') - de 2 ('the' #1)
• a single vowel followed by one or more consonants at the end of a word is 'short'
  slap ('weak') - (het) vlot 2 3 ('raft')
• a single vowel followed by one consonant followed by another vowel is 'long.' (The syllables split is before the single consonant. This is somewhat like English 'silent E')
  slapen (sla-pen) ('to sleep) vloten (vlo-ten) 2 ('fleets')
• a single vowel followed by two or more consonants is 'short.' (The syllable break is between the consonants)
  slappe (slap-pe) ('weak') - vlotten (vlot-ten) 2 3 ('rafts')
  This rule 'works' for double consonants, but not always when the consonants are different
• The 'voiceless, unstressed E' (the 'schwa') is a problem ‑>>
• Diphthongs don't have 'short' and 'long' forms
• Vowels and diphthongs are a little longer when followed by R

mannen (man-nen) 2

(de) maan 2 ('moon')

manen (ma-nen) 2 3

'Long' and 'short' are traditional terms. The difference is actually more of tone than length
More about spelling and pronunciation - another version

Major Exceptions to the Phonetic Spelling of Dutch
- Page 1:   een   -IG   -ISCH   -LIJK  
- Page 2:   -B   -D   SCHR   -TIE   UW   WR
Hear the Dutch Letters in Hundreds of Words:
 AU/OU  EU  F  G  H  L  OE  SCH  U  UI  W  X  Y
'Master Lists' of Dutch words: Dutch to English - English to Dutch

EI/IJ in Dutch - Hear for Yourself

(de) ei (ij) 2
The letters EI and IJ stand for a problematic Dutch sound: 2
There is no sound like it in English or German, but French has a sound like it in words like soleil 2 ('sun') or the city of Marseille but I don't know about other languages that have it.
The sound can be represented by the letters EI or IJ - getting the spelling correct is also a problem for many Dutch people. To differentiate between the two spellings we say:
EI: korte ei 2 ('short ei')
IJ: lange ij 2 ('long ij')
(het) ei 2 'egg'  - eieren 'eggs'
het IJ 2 / 't IJ 2 3 a 'river' flowing through Amsterdam
EI and IJ are just different ways to represent the same sound
- ei hei steil ('egg / moor, heath / steep')
- IJ hij stijl ('body of water near Amsterdam / he / style')

There is no sound like Dutch EI/IJ in English, but I've read somewhere (I forgot where, and I'm not sure that it is useful to you) that the sound is "somewhere between English FATE and FIGHT" - hear Dutch feit ('fact')
- or "between MATE and MIGHT" - hear Dutch: mijt ('parasitic bug') / meid 2 ('girl' - slang)
There is a sound in Dutch written as as AÏ or AI ('short A' + Consonant Y (Dutch J)) that is very much like English I in MINE, but it is unusual, there are only a few words that have this sound:
maïs 2 maize, Indian corn
Thais Thai
pais en vree 'peace and peace,' very quiet

mees 2 titmouse (a bird)
meis 2 3 "girl" (slang)
maïs 2 maize, corn
mees / meis / maïs 2

Trees (girl's name)
Thijs (boy's name)
Thais Thai
Trees / Thijs / Thais 2

(de) eland elk, moose
(het) eiland 2 island
Thailand

Also compare with 'long A' + Consonant Y (Dutch J)

mei May
maai (I) mow - maaien to mow
mij me
mei / maai / mij

hei heath, moor
haai shark
hij he
hei / haai / hij

(het) maïsfeest 2 corn festival
(de) maïsbrij 2 'corn mash,' mashed corn
(de) snijmaïs 2 3 ['cutting corn'] corn fodder, corn animal feed
(het) maïsmeel corn flour
Maizena corn flour brand
(de) zaaitijd 'sowing time'

Hear a few more EI's and IJ's:
- vrijheid blijheid 2 ('freedom brings along, creates happiness')
(de) vrijheid (liberty, freedom)
(de) gelijkheid (equality)
(de) broederschap (brotherhood)
Vrijheid, gelijkheid, broederschap 2 (the slogan of the French Revolution)
Bij tijd en wijle from time to time - old-fashioned
Beidt Uw tijd 2 3 Bide your time, wait for the right moment - old-fashioned
wijd en zijd 2 far and wide
Wie schrijft, die blijft [he who writes, remains] - 'the person writing down the scores always remains in the game'
zij zijn rijk 2 they are rich
Rij jij of rij ik? 2 3 Are you the one who's driving or am I? - asked of backseat drivers 'n heitje voor 'n karweitje 2 'a quarter for a little job' - old boy scouts fundraising slogan

(de) ijstijd 2 ('ice age') - Dutchmen often write the two dots on top of " ij " as a bar.

"IJ" is by Dutch people seen as one letter, and when appropriate, I and J are both capitalized: IJsselmeer, IJsland. I've seen " Ij " in foreign books and it looks really weird to me

In a trend called Poldernederlands 2 3 4 EI and IJ are pronounced somewhat like (... attempting ...) 'aai' 2 ('long' A + Consonant-Y (Dutch J)) - for instance (... attempting ...) (het) maaisje 2 3 4 5 ('girl') - regular: (het) meisje - I don't think it's a very widespread trend

English 'I' and German 'EI'
Hear me say English 'mile' and 'lime:'
mile 2 ('mile') and Dutch: - (het) meel ('flour') - (de) mijl ('mile')
lime 2 ('lime') and Dutch - (het) leem 2 ('loam, clay, mud') - (de) lijm ('glue') - see also

Dutch EI is different from German EI. Hear my German (with Dutch accent - an American friend who spoke Geman said my German pronunciation doesn't have the crispness of real German):
- eigen 2 3 (math term) - Klein 2 ('small' / a family name)
Reinheitsgebot (Reinheitsgesetz ) ('Law of Purity' - for beer ingredients)
die Zeit 2 - Zeitgeist 2
- Daß war einmal ('That once was, never coming back')
Halt! Ein Feuer 2
Mein Gott! 2 / mein Deutsch ~~
- to me, German 'EI' sounds very much like English 'I'

