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Dutch UI - Skip General Introduction

Pronunciation: Hear for Yourself

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
• 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
Learn the Rules by Studying and Listening to Examples

Adjectives in most positions get an -E  ending ‑>>

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  CH  E  EI/IJ  EU  F  G  H  L  OE  SCH  U  UI  W  X  Y

'Master Lists' of Dutch words: Dutch to English - English to Dutch

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

UI in Dutch

(de) bruidssuiker

- (de) huilbui ('crying fit')

- (het) huisvuil 2 ('household garbage')

l'oeil

lui ('lazy')

In Dutch words ending in -UI, no consonant ending the word, you can say that UI with a faint consonant‑Y‑sound (Dutch J) at the end, but I prefer the pronunciation ending in a faint Dutch W. For instance, (de) ui  ('onion') - you can say ui(j) or ui(w) . The plural uien ('onions') has the consonant‑Y‑sound (Dutch J) between UI and E.
You'll hear that somewhat faint consonant‑Y‑sound (Dutch J) more often between UI and a vowel:
(de) luiaard 2 3 ('lazy person // sloth') - buien ('rainshowers') - (de) uier ('udder' - cow) - (de) luier ('diaper, nappy') - (de) sluier ('a veil') - (de) grauwsluier ('a gray veil' - phrase from a detergent commercial)

- Compared - Hear 'short' and 'long' U next to the other vowels and the diphthongs

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.

