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Dutch W - 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
Learn the Rules by Studying and Listening to Examples

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  SCH  OE  U  UI  W  X  Y

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

W in Dutch - Hear for Yourself

'weed' 2

wiet 2 3

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

Listen to a few examples of the Dutch W:
- (de) wigwam 2 3 4 5 6 ('teepee') - (de) wipwap ('seesaw' - children's talk) - (de) wirwar ('a jumble, things mixed up') - (de) witwas ('"white" laundry') - (het) winkelwagentje 2 ('shopping cart') - (het) wijwater 2 ('holy water') - (het) werkwoord ([work-word] - 'verb') - welwillend ('benevolent') - (de) winterwortel ('large carrot') - (de) windwijzer 2 ('windvane') - (de) wielewaal 2 ('golden oriole' - a bird) - (het) gewauwel 2 3 ('annoying, boring talk') - Wieringerwerf 2 (a town)
- wijze woorden ('words of wisdom') - van wanten weten ('being knowledgeable, knowing how to do things') - wel en wee 2 ([health and illness] - 'well-being') - wis en waarachtig 2 ('it's true') - wikken en wegen 2 ([deliberating and weighing] - 'pondering a decision') - weer en wind ([weather and wind] - 'in all kinds of weather') - (de) Wijde Wormer (an old 'polder')
- wij willen water ('we want water')
- Ik werd wakker van de wekker ('I was woken up by the alarm clock') - Wereldwijde week van de veiligheid 2 ('global safety week' - a company slogan I thought up)
more Sayings - more Alliterations - more Place Names

The 'first series' is grouped by the letter after the W's, the 'second series' is grouped by the letter before the W's:

- W first series: WA to WZ - W second series: AW-ZW

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.