"Y" is called (de) i-Grèc 2 'Greek i' or (de) Ypsilon - the Greek word for the letter. In Dutch, Y is usually a vowel, pronounced like 'short I' or 'long I' - mostly according to the spelling and pronunciation rules - smartphone. Only when followed by a vowel (and then often often also prededed a vowel) it's said as consonant-Y, pronounced like Dutch J.
The Dutch alphabet shows a Y but it's said as Dutch EI/IJ
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
more about Y in Dutch

Hear the Examples

Note that when connecting with a vowel, the Consonant-Y (Dutch J) sound at the end of the IJ-diphthong becomes a little stronger:
- vrij / vrijer ('free / more free') - dij / dijen ('thigh / thighs') - gedijen ('to grow well' - plants) - Bulgarije ('Bulgaria') - zijig ('silky, slimy' - person)

The 'first series' is grouped by the letter after the EI/IJ's, the 'second series' is grouped by the letter before the EI/IJ's:

Introducion 2: EI/IJ Beginnings and Endings
- first series: EI/IJA‑EI/IJZ
- second series: BEI/IJ‑ZEI/IJ

the: de 2 / het 2 3 - 't ->>
Plurals always take 'de'
a: (een) - 'n / one: één 2 3

Repeat the words after me, try saying them like I do, and record yourself or ask a friend to compare how you say them with how I say them. Try to bring your pronunciation of the words closer and closer to how I say them. Use as few or as many examples as you like.

EI/IJ Beginnings and Endings
EI‑ / IJ‑	- (het) ei 2 ('egg') - (de) eik ('oak') - (de) eis ('demand') - ijl 2 3 4 ('thin' - air) - (het) ijs ('ice' // 'ice cream')
‑EI / ‑IJ	- (de) hei ('heath, moor' // 'heather') - (de) kei 2 3 ('rock, boulder') - (het/de) lei ('slate' // 'writing board') - mei ('May' - the month of) - [(de)] bij 2 ('~near/at/with/by ‑>> // side- ‑>> // 'bee') - (de) dij 2 ('thigh') - gij 2 (Flemish 'you') - hij ('he') - jij ('you' - singular informal - first person. object) - mij ('me') - (de) rij 2 ('row, line') - (het) tij ('tide') - wij 2 ('we') ‑>> - zij 2 ('she' // 'they')