UI:	(de) ui 2 ('onion') ‑>> - (de) uil 2 3 4 5 ('owl') - uit 2 ('out of, out, from, off) ‑>> - (de) uitspraak ('pronunciation') - uitspraken 2 3 ('statements')
BUI:	(de) bui 2 ('shower' - rain) - buien 2 ('showers') - buigen 2 3 ('to bend') - (de) buik ('belly') - (de) buil ('bump,' swelling') - buiten 2 3 ('outside') ‑>> - (de) buitenlander 2 3 4 ('foreigner')
DUI:	duiken ('to dive') - (de) duim 2 ('thumb') ‑>> - (de/het) duin ('dune') - Duits ('German') ‑>> - (de) duivel ('devil') - duidelijk / duidelijke / duidelijk/duidelijke ('clear, understandable') - Duitsland ('Germany')
EUI:	geuit 2 ('~expressed')
FUI:	(de) fuif 2 ('party' - slang) - (de) fuik 2 3 ('fyke' - a fish trap)
GUI:	(de) guit ('rascal') - Guis 2 3 4 (a family name)
HUI:	(de) huid 2 ('skin') - (de) huig ('uvula,' a part of the throat) - (het) huis 2 ('house') ‑>> - huizen ('houses') - (het) huisdier ([house-animal] - 'pet') ‑>> - huilen ('to cry, shed tears) ‑>> - (de) huilebalk 2 3 ('crybaby') - (de) huifkar ('covered wagon') - huiveren (2) ('to shiver, shudder from fear') - Huibers 2 (a family name) - Huibert 2 (a boys' name)
JUI:	juist / juiste / juist/juiste 2 3 ('right, correct') ‑>> - juichen ('to cheer')
KUI:	(de) kuif 2 3 ('quiff,' 'shock of hair') - (het) kuiken ('chick,' young chicken) - (de) kuil ('hole' - in the ground, large) - (de) kuit ('calf,' part of lower leg) - kuis ('chaste')
LUI:	[(de)] lui ('people' - slang // 'lazy') - luid ('loud') ‑>> - (de) luilak ('lazy person') - (de) luis ('louse') - fluisteren 2 3 ('to whisper') - (de) kluizenaar 2 3 ('hermit') - (de) kluit 2 ('clod,' a lump of earth) - (de) pluim 2 ('plume')
MUI:	(de) muil 2 ('animal mouth') - (de) muis ('mouse') - muizen 2 ('mice') - (de) muiterij 2 3 4 ('mutiny') - IJmuiden 2 (a city)
NUI:	(de) snuit ('snout') - snuiten 2 ('to blow' - your nose // to snuff out a candle') - neus snuiten 2 3 ('blowing your nose') - snuiven 2 3 ('to sniff, sniffle') - fnuiken ('to thwart') - (het) fornuis ('stove' - kitchen)
PUI:	(het) puin ('rubble') - puistjes 2 ('acne pimples') - 't Spui 2 (a street in The Hague) - (het) spuitwater 2 ('carbonated water')
RUI:	(de) rui 2 3 ('molt, molting') - ruig ('rough') - ruiken 2 3 ('to smell' - produce or notice a smell) ‑>> - (de) ruiker ('bouquet of flowers' - old-fashioned) - [(het)] ruim ('a ship's hold' // spacious // more than) - ruilen 2 3 ('to exchange // to change') - (de) ruin 2 ('gelding' - horse) - (de) ruis 2 ('static, white noise') - (de) ruit 2 3 ('windowpane' // 'square figure') - (de) ruiter ('horseman')
BRUI:	bruin 2 3 / bruine / bruin/bruine ('brown') - (het) bruinbrood 2 ('brown bread' - bread with some wholewheat flour) - (de) bruid ('bride') - (de) bruidegom ('groom') - (het) gebruik 2 ('use // custom') - (de) bruiloft ('wedding') - bruisen ('to foam, bubble') - bruiste ('foamed, bubbled' - simple past tense singular)
DRUI:	(de) druif ('grape') - druiven ('grapes') - druipen 2 ('to drip')
FRUI:	(het) fruit 2 ('fruits') - (de) fruitmand ('basket filled with fruits')
KRUI:	(het) kruit / (het) buskruit ('gunpowder') - (de) kruidje ("small herb") kruiden - kruiden ('herbs and spices') ‑>> - (de) kruidenier 2 ('grocer, grocery') - (de) kruidkoek 2 3 ('spice cake') - (de) kruik ('hot water bottle') - (de) kruimel 2 3 ('crumb') - (de) kruin ('crown, top, pate') - kruipen ('to crawl') - (het) kruis ('cross') - kruisen 2 ('crosses // to cross')
PRUI:	(de) pruik ('wig') - (de) pruim ('plum') - pruimen ('plums') - Pruisen 2 3 ('Prussia // Prussians')
TRUI:	(de) trui 2 ('woollen sweater') - (de) ijstrui 2 ('thick woollen sweater') - Geertrui (a girls' name)
STRUI:	(het) struif ('egg stuff') - (de) struik 2 ('bush, shrub') - struiken ('bushes') - (het) struikgewas ('bush, bushes') - (de) struikrover ('highwayman, robber') - (het) struikelblok 2 ('stumbling block')
SUI:	(de) suiker ('sugar') - (de) bruidssuiker ('wedding candy') - suizen 2 ('to rustle, sough, swish) - suisde (conjugated form of suizen - singular simple present tense)