WA	- (de) zwabber ('mop,' a kind of broom) - [(de)] wacht ('wait!' // 'guard') - wachten ('to wait') ‑>> - (de) wachtkamer 2 ('waiting room') - wadden 2 ('~flood plain') - de Waddenzee (the mostly flood-plain area between the islands in the North and the mainland) - (de) wadjang ('wok' - a word from Malay) - "wah" (interjection - dialect) - (het) wak ('hole in ice surface') - wakker ('awake') ‑>> - (de) wal 2 ('a big wall,' like city walls) - (de) Walstraat 2 ("Wall Street") - Walcheren 2 (former island in the province of Zeeland 2 ['Sea-land']) - walgelijk 2 3 ('disgusting') - (de) wals ('waltz' // 'steamroller') - (de) walvis ('whale') - Walvisbaai 2 ('Whale Bay' - Namibia) - (het) wambuis ('jerkin' - Medieval clothing) - (de) wang ('cheek') - wangen ('cheeks') - (de) wanhoop 2 3 4 5 ('despair') - wankel 2 / wankele 2 ('unstable, not well balanced') - [(de)] want 2 ('because, for' ‑>> // 'mitt') - wapperen 2 3 ('snapping' - flag) - war / in de war ('confused') - (de) wartaal 2 ('gibberish, nonsense speech') - (het) warhoofd 2 ('muddlehead, confused person') - warm / warme 2 ('warm, hot') - [(de)] was (1. 'was'= simple past singular of zijn ('to be') ‑>> 2. 'laundry' 3. 'wax') - (het) wasbord ('washboard') - (de) wasknijpers ('clothespins') - (de) waslijn ('clothesline') - (de) wasmand ('laundry basket') - Wassenaar (a town) - waste 2 ('washed' - simple past singular of wassen 2 ('to wash' // 'to do laundry' ‑>>) - wat ('what') ‑>> - watten 2 ('cotton wool')
WAA	- waden 2 ('to wade') - [(het)] kwaad 2 / [(het)] kwade 2 3 ('angry' // '(the) evil') - (de) wafel 2 ('waffle') - wagen 2 ('cart' // 'to dare') - (het) wagentje ('small cart' // 'car' - jocular) - (de) waaghals 2 ('daredevil') - waaien 2 ('to blow' - wind) - (de) wajangpoppen 2 ('wayang dolls' - Malay theater) - (de) wake 2 3 ('wake' - vigil for the dead) - waken 2 3 ('keeping watch') - de Waal 2 (a river) - (de) waan 2 ('delusion') - (de) waanzin 2 ('madness, insanity') - (het) wapen ('arm, weapon' // 'emblem') - wapens 2 ('arms, weapons') - waar ('where' // 'true') ‑>> - (de) waarheid 2 ('truth') - [(de)] waren 2 ('were' - plural // 'merchandise') - waarom? 2 ('why?') ‑>> - (de) waas 2 ('haze') - (het) water 2 ('water') - (het) zwavel ('sulphur') - dwaze 2 ('silly') - wazig 2 ('vague,' not seen clearly)
WAU	- wauwelen 2 3 ('talking in an irritating manner') - (het) gewauwel 2 3 ('annoying, boring talk')
WB	- betrouwbaar 2 ('reliable, trustworthy') - (de) duwboot 2 3 ('push-boat' - opposite of - (de) sleepboot 2 ([drag-] - 'tugboat') - (de) schouwburg 2 ('theatre' - old-fashioned)
WC	- ((de) WC ('toilet, bathroom' ))
WD	- benauwd / benauwd/benauwde (difficulty breathing // 'afraid, hesitating') - (de) blauwdruk ('blueprint') - (de) trouwdag 2 ('wedding day' // 'anniversary') - (de) houwdegen 2 3 (['chopping sword'] - 'tough old no-nonsense soldier') - gehuwd 2 ('married')
WE	- (het) spinneweb ('spiderweb') - (de) wedde ('a soldier's wages') - wedden 2 ('to bet') - [(de)] weg ('way, road' // 'away') ‑>> - wekken 2 ('to wake someone up') - (de) wekker ('alarm clock') - wel (affirmative amplifier) ‑>> - welk 2 / welke 2 ('which') - welkom 2 ('welcome') - wennen ('to get used to') ‑>> - (de) wens / wensen 2 ('wish' / 'wishes // to wish') - (het) werk ('work') - wervelen 2 ('to whirl, spin') - wervels ('vertebrae' - backbone disks) - (de) wesp 2 ('wasp') - west ('West') - (de) wet ('law')
WEE	- (de) wee - (de) weeën ('contraction' - birth // 'contractions') - [(de)] twee ('2' ‑>>) - (het) weefgetouw 2 ('loom' -weaving) - wegen 2 ('ways, roads' // 'to weigh') - (de) week 2 ('week') - (de) weelde 2 ('luxury') - [(het)] weer 2 ('again' // ' weather') - (de) wereld 2 ('world') - [(de)] wees 2 ('orphan' // imperative of zijn  'to be') - weet je wat? 2 (['Do you know something?'] - 'Let me tell you something, I have an idea ...') - weet jij ...? 2 ('Do you know ...?' - something) - [(het)] wezen 2 ('orphans' // 'essence')