-A	- (de) vijand 2 ('enemy') - (de) aartsvijand 2 ('archenemy') - vijandelijk 2 ('of the enemy, hostile') - vijandig 2 ('hostile')
-AA	- (de) beiaard 2 ('bell-ringer')
-B	- (de) heibel ('trouble, commotion' - slang) - Carien Kleibeuker 2 3 (speed skater) - (het) bijbaantje 2 ('side job') - (de) glijbaan ('slide' - playground) - (de) bijbel 2 / bijbels ('bible'/'bibles') - (de) spijbelaar 2 3 ('truant' - absent from school without a good reason) - spijbelen 2 ('play truant, play hooky') - snijbloemen ('cut flowers' - for bouquets) - 'n rij bomen 2 ('a line of trees') - Friso Nijboer 2 (chess grandmaster) - Vrijburg (a town in South Africa)
-C	The IJ in the town of Wijchen 2 is pronounced as EE (Dutch IE)
-D	- (de) arbeid 2 3 ('labor,' "work") - ik leid ('I lead, I'm leading') - (de) heiden / (heidenen 2 ('heathen'/'heathens') - (de) leider ('leader') - (de) leidster 2 3 ('female leader' - but usually the word means 'female Kindergarten teacher') - (de) leidtoon 2 ('leading tone' - music) - (de) verleiding 2 3 ('temptation') - (de) zoetigheid 2 3 ([sweetness] - 'candy') - (het) afscheid ('goodbye, leave-taking') - (de) waarheid 2 ('truth') - (de) veiligheid 2 3 ('safety, security') - (de) wijsheid 2 3 ('wisdom') - (de) gelijkheid 2 3 ('equality') - (het) kleinigheidje 2 3 ('little, irrelevant thing, trifle') - (de) eenheid 2 ('unity' // 'unit') - de Ouheid ('Antiquity') - (de) eeuwigheid 2 ('eternity') - (de) gastvrijheid 2 3 4 5 6 7 ('hospitality') - (de) gekkigheid 2 3 ('silliness') - (de) Leidse Fles 2 3 ('Leyden [bottle] Jar' - an early capacitator or condenser) - (de) bereidheid 2 ('readiness, willingness') - (de) nijd ('envy' // 'enmity, malice') - (de) strijd ('struggle, battle') - (de) tijd 2 3 ('time') ‑>> - wijd ('wide') - wijde weiden ([wide] 'large meadows') - (de) vrijdag ('Friday') - (de) strijdbijl 2 ('battleaxe') - ijdel 2 3 ('vain') - nijdig 2 3 4 ('angry') - (de) bevrijding ('liberation') - (de) tijdgenoot 2 ('contemporary' - person) - (de) strijdkreet 2 ('battle cry') - tijdloos 2 3 ('timeless'- "never gets old") - (het) strijdperk 2 3 ('battlefield') - (de) bijdrage 2 ('contribution')
-E	- (het) rijexamen 2 ('driving test')
-EE	- bijeen 2 3 ('together ~gathered') - bijeenkomen 2 ('to meet, congregate') - (de) bijeenkomst 2 ('meeting, assembly')
‑ Euh	- de Leie (a river in Belgium - aardbeien ('strawberries') - breien ('to knit') - heien 2 ('to drive piles into the ground' - for a building foundation on soft soil) - keien 2 ('rocks, boulders') - eieren ('eggs') - Meier/Meijer/Meyer (a family name) - blij / blije / blijblije ('happy, glad') - vrij / vrije 2 / vrijvrije 2 3 4 ('free') - nabije 2 ('near' - in time) - bijen 2 ('bees') - dijen 2 ('thighs') - Nijenrode 2 (a business school) - specerijen 2 ('spices') ‑>> - partijen ('political parties' // '~batches')
-F	- weifelen ('to hesitate') - (het) lijf ('human body' - slang, impolite) ('slimeball') - (het) verblijf 2 ('stay' // 'residence, place to stay') - (de) olijf 2 ('olive') - IJslijf 2 3 ('ice body' - a historical tulip) - stijf ('stiff, inflexible') - (het) bedrijf 2 ('business, company') - (de) schijf ('disk') - vijf ('5') - (de) vijfde 2 ('fifth') - twijfelen 2 3 ('to doubt') - (het) cijfer / cijfers ('number'/'numbers') ‑>> - lijfeigenen 2 ('serfs' - almost slaves) ‑>> - Lijfland 2 ('Livonia,' - Medieval name, ~Latvia & Estonia) - (de) olijfolie ('olive oil') - (de) schijfrem 2 ('disk brake') - vijfvoud 2 3 ('five-fold,' - 5 copies) - (de) lijfwacht 2 ('bodyguard')
-G	- (de) dreigbrief 2 3 ('threatening letter') - (het) eigeel ([egg-yellow] 'egg yolk') - eigen ('~own, ~personal, ~private') ‑>> - (de) eigenaar ('owner') - eigendom ('property') - eigenlijk 2 ("actually") ‑>> - dreigen ('to threaten') - (de) reiger 2 ('heron' - a bird) - weigeren 2 ('to refuse') - (de) dreiging 2 3 ('threat') - (de) vijg 2 ('fig') - zwijg! 2 ('shut up! keep your mouth shut!' - (het) bijgebouw 2 3 ('annex,' side building) - vijgen ('figs') - krijgen ('to get, receive' - without effort ‑>> - zwijgen 2 3 ('to be silent, not speak') - (de) krijger 2 ('brave,' native American warrior) - (de) tijger ('tiger') - (het) bijgerecht 2 3 ('side dish') - (de) vrijgezel ('bachelor')
-H	- keihard 2 3 ('hard, powerful, high-energy, with much effort' // 'very loud') - hij heeft 2 ('he has') - (de) blijheid 2 ('happiness, being cheerful') - (de) vrijheid 2 ('freedom, liberty') - vrijheid blijheid 2 ('freedom brings along, creates happiness') In the name of the village of Wijhe H is pronounced as Consonant Y (Dutch J)