SCHUI:	schuifdeuren ('sliding doors') - schuilen 2 ('to shelter from') - (het) schuim ('foam') - schuin 2 ('diagonally, slanted' // 'dirty' - jokes) - (de) schuit 2 ('ship, boat' - a bit negative) - (de) beschuit 2 3 ('crispbake, rusk') - (het) piepschuim ([squeak-foam] 'styrofoam') - schuiven 2 3 ('to slide') - (het) schuivertje 2 3 ('sliding or pushing tool')
TUI:	(het) tuig 2 3 ('~gear' // 'bad people') - tuimelen ('to tumble') - (de) tuin 2 3 ('yard, garden') - (de) stuiver 2 ('nickel,' 5¢ coin) - thuis * ('at home, home') ‑>>
VUI:	[(het)] vuil 2 ('dirt, garbage' // 'dirty') - vuile ('dirty') - vuil / vuile 2 ('dirty') ‑>> - (de) vuist 2 ('fist') - (de) schavuit 2 3 ('rogue')
WUI:	wuiven 2 ('to wave')
ZUI:	zuid 2 ('South') - zuigen ('to suck') - (de) zuigling 2 3 ('suckling,' baby or young animal drinking mother's milk) - (de) zuil 2 ('pillar') - zuinig 2 ('frugal') - zuipen 2 ('to quickly drink lots of alcohol') - (de) zuivel ('dairy') - zuiver 2 3 ('pure')
-UIB:	Huibers 2 (a family name) - Huib ('(a boys' name') - Huibert 2 (a boys' name)
-UICH:	(de) huichelaar 2 3 ('hypocrite') - juichen ('to cheer')
-UID:	(de) huid 2 ('skin') - (het) geluid ('sound') - (de) buidel 2 3 4 ('pouch') - beduidend ('significantly?')
-UI(J)E:	(de) uier ('udder' - cow) - (de) luier ('diaper, nappy') - (de) sluier ('a veil')
-UIF:	- (de) duif 2 3 ('pigeon, dove') - (de) druif ('grape') - (de) kluif 2 ('bone' - for dog // 'big job') - Kuifje 2 ('Tintin') - (de) luifel ('awning') - (het) stuifmeel ('pollen')
-UIG:	ruig ('rough') - (de) getuige ('witness') - (het) vaartuig ('vessel' ~boat, ~ship) - (het) rijtuig ('horse-drawn carriage') - (het) vliegtuig 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ('airplane') - (de) stofzuiger 2 ('vacuum cleaner') - (de) buiging 2 ('polite bow') - (de) verbuiging 2 3 ('declension' - changes in nouns, adjectives, pronouns) - (de) zuigling 2 3 ('suckling,' baby or young animal drinking mother's milk)
-UI(J):	- (de) luiaard 2 3 ('sloth' // 'lazy person')
-UIK:	(de) buik ('belly') - (de) buikpijn 2 ('stomach ache') - (de) struik 2 ('bush') - (de) kruik ('hot-water bottle') - suikers ('sugars') - (het) kuiken ('chick,' young chicken)
-UIL:	(de) uil 2 3 4 5 ('owl') - (de) huilbui ('crying fit') - (het) muildier 2 ('mule') - huilen ('to cry,' shed tears) - ruilen 2 3 ('to exchange // to change') - (de) schuilkelder 2 ([shelter-cellar] - 'bomb shelter') - (de) bruiloft ('wedding')
-UIM:	(het) duimpje 2 ('small thumb, thumbkin') - Klein Duimpje 2 ('Tom Thumb') ‑>> - (de) kruimel 2 3 ('crumb') - kruimels ('crumbs') - (het) kruimeltje 2 ('small crumb') - (de) ruimte ('room, space') - (de) pruim ('plum') - pruimen ('plums')
-UIN:	bruin 2 3 / bruine / bruin/bruine ('brown') ‑>> (het) tuintje 2 ('small garden' // '~flowerbed') - (het) bruinbrood 2 ('brown bread,' bread made with some wholewheat flour') - tuinbonen 2 ([garden beans] - 'fava beans')
-UIP:	druipen 2 ('to drip') - stuip ('spasm, convulsion') - (de) kruipruimte ('crawl space' below a building) - (de) kruipolie 2 ([crawling] penetrating oil,' WD-40) - (het) luipaard ('leopard') - Kuiper ('barrel maker' - a surname) - sluip / sluipt 2 conjugated forms of the verb sluipen 2 ('to sneak')
-UIS:	- (het) kruis ('cross') - (de) huisbaas 2 ('landlord') - (het) kruisbeeld 2 ('crucifix' - (het) huisdier ('pet') ‑>> - (het) pluisje 2 3 ('small clump of fluff') - duister 2 ('dark,' ~enigmatic, ~sinister) ‑>> - luister! 2 ('listen!') - fluisteren 2 3 ('to whisper')
-UIT:	uit 2 ('out of, out, from, off) ‑>> - (de) uitgang 2 ('exit') - (de) uiting 2 ('utterance, personal expression') - buiten 2 3 ('outside') ‑>> - sluiten 2 ('to close') - (de) sluitpost 2 3 ('balancing item' - bookkeeping) - (de) uitweg 2 ('way out,' '~escape') - (het) uitzicht ('view' // 'prospect') - (het) fluitje 2 3 ('small flute' // 'whistle') - (de) beschuit 2 3 ('crispbake, rusk') - (het) beschuitje ('an enjoyable piece of crispbake, rusk') - besluiten 2 ('to decide')
-UIV:	druiven ('grapes') - snuiven 2 3 ('to sniff') - zuiver 2 3 ('pure')
-UIZ:	buizen ('pipes, tubes') - duizelig 2 ('dizzy') - (de) buizerd 2 ('buzzard,' a bird) - duizend ('1000') - luizen 2 ('lice')