-I	The -IG ending is pronounced with voiceless, unstressed E ('the 'schwa') and not the 'short I' you'd expect from the spelling - more - heiïg ('hazy')
-K	- (de) eik ('oak') - (de) eikel 2 3 / eikels ('acorn'/acorns') - (het) bereik 2 3 ('reach, range') - Van der Eiken 2 3 4 (a family name) - (de) scheikundige 2 3 ('chemist, expert in chemistry') - (de) reikwijdte 2 ('reach, extent') - ijken 2 3 ('to calibrate,' set or check measuring instruments) - (de) dijk 2 ('dike, levee') - kijken ('to look') ‑>> - Kijkduin 2 3 (a town // 1673 sea battle) - (het) lijk ('corpse,' dead human body) - (het) slijk 2 ('mire, sludge') - (het) blijk ('evidence') - gelijk 2 ('equal') ‑>> - (de) gelijkheid ('equality') But note that the IJ in the -lijk  2 ending is pronounced as 'voiceless, unstressed E' (the 'schwa') - for instance - heimelijk 2 ('secretly') - many more -LIJK-ending words - Nijkerk (a town) - (de) spijker ('nail' - carpentry) - [(het)] rijk ('rich' ‑>> // 'realm,' "empire") - 't Rijk 2 ('the State' - all the govenment departments and administration bodies, the whole government bureaucracy, all Dutch government institutions together) - (de) rijkdom ([richness] - 'wealth') - Marijke (a girls' name) - (het) strijkijzer ('ironing iron') - (de) wijk ('neighborhood,' city district') - (de) zijkant 2 ('side') ‑>>
-L	- (het) onheil 2 3 ('disaster, doom,' bad things) - (het) eiland 2 ('island') - heilzaam 2 3 ('beneficial,' good for health) - (het) peil ('level') - (de) teil ('zinc basin') - (het) teiltje ('small zinc basin') - veil ('of no value' - very old-fashioned) - (de) dweil 2 ('rag for wet-cleaning floors') ‑>> - (het) zeil ('sail, tarp' // 'linoleum') - (de) zeilboot 2 ('sailboat') - (het) zeilschip ('sailing ship,' "tall ship") - ijl 2 3 4 ('thin' - air) - ijlen 2 3 ('to hurry' // feverish nonsense-talking) - (de) ijlbode 2 ('courier, express messenger' - old-fashioned) - IJlst 2 (a town) - (de) bijl ('axe') - (de) strijdbijl 2 ('battleaxe') - (de) mijlpaal 2 ('milestone') - (het) nijlpaard 2 ('hippo, hippopotamus' - [river Nile horse]) - (de) pijl 2 ('arrow') - (de) stijl ('style') - (de) vijl ('file' - a tool for smoothing or shaping) - terwijl 2 ('while') ‑>> - Delfzijl (a town) - Zijlstra 2 (a family name) note that IJ in 'dikwijls' 2 3 is pronounced as 'voiceless, unstressed E' (the 'schwa') - it's an old-fahioned, formal word for 'often'
-M	- Eimers 2 (a family name) - (het) geheim 2 ('secret') - geheim 2 / geheime / geheim/geheime ('secret') - (het) geheimpje 2 3 ('little secret') - (het) geheimschrift 2 ('cypher, secret code') - geheimzinnig 2 ('mysterious') - heimelijk 2 ('secretly') - (de) heimwee 2 ('homesickness' - German: 'Heimweh') - Reimerswaal (a 'drowned' Medieval town) - IJmuiden 2 (a town) - (de) lijm ('glue') - lijmen 2 ('to glue') - (de) slijmbal 2 3 ('slimeball') - vlijmscherp ('very sharp' - knives) - Nijmegen (a town) - (het) rijm 2 3 4 ('rhyme') - Sijmen (a boys' name) - (de) tijm ('thyme') - (het) sijsje 2 3 ('bird' - slang)
-N	- (het) eind 2 ('end') - (het) einde 2 ('end') - Deinze (a town in Belgium) - (de) gein ('fun' - slang) - (het) geintje ('practical joke, something funny') - geinig 2 ('funny, entertaining') - Hein (a boys' name) - (het) porselein 2 ('porcelain, china') - klein 2 3 4 5 / kleine ('small, little') ‑>> - rein 2 ('pure, clean' - old-fashioned) - (het) brein 2 ('brain') - (de) trein ('train') - (het) terrein 2 ('ground, field') - sein ('signal') - (het) seinhuis ('signals cabin, signals tower') - (de) kapitein 2 3 ('captain') - (de) fontein ('fountain') - veinzen ('to pretend' // 'to feign') - veinsde 2 ('pretended, feigned' - simple past singular) - weinig 2 3 4 ('little, few' ‑>>) - (de) robijn 2 ('ruby' - red diamond) - bijna 2 ('almost') ‑>> - medicijnen 2 ('medicine' // 'drugs, medications') - kapucijners ('marrowfat peas' - a bean type) - (het) gordijn 2 3 ('curtain') - fijn 2 / fijne 2 ('pleasant' // 'fine, small') - (de) dolfijn 2 ('dolphin') - (de) lijn ('line') - mijn 2 ('my, mine, my property' // 'underground minerals extraction' // bomb type) - mijn Nederland 2 3 ('my Holland') - (het) konijn 2 ('rabbit') - (het) konijntje ('small rabbit') - (de) pijn ('pain') ‑>> - (de) Florijn 2 ('Florin,' a Medieval gold coin) - (de) grijns ('grin') - grijnzen 2 ('to grin') - schijnbaar 2 3 ('apparently') ‑>> - (de) wijn 2 ('wine') - (het) zwijn 2 3 ('swine, pig') - zijn ('his' ‑>> // 'to be') ‑>> - (het) dozijn ('dozen' - 12 items)
-P	- leip ('cool, ~clever' - slang) - slijpstenen ('grindstones') - (de) nijptang ('pincer' - pliers for pulling carpentry nails) - knijpen 2 ('to squeeze') - (de) snijplank 2 3 ('cutting board') - (het) snijplankje 2 ('small cutting board') - (de) pijp ('pipe') - [(de)] rijp 2 ('ripe' // 'frost') - grijpen ('to grab, catch, get hold of') - begrijpen ('to understand' - the meaning, the idea) ‑>> - Zijpe 2 (a polder)
-R	-
-S	- (de) eis ('demand') - eisen 2 3 ('demands' // 'to demand') - (het) paleis 2 ('palace') - Heist (a town in Belgium) - (de/het) leisteen ('slate') - (de) pleister 2 ('band-aid') - (het) meisje / meisjes ('girl'/ 'girls') - (de) reis 2 ('trip, journey') - (de) zeis ('scythe') - Zeist (a town) - (het) ijs ('ice' // 'ice cream') - (de) ijsberg 2 ('iceberg') - IJsbrand (a boys' name) - (de) ijskast ('fridge, refrigerator - ijskoud 2 ('cold as ice') - IJsland ('Iceland') - ijsschotsen 2 ('ice floes') - de IJssel (a river) - (de) bijsmaak 2 3 ('side taste, hint of') - Jeroen Dijsselbloem 2 (a politician) - Gijs 2 (a boys' name) - (de) hijskraan 2 ('crane') - Parijs ('Paris') - grijs 2 / grijze 2 / grijs/grijze ('grey') - Rijssel (Dutch name of the city of Lille, France) - (de) rijst ('rice') - Massijs 2 (a family name - Medieval painters) - Thijs (a boys' name) - wijs / wijze 2 / wijs/wijze 2 ('wise') - (het) wijsje ('tune') - (de) wijsheid 2 3 ('wisdom') - (het) bewijs 2 ('proof')
-T	- (het) eitje 2 3 4 ('small egg' // a very easy task) - beitels ('chisels') - (de) geit 2 ('goat') - (het) feit / feiten ('fact'/'facts') - (het) heitje ('a quarter, 25¢ piece' - old slang) - (het) leitje ('old-fashioned slate writing board, writing with chalk, easily erased') - Majesteit ("Majesty") - pleite (gone, disappeared' - slang)) -teit ending: - (de) brutaliteit 2 ('insolence') - (de) congenialiteit ('shared genius') - de Illegaliteit 2 ('the wartime underground resistance movement) - (de) dualiteit 2 ('duality') - (de) elektriciteit 2 3 4 ('electricity') - (de) statische elektriciteit 2 3 ('static electricity') - (de) futiliteit 2 3 ('futility') - hilariteit alom 2 3 ('hilarity all around') - (de) kwaliteit 2 ('quality') - (de) loyaliteit 2 ('loyalty') - (de) majesteit ('majesty') - (de) mentaliteit 2 ('mentality, attitude') - (de) nationaliteit ('nationality') - (de) piëteit ('piety') - (de) prioriteit ('priority') - (de) rivaliteit ('rivalry') - (de) solidariteit 2 3 ('solidarityy') - (de) specialiteit ('specialty') - (de) universiteit ('university') - (de) rijksuniversiteit 2 (national university, government-funded) - (de) bijt (hole in ice) - (het) ontbijt ('breakfast') - (de) vlijt ('diligence, steadiness of work') - (de) huisvlijt 2 3 ('home industry') - (de) splijtstof 2 ('fissile material') - smijten 2 3 ('to fling, throw violently') - (het) tapijt 2 ('carpet') - (het) krijt ('chalk') - kwijt 2 ('gone, lost, not to be found, missing') ‑>> - gij zijt 2 ('thou art')
-V	- ijverig 2 3 4 5 ('hard-working, diligent, industrious') - (de) bijval 2 3 ('~support') - lijven 2 ('bodies' - slang) - blijven 2 ('to stay, remain') ‑>> - Nijvel 2 (a town in Belgium) - Nijverdal (a town) - drijven 2 3 ('to float' // 'to drive' - cattle etc.) - schrijven 2 3 ('to write') ‑>> - SCHR - wrijven 2 ('to rub') - WR - (de) wrijving 2 ('friction') - (de) vijver ('pond') - (de) veelwijverij ([many-wives thing] - 'polygamy') - bijvoorbeeld 2 ('for example, for instance') ‑>>
-W	- (het) eiwit / eiwitten ('protein' / 'proteins' ‑>>) - (het) wijwater 2 ('holy water') - vrijwel 2 ('almost, nearly') - bijwerkingen 2 ('side effects' - of medicine) - vrijwillig ('voluntarily') - (de) vrijwilliger 2 ('volunteer') - (het) rijwiel ('bicycle' - bureaucratic) ‑>> - (het) bijwoord 2 3 ('adverb' ‑>>)
-Z	- (de) keizer ('emperor' - from 'Caesar') - reizen 2 3 ('to travel') ‑>> - (de) reiziger 2 3 ('traveler') - (het) seizoen ('season') ‑>> - de seizoenen ('the seasons') - (de) bijzaak 2 ('side issue' - not important) - (de) bijzin 2 ('sub-sentence,' "subordinate clause") - (het) ijzer 2 3 ('iron') - de IJzer 2 (a river in Belgium) - grijs 2 / grijze 2 / grijs/grijze ('grey') - (de) vijzel 2 ('mortar' - grinding bowl) - wijs / wijze 2 / wijs/wijze 2 ('wise') - wijzen 2 ('wise men // 'to point at') - (de) wegwijzer ('road, direction sign') - (de) windwijzer 2 ('windvane') - (de) zonnewijzer ('sundial')