Compared with the Other Vowels and Diphthongs

A	- (de) uitgang 2 (1. 'exit' 2. 'declined or conjugated word ending') - (de) stuifzwam 2 3 ('puffball mushroom') - (de) tuinman 2 ('gardener') - (de) zuignap ('suction cup') - (de) tuinslang 2 ('garden hose') - (de) huifkar ('covered wagon') - (het) pakhuis ('warehouse, storage building') - (de) dwarsfluit 2 ('flute' - German: 'Querflöte') - (de) schavuit 2 3 ('rogue, borderline criminal')
AA	- (het) luipaard ('leopard') - (de) luiaard 2 ('sloth // lazy person') - uitgaan 2 3 (1. lights etc. turning off 2. to go out - dancing, eating, movies 3. romantic relationships ending) - (de) uitspraak ('pronunciation // statement') - (de) schuifmaat ('Vernier caliper - a measuring tool') - naar huis 2 ('homeward, towards home') - vaalbruin 2 3 ('faded brown, drab, dun')
E	- (het) uitstel ('postponement, delay') - (het) huiswerk 2 ('homework' - from school) - (de) uitweg 2 ('way out') - (het) werktuig 2 ('instrument, tool') - veruit 2 3 ('by far') - (de) vetkuif 2 3 ('greased quiff' - a hairstyle like Elvis)
EE	- (het) pluimvee 2 ([plumed cattle] 'poultry, farm birds') - (het) kruisbeeld 2 ('crucifix') - (het) stuifmeel ([blow-flour] - 'pollen') - luidkeels 2 3 ([loud-throated] - 'loudly' - shouting) - (de) speeltuin 2 ('playground') - zeelui 2 ('sailors, ship workers')
E-uh	- (het) vuiltje 2 3 ('speck of dirt, very small piece of garbage') - juichen ('to cheer, shouting happily') - (de) zuivel ('dairy') - (de) ruiker ('[smeller] 'flowers bouquet') - duizend ('a thousand') - (het) geluid ('sound') - vervuild 2 ('polluted, 'dirtied') - (de) beschuit 2 ('rusk, crispbake')
I	- (het) uitzicht ('view, prospect, outlook') - (de) buiging 2 ('bow' made as sign of respect) - (de) sluiting 2 ('closing // closing mechanism, fastener') - (het) zintuig ('sense, sensory organ') - dit huis ('this house')
IE	- (de) buikgriep 2 ('stomach flu,' food poisoning) - (het) muildier 2 ('mule,' horse-donkey hybrid) - (het) vliegtuig 2 3 4 5 ('airplane') - (het) piepschuim ('[squeak-foam] polystyrene')
O	- (de) bruiloft ('wedding') - (de) thuiszorg 2 3 ('home care, nurses visiting at homes') - (de) sluitpost 2 3 ('balancing item' - bookkeeping) - (het) fortuin 2 ('fortune') - (het) onkruid ('weeds') - (de) coltrui 2 ('turtleneck sweater')
OO	- (het) bruinbrood 2 ('brown bread' - partly wholewheat) - (de) duikboot ([diving boat] 'submarine') - (de) kruisboog ('crossbow') - (het) koophuis 2 (1. 'house owned by occupants' 2. 'house for sale') - vooruit 2 ('forward')
U	- (de) huismus 2 ([house sparrow] 1. 'the common sparrow' 2. 'stay-at-home person') - (het) kruispunt 2 ('intersection' of roads) - (het) buskruit ('gunpowder') - punt-uit! 2 3 ('period! finished! that's it!')
UU	- (het) kruisvuur 2 ('crossfire') - (het) buurthuis 2 ('~neighborhood community center') - (het) huurhuis ('rental property, a house that's rented') - (de) zuurpruim 2 3 ([sour prune] 'sourpuss')
AU/OU	- (de) huisvrouw 2 3 ('housewife, female homemaker') - (het) kruishout ('parallel line marking tool' - woodworking) - (de) uitbouw 2 ('extension, addition' to a building') - oud vuil 2 3 ('[old garbage] absolute garbage, stuff that has to go')
EI/IJ	- (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"')
EU	- (de) huidskleur 2 ('skin color') - (de) huisdeur 2 ('house door') - (de) scheurbuik 2 3 ('[rip-belly] scurvy')
OE	- (de) kruidkoek 2 3 ('~spice cake') - uitdoen 2 3 (1. 'to turn off' - lights etc. 2. 'to take off' - clothes) - (de) hoestbui 2 ('coughing fit') - (de) moestuin 2 ('vegetables garden, kitchen garden')
UI	- (het) huisvuil 2 ('[house-] household garbage') - (de) huilbui ('crying fit') - (de) bruidssuiker ('wedding candy')