B-	- (de) beiaard 2 ('bell-ringer') - (de) arbeid 2 3 ('labor,' "work") - beide 2 ('both') - Beieren ('Bavaria') - aardbeien ('strawberries') - Beilen 2 (a town) - beitels ('chisels') - [(de)] bij 2 ('near/at/with/by ‑>> // side- ‑>> // 'bee') - nabij 2 / nabije 2 ('near' - in time) - (het) bijbaantje 2 ('side job') - (de) bijbel 2 / bijbels ('bible'/'bibles') - (de) bijdrage 2 ('contribution') - bijen 2 ('bees') - bijeen 2 ('~together') - (het) bijgebouw 2 3 ('side building, annex') - (het) bijgeloof 2 ('superstition') ‑>> - (de) bijl / bijlen ('axe'/'axes') - (de) strijdbijl ('battle-axe') - (het) bijltje ('small axe') - Corbijn 2 (a family name) - bijna 2 ('almost') ‑>> - (de) bijnier 2 ('adrenal gland' - ['kidney annex']) - (de) bijsmaak 2 3 ("secondary taste" - 'hint of') - bijten 2 ('to bite') - (het) bijtje 2 ('small, little bee') - bijvoorbeeld 2 ('for example') - bijwerkingen 2 ('side effects' - medicine) - (het) bijwoord 2 3 ('adverb') - (de) bijzaak 2 ('side issue' - not important) - (de) bijzin 2 ('sub-sentence,' "subordinate clause") The IJ in 'bijzonder' ('special') is pronounced as Dutch 'long I' (IE) and not as the EI/IJ you'd expect from the spelling een bijzondere vrouw a (great) special, extraordinary woman iets bijzonders 2 something special - [(het)] beige 2 ('beige' - a color) is a word from French, EI is pronounced as a long 'short E' and French G
C-	- medicijnen 2 ('medicine' // 'drugs, medications') - kapucijners ('marrowfat peas' - a bean type) - (het) accijns 2 ('excise' - tax) - (het) cijfer / cijfers ('number'/'numbers') ‑>>
D-	- (de) deining 2 3 ('commotion' - literally, originally: the movement of a ship in the waves) - gedeisd 2 ('~quiet, calm') - Hou je gedeisd! ('don't make a fuss, lay low, don't draw attention to yourself') - (de) dij 2 / dijen 2 / dij/dijen ('thigh'/'thighs') - (de) abdij ('abbey, monastery') - dijk 2 ('levee, dike') - (het) gordijn 2 3 ('curtain') - radijsjes ('radishes') - (de) andijvie ('Cichorium endivia' - a vegetable)
Euh-	- beëindigen 2 ('to end, stop') - korte ei 2 ('short ei:' EI) - lange ij 2 ('long ij:' IJ) eendeëi 2 ("ducks' egg") a silly ca. 2000 spelling reform says it's now to be spelled 'eendenei.' I don't think this new N is pronounced much. ‑>>
F-	- (het) feit / feiten ('fact'/'facts') - fijn 2 / fijne 2 ('pleasant' // 'fine, small') - ragfijn 2 3 ([fine like a spider's web] - 'very subtle') - (de) dolfijn 2 ('dolphin') - (de) fijnproever 2 ('gourmet') - (het) hoefijzer 2 ('horseshoe' - ['hoof iron'])
G-	- (de) gein ('fun' - slang) - (het) geintje ('practical joke, something funny') - geinig 2 ('funny, entertaining') - (de) geit 2 ('goat') - gij 2 (Flemish 'you') - Gijs 2 (a boys' name)
H-	- (de) hei / (de) heide ('heath, moor' // 'heather') - heidenen 2 ('heathens') - (de) heibel ('trouble, commotion' - slang) - waarheid 2 ('truth') - heien 2 ('to drive piles into the ground' - for a building foundation on soft soil) - heiïg ('hazy') - heilig / heilige ) ('holy, sacred') ‑>> - (de) heilige ('holy man, saint') - schijnheilig 2 3 ([seemingly holy] - 'sanctimonious,' pretending to be a good person) - Heiloo 2 (a town) - heilzaam 2 3 ('beneficial,' good for health) - heimelijk 2 ('secretly') - (de) heimwee 2 ('homesickness' - German: Heimweh) - Hein (a boys' name) - Heineken 2 (a family name and a beer brand) - (het) heitje ('a quarter, 25¢ piece' - old slang) - hij ('he') - hijgen 2 3 4 ('to pant') - (de) hijskraan 2 ('crane')
J-	- jij ('you' - singular informal - first person. object) - jijen en jouwen 2 3 ('address each other with the informal "jij," "je" "and "jou  - 'being on a first-name basis')
K-	- (de) kei 2 3 / keien 2 ('rock, boulder' // 'rocks') - keihard 2 3 ('hard, powerful, high-energy, with much effort' // 'very loud') - (de) keizer ('emperor') - kijken ('to look') ‑>> - kijk uit! 2 3 4 ('watch out!, be careful') - Kijkduin 2 3 (a town // 1673 sea battle) - Verkijk 2 3 (a family name)
L-	- (het/de) lei ('slate' // 'writing board') - (het) leitje ('old-fashioned slate writing board, writing with chalk, easily erased') - van een leien dakje / 't Gaat van een leien dakje ([Like a slate roof?] 'The job is going smoothly' (Maybe slate roofs were a radical improvement?) - (de) vallei ('valley') - allerlei 2 ('all kinds of things // all kinds of ..., various, miscellaneous') - leiden ('to lead') ‑>> - (de) leider ('leader') - (de) leiding ('leadership' // 'tube for liquid') - de Leie (a river in Belgium - (het) porselein 2 ('porcelain, china') - klein 2 3 4 5 / kleine ('small, little') ‑>> - leip ('cool, ~clever' - slang) - (het) paleis 2 ('palace') - (de) glijbaan ('slide' - playground) - lijden 2 ('to suffer') ‑>> - blij / blije ('glad') ‑>> - (de) blijde 2 ('large club' - medieval weapon) - (het) lijf ('human body' - slang) - (de) blijheid ('happiness, gladness') - vrijheid blijheid 2 ('freedom brings along, creates happiness') - gelijk 2 ('equal' ‑>> - vrijelijk ('freely, liberally') - see also LIJK and -LIJK below - (de) lijm ('glue') - (de) lijn ('line') - slijpen ('to hone' - knives) - lijst ('list' // 'picture frame') - (de) lijster ('thrush' - a bird) - vlijt ('diligence, steady work') - slijten 2 ('to wear out' // 'to sell' // 'to pass the time') - lijven 2 ('bodies' - slang)
-LIJK ending	IJ like A in AGO 'voiceless, unstressed E' (the 'schwa') rijkelijk ([richly] abundantly) - vrijelijk ('freely, liberally') - verrukkelijk ('delicious') - ijselijk ('[icely] dreadful, frightening') afzonderlijk ('separate') - duidelijk ('clear') - gemakkelijk ('easy') - lelijk 2 ('ugly') - lichamelijk ('bodily, physical') - mannelijk 2 ('male') - mogelijk 2 ('possible') - persoonlijk ('personal') - stoffelijk 2 ('physical, material') - verantwoordelijk ('responsible') - vriendelijk ('kind, friendly') - vrouwelijk ('female') - billijk ('reasonable' - bookish) - olijk ('droll, funny') - belachelijk 2 ('ridiculous') - degelijk ('solid, robust, sensible') - natuurlijk ('natural, naturally; of course!') Note that a few short words end in 'regular' -LIJK with IJ-sound (one-syllable words don't have prefixes or suffixes) - (het) lijk ('corpse, dead human body') - (het) slijk 2 ('mire, sludge') - gelijk 2 ('equal') (voiceless E 'ge-' prefix) - gelijkheid ('equality') - gelijkwaardig ('of equal value') - soortgelijk ('similar')
M-	- mei ('May' - the month of) - (de) meid 2 / meiden 2 ('girl'/'girls' - slang) - Meier/Meijer/Meyer (a family name) - Meindert (a boys' name) - (het) meisje / meisjes ('girl'/'girls') - mij ('me') - vermijden ('to avoid') - (de) mijl ('mile') - (de) mijlpaal 2 ('milestone') - [(de)] mijn 2 ('my, mine, my property' // 'minerals extraction' // bomb type) - (de) mijt ('parasitic bug') - smijten 2 3 ('to throw violently, to fling' - think of 'to smite') - (de) uitsmijter 2 3 ('bouncer' // 'egg sandwich type')
N-	-neiging ('tendency, inclination') - (de) razernij 2 ('rage, explosive anger') - snijbonen 2 ('Italian beans') - (de) nijd ('envy' // 'enmity, malice') - nijdig 2 3 4 ('angry') - snijden 2 ('to cut' - with a knife ‑>> - lekkernijen 2 ('delicacies,' special snacks) - Leendert Knijff 2 3 (painter, 17th Century) - Nijkerk (a town) - (het) nijlpaard 2 ('hippo, hippopotamus' - [river Nile horse]) - Nijmegen (a town) - (het) konijn 2 ('rabbit') - Nijntje ('children's books character) - (de) nijptang ('pincer' - pliers for pulling carpentry nails) - knijpen 2 ('to squeeze') - (de) snijplank 2 3 ('cutting board') - (het) snijplankje 2 ('small cutting board') - Nijverdal (a town)
P-	- afgepeigerd ('dead-tired') - (het) peil ('level, standard') - (de) spijbelaar 2 3 ('truant' - not at school without a good reason) - spijbelen 2 ('play truant, play hooky') - (de) spijker ('nail' - carpentry) - (de) pijl 2 ('arrow') - (de) pijler 2 ('prop,' "supporting pillar") - (de) pijn ('pain') - (de) pijnboom 2 ('pine tree, conifer') - (de) pijnstiller 2 ('painkiller') - (de) pijp ('pipe') - (de) spijs ('almond paste' - in older Dutch, spijs  meant 'food' in general) - (de) spijsvertering ('digestion') - (de) spijt ('regret, remorse') ‑>> - (het) tapijt 2 ('carpet')
R-	- (de) prei ('leek, leeks') - (de) bereidheid 2 ('readiness, willingness') - (de) dreigbrief 2 3 ('threatening letter') - (de) reiger 2 ('heron,' - a bird) - breien ('to knit') - schreien ('to cry, shed tears' - old-fashioned) - (het) bereik 2 3 ('reach, range') - (de) reikwijdte 2 ('reach, extent') - Reimerswaal (a 'drowned' Medieval town) - rein 2 ('pure, clean' - old-fashioned) - (de) trein ('train') - (de) reis 2 ('journey, trip') - reizen 2 3 ('journeys, trips' // 'to travel') ‑>> - (de) rij 2 ('row, line') - (de) rijstebrij ('type of rice pudding') - vrij ('free') - (het) ijsvrij 2 ([ice-free] - 'school closing so kids can go skating') - (het) rijbewijs 2 3 4 5 ('driver's license') - Vrijburg (a family name) - (de) strijd ('struggle, battle') - (de) vrijdag ('Friday') - rijden 2 ('to drive' // 'to ride') ‑>> - (het) rijexamen 2 ('driving test') - Hongarije ('Hungaria') - (het) bedrijf 2 ('business, company') - (het) misdrijf 2 3 ('crime') ‑>> - (het) tijdverdrijf 2 ('pastime') - (de) krijg 2 3 4 ('war' - old-fashioned - krijgen ('to get, receive') ‑>> - (de) vrijheid 2 ('freedom, liberty') - rij jij? 2 3 ('are you driving/riding?') - [(het)] rijk ('rich' ‑>> // 'realm,' "empire") - (de) rijkdom ([richness] - 'wealth') - (het) rijm 2 3 4 ('rhyme') - de Rijn 2 ('the River Rhine') - Marijn 2 3 (a boys' name) - [(de)] rijp 2 ('ripe' // 'frost') - grijpen ('to grab, catch, get hold of') - (de) prijs 2 ('price' // 'prize') - Rijssel (Dutch name of the city of Lille, France) - (de) rijst ('rice') - (het) krijt ('chalk') - (het) rijtje 2 ('small row, small line') - blijven 2 ('to stay, remain') ‑>> - drijven 2 3 ('to float' // 'to drive' - cattle etc.) - (het) rijwiel ('bicycle' - formal) - vrijwel 2 ('almost') - grijs 2 / grijze 2 / grijs/grijze ('grey') - prijzen ('prices' // 'to praise')
S-	- Marseille (a city in France) - sein ('signal') - (het) seinhuis ('signals cabin, signals tower') - (het) seizoen ('season') - scheiding ('separation, divorce') - Sijmen (a boys' name) - Persijn 2 (a family name) - (het) sijsje 2 3 ('bird' - slang)
T-	- (de) teil ('large zinc bowl') - (het) teiltje ('zinc bowl') - (de) kapitein 2 3 ('captain') - (de) fontein ('fountain') - (het) geteisem ('bad people, scum') - (het) tij / (het) getij 2 3 ('tide') - getijden 2 3 4 ('tides') ‑>> - (de) partij ('party' - political // ~festivities // 'batch') - (de) tijd 2 3 ('time') ‑>> - (de) leeftijd 2 3 ('age') ‑>> - stijf ('stiff, inflexible') - (de) stijgbeugel 2 ('stirrup') - stijgen 2 3 ('~to rise') - (de) tijger ('tiger') - (de) stijl ('style') - (de) tijm ('thyme') - Tijn / Martijn / Stijn (boys' names) - Thijs (boys' name) - stijf / stijf/stijve 2 / stijve ('stiff, inflexible') - rijzen ('to rise')
V-	- veil ('of no value' - very old-fashioned) - veilig 2 / veilig/veilige 2 ('safe, secure') - veinzen ('to pretend' // 'to feign') - veinsde 2 ('pretended, feigned' - simple past singular) - (de) vijand 2 ('enemy') - vijf ('5') - vijfde 2 ('fifth') - (de) vijg 2 ('fig') - (de) vijl (tool for shaping and smoothing) - na vijven 2 ('after 5PM') - (de) vijver ('pond') - (de) vijzel 2 ('mortar' - grinding bowl)
W-	- (de) wei 2 / (de) weide 2 / (het) weiland 2 ('meadow') ‑>> - (het) gewei ('antlers') - (het) karwei ('job, task, piece of work') - weifelen ('to hesitate') - weigeren 2 ('to refuse') - (de) dweil 2 (rag for wet-cleaning floors) - weinig 2 3 4 ('little, few') ‑>> - (het) boekweit 2 ('buckwheat') - wijde weiden ([wide] 'large meadows') - wij 2 ('we') ‑>> - wijd / wijd/wijde ('wide') - (de) wijk ('neigborhood' city district, subdivision) - wijlen ('the late' - deceased) - (de) wijn 2 ('wine') - wijs ('wise') - (de) wijsheid 2 ('wisdom') - wijten 2 (to blame,' see as the cause of) ‑>> - (het) wijwater 2 ('holy water') - (het) wijwaterbakje ('holy water bowl') - wijze 2 ('wise') - wijzen 2 ('wise men // 'to point at')
Z-	- Ik zei "nee!" ('I said No!') - Wat zei je? 2 3 ('What did you say?) - Zoals ik al zei 2 3 ('As I said before, Like I already said') - (het) zeil ('sail, tarp') - (de) zeis ('scythe') - Zeist (a town) - zij 2 ('she' // 'they') - dankzij 2 ('thanks to, ~because of') - opzij! 2 3 ([to the side!] - 'out of the way!') - godzijdank 2 3 ('the Lord be thanked') - (de/het) zijde ('side' ‑>> // 'silk') - (de) zijingang 2 ('side entrance') - zijïg ('silky') - Delfzijl (a town) - (het) azijn ('vinegar') - zijn ('his' // 'to be') ‑>> - Zijpe 2 (a polder) - gij zijt 2 ('thou art')