UIJ, UY in names
In names you'll sometimes find the old-spelling UY or UIJ where modern Dutch would write UI: 
Muijlwijck - Luijendijk 2 - Van Duijn 2
Johan Cruijff 2 (soccer star) Like many Dutchmen with UIJ in their names, Mr Cruijff sometimes made his name easier for foreigners as Cruyff.
Pim Fortuyn 2 - Joop den Uyl 2 (deceased politicians)
Lara van Ruijven 2 3 - Jan Blokhuijsen (speed skaters)
Dirk Kuyt 2 - Willy van der Kuijlen 2 3 (soccer players)
Carolien van Herrikhuyzen (bicycle racer)
more Dutch sports and sports people
Michiel de Ruyter 2 17th Century top admiral. He led the Dutch navy in the second and third Anglo-Dutch Sea Wars (1665-67 and 1672-74) ‑>> - 2
Claes van Ruijven - Pieter Claeszoon van Ruijven Pieter C. was a Vermeer patron, bought more than 20 of his paintings
Buys Ballot (19th Century scientist, best known for weather studies)
(Christophorus Henricus Diedericus Buijs Ballot )
Huygens 2 - Christiaan Huygens 17th Century scientist
Andreas Cornelis 'Dries' van Kuijk (Probably) Elvis manager 'Colonel Parker'

Foreign words and names with UI
Guido 2 is pronounced with Dutch G, but not with Dutch UI
(het) circuit race track, 'circle'
(de) guillotine 2 guillotine
quitte even, no debts, no obligations
(de) quiche quiche
(de) quiz quiz game show - also written as  (de) kwis

And also dieresis (het) trema ‑>>
(de) ruïne 2 ruin
ruïneren 2 to ruin

Greek EU
In Dutch, EU in words and names from Greek is pronounced as UI
- (de) therapeut ('therapist') - (de) euthanasie 2 3 4 ('euthanasia') - (het) pseudoniem ('pseudonym,' fictional name) - (het) eufemisme 2 ('euphemism') - (de) leukemie 2 3 ('leukemia')
- Zeus 2 - Orpheus 2 - Zeus Odysseus Theseus

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  CH  E  EI/IJ  EU  F  G  H  L  OE  SCH  U  UI  W  X  Y

'Master Lists' of Dutch words: Dutch to English - English to Dutch

'Basic' Dutch Words - Pictures Dictionary - Words by Subject - Easy Dutch - Phrases and Conversation Templates - Names - Place Names - verbs

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Gij zult niet stelen 'Thou shalt not steal'