IJ and Y in Names

Kraaijkamp, Van Waaij (family names)

- (de) kraai 2 ('crow')

- Eijsvogel 2 3

- Huygens 2

- Luijendijk 2

- Muijlwijk

- Johan Cruijff 2 (soccer player)

- Hans Gruijters (politician)

- Jan Blokhuijsen (speed skater)

- Annouk van der Weijden 2 (speed skater)

- Koen Verweij 2 (speed skater)

- Lara van Ruijven 2 3 (speed skater)

- Nicolien Sauerbreij 2 (speed skater)

- Wesley Sneijder 2 3 (soccer player)

Van Speijck 2

Van Zuylen van Nijevelt

- Looijen 2

- Kees van der Staaij (politician)

- André Ooijer 2 (soccer player)

Verlooy

Van Roey

Compared with the Vowels and Other Diphthongs

A	- (de) snijplank 2 3 ('cutting board') - (het) eiland 2 ('island') - (hey) weiland 2 ('meadow, pasture, grassland') - keihard 2 3 ([hard as a rock, boulder] 'hard, powerful, high-energy, with much effort' // 'very loud') - (de) nijptang ('pincer' - pliers for pulling carpentry nails) - dankzij 2 ('thanks to,' 'because of') - altijd ('always') - (het) afscheid ('the goodbye') - (het) azijn ('vinegar')
AA	- bijna 2 ('almost') - (de) krijgsraad 2 ('wartime council of military leaders' // 'military court of justice') - (het) nijlpaard 2 ('[river Nile-horse] hippo, hippopotamus') - (de) bijzaak 2 ('side issue, matter of secondary importance') - (de) bijsmaak 2 3 ('side-taste,' 'hint of ...') - (de) glijbaan ('slide' -playground) - (de) rijnaak 2 ('river cargo transport ship') - (de) hijskraan 2 ('large crane') - aan zijn ('(to be) switched on') ‑>> - nabij 2 ('near, close by' - in time) - (de) zaaitijd ('sowing-time, sowing season')
E	- (het) tijdperk 2 ('[time period] era') - vlijmscherp ('very sharp' - knife) - (de) ijsberg 2 ('iceberg') - vrijwel 2 ('almost') - (de) knijprem 2 3 ('[squeeze brake] - 'rim friction brake' - bicycle) - (de) schijfrem 2 ('disk brake') - (de) kleingeld 2 ('small change, spare change') - (de) lijmknecht ('glue assistant' - woodworking tool) - tenzij 2 ('unless') - (de) sneltrein ('express train') - (de) wedstrijd 2 ('match, competition')
EE	- lijkbleek 2 3 ('very pale' - like a corpse) - (het) eigeel ('egg yellow, egg yolk') - (de) strijdkreet 2 ('battle-cry') - bijeen 2 3 ('together' - people gathered) - (de) wijnsteen 2 ('tartar') - (het) meelij 2 - pity, compassion - poetic, short for 'medelijden' ['co-suffering'] - (de) deeltijd ('part-time') - (de) eenheid 2 ('unit' // 'unity') - (de) veelheid ([many-ness] - 'multiplicity, multitude, abundance')
E-uh	- (de) spijker ('nail' - carpentry) - (de) reizen 2 3 ('to travel' // 'travels, trips') - eigen ('~own, ~personal, ~private') - (het) geintje ('little joke, something funny') - (het) getij 2 3 ('tide') - [(het)] geheim 2 ('secret') - (het) bewijs 2 ('proof') - gelijk 2 ('equal' // '~right, correct')
I	- (het) tijdstip 2 ('time, point in time') - (de) wrijving 2 ('friction') - (de) veiling ('auction') - (de) leiding ('leadership' - direction, command, management // pipe or tube for transport, usually of liquid) - (de) neiging ('tendency, inclination') - (het) eiwit 2 ('egg-white' - protein') - (het) kleinkind 2 ('grandchild') - (het) tijdschrift ('magazine, periodical') - (het) misdrijf 2 3 ('crime, criminal act') - wild zwijn 2 ([wild pig] - 'wild boar, feral pig') - (de) dichtheid ([compactness] - 'density') - dichtbij ('close by, nearby' - place) - (de) prikspijt 2 3 ('regret at immunization' - either at getting or not having gotten it)
IE	- mijn fiets 2 3 ('my bicycle') - (het) rijwiel ('bicycle' - formal, bureaucratic) - (de) dreigbrief 2 3 ('threatening letter') - (de) bijnier 2 ([kidney annex] - 'adrenal gland') - piepklein 2 3 (very small, tiny, itty-bitty) - iets kleins 2 (something small, a small thing) - (de) kiespijn ('toothache')
O	- (de) rijkdom ([richness] 'wealth') - (de) splijtstof 2 ('fissile material' - uranium etc.) - mijn God! 2 ('my God! OMG!') - (de) fontein ('fountain') - op tijd 2 ('in time, on time') - (de) ongein ([un-joke] 'unpleasant, annoying action(s)') - (het) ontbijt ('breakfast')
OO	- (het) bijwoord 2 3 ('adverb') - tijdloos 2 3 ('timeless' - not subject to fashion or aging) - (de) pijnboom 2 ('pine tree, conifer') - (de) zeilboot 2 ('sailboat') - (de) kleinzoon 2 ('grandson') - (de) olijf 2 ('olive') - (het) kozijn ('windowframe') - (de) loodlijn (line at 90°)
U	- (de) buslijn 2 3 ('bus route') - (de) luchtreis 2 3 ('travel through the air,' for instance by balloon) - hij lust 2 3 ('~he likes' - food, drink)
UU	- (de) ruwheid ('roughness') - (de) vuurpijl ([fire- arrow] 'flare' - signal, fireworks) - (de) tijdsduur 2 ('duration, length of time')
AU/OU	- (de) goudmijn 2 ('goldmine') - ijskoud ('cold as ice') - (het) vijfvoud 2 3 ('five-fold, five copies') - (de) wijnbouw 2 3 ('[wine cultivation] growing grapes and making wine')
EI/IJ	- vrijheid blijheid 2 ('freedom brings along, creates happiness')
EU	- kleurrijk ('[color-rich] colorful') - (het) Beursplein 2 ('the square of the Amsterdam stock exchange') - (de) breuklijn 2 (1. 'line of break, crack' 2. 'fault line') - (de) wijsneus 2 ([wise nose] a person who thinks he's wise/clever/intelligent - but who is not) - (de) reisbeurs 2 ('travel grant, traveling scholarship')
OE	- woestijn ('desert') - roerei 2 ('[stir- egg] scrambled eggs') - boekweit 2 ('buckwheat') - proeftijd 2 3 ('trial period') - zoek zijn 2 3 ('to be gone, lost, cannot be found') - seizoen ('season') - mijn boek 2 ('my book') - hij vroeg 2 3 ('he asked')
UI	- (de) buikpijn 2 ('stomachache') - (de) vuistbijl ([fist-axe] 'hand axe') - (de) huisvlijt 2 ('home industry, home crafts') - muisgrijs 2 3 ('mouse-grey') - Kijk uit! 2 3 4 ('Look out! Careful!') - (de) ijstrui 2 ('[ice sweater] very warm, heavy wool sweater') - (het) seinhuis ('signals cabin, signals tower') - (het) rijtuig ('horse-drawn carriage"')

Major Exceptions to the Phonetic Spelling of Dutch:
- Page 1:   een   -IG   -ISCH   -LIJK  
- Page 2:   -B   -D   SCHR   -TIE   UW   WR

Hear the Dutch Letters in Hundreds of Words:
 AU/OU  Ei/IJ  EU  F  G  H  L  OE  SCH  U  UI  W  X  Y

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Gij zult niet stelen 'Thou shalt not steal'