WE‑uh	- we ('we' ‑>>) - blauwe 2 3 ('blue') - bouwen ('to build') - (de) bouwerij 2 ('farm' - very old-fashioned - the origin of New York's 'Bowery' - (de) sjouwer ('a worker carrying building material') - (de) weduwe 2 ('widow') - also hear - WU below
WEI	- (de) wei 2 / (de) weide 2 / (het) weiland 2 ('meadow') ‑>> - (het) gewei ('antlers') - (het) karwei ('job, task, piece of work') - 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')
WF	- (de) vouwfiets ('folding bicycle')
WG	- (de/het) kauwgom 2 3 ('chewing gum')
WH	- (de) klauwhamer ('clawhammer') - (het) bouwhout ('construction wood' - a word I made up) - (de) ruwheid ('roughness')
WI	- (de) wichelroede ('divining rod') - (de) wig 2 ('wedge') - wikkelen 2 ('to wrap' by winding around) - wild / wild/wilde ('wild') - Wim (a boys' name ‑>>) - wind 2 ('wind') - winden 2 3 ('to wind, twist' // 'winds') - (de) winkel 2 ('shop, store') - winkels 2 ('shops, stores') - (de) lijkschouwing 2 3 ('autopsy' - [dead-body viewing]) - (de) wipwap ('seesaw' - children's talk) - (de) wirwar ('a jumble, things mixed up') - (de) wissel 2 ('switch' - railroad, team sports) - (het) wissewasje ('an easy and quick job') - wit 2 / witte 2 3 / wit/witte 2 3 ('white')
WIE	- wie? 2 ('who?' ‑>>) - Wiebe (a boys' name) - onkruid wieden ('weeding weeds') - (de) wieg 2 ('cradle') - (de) wiek ('wing, vane,' - windmill) - (het) wiel 2 / wielen ('wheel/wheels') - Wiepke (a boys' name) - (het) zeewier 2 3 ('seaweed') - (de) Wieringermeer (a 'polder') ‑>> - (de) wierook 2 ('incense') - (de) wiet 2 3 ("weed")
WIJ	- 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') Also hear EI above
WJ	- (de) nieuwjaarsdag 2 ('new years' day,' January 1st) - Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! 2 ('Happy New Year!' ‑>>)
WK	- nauwkeurig ('precise') - (de) blauwkous 2 ('bluestocking') - Nieuwkerke 2 (a city in Belgium)
WM	- Bouwman (a family name ‑>>)
WN	- (de) clown ('clown' - O pronounced as Dutch AU/OU) - (de) weduwnaar 2 ('widower')
WO	- (het) Wogmeer 2 (an old 'polder') - (de) wok ('wok') - (de) wol ('wool') - (de) wolf ('wolf') - wolven ('wolves') - (de) wolk 2 3 ('cloud') - (de) wond ('wound') - worden 2 ('to become' // 'to be' as auxiliary verb for the passive voice) ‑>> - 'ik word oud' 2 ("I'm getting old") - (de) worm / wormen ('worm'/ 'worms') - (de) worst ('sausage')
WOO	- Wodan (Wotan, the Germanic chief god) - wij wogen ('we weighed') - blauw oog 2 ([blue] 'black eye' - injury) - wonen 2 ('to live, reside' ‑>>) - (de) woning 2 3 ('house' - bureaucratic) - (het) woonerf 2 (city area with reduced or no car traffic) - (het) woord / woorden ('word/words') ‑>>
WOE	- (de) woede 2 ('anger') - woelen 2 ('to toss, turn about' // 'to churn, turn up' - soil) - (de) woelwater 2 ('fidget,' hyperactive child or person) - (de) woensdag ('wednesday') ‑>> - Woerden 2 ('a town') - (de) woestijn ('desert')
WOU	- ik wou ('I wish, I wanted' - informal ‑>>) - (het) woud 2 / wouden ('forest' / 'forests') - woudreuzen 2 ([giants of the forest] - very large trees) - Wout (a boys' name) - Wouter (a boys' name) also hear AU above
WP	- [(het)] blauwpaars 2 3 4 ('blue-purple, violet' ‑>>) - Nieuwpoort (a city in Belgium ‑>>)
WR	W before R is pronounced as (Dutch) V - (het) wrak ('wreck') - (het) scheepswrak ('wrecked ship') - wrang 2 ('sour // wry') - (de) wrat 2 ('wart') (de) wraak ('revenge') wreed / wrede ('cruel') - (de) wreedheid ('cruelty') - (de) wreef 2 3 ('arch' - foot // singular simple past tense of 'wrijven'  - see below) - wreken ('to revenge, take revenge, avenge) - (het) gewricht 2 ('joint, ~connection') - ontwrichten 2 3 ('to disrupt, disorganize, disjoint') - wringen ('to wring, squeeze') - ik wring 2 ('I'm wringing, squeezing') (de) wrok ('grudge, rancor') - verwrongen ('twisted, distorted') - wrijven 2 ('to rub') - (de) wrijving 2 ('friction') - wij wreven ('we rubbed') (de) wroeging ('remorse, feeling bad about past actions) Compare: (de) vraag 2 ('question') / (de) wraak ('revenge') - (de) vrede ('peace') / wrede ('cruel') (het) wak ('hole in the ice') - (het) vak 2 ('subject // section // profession') - (het) wrak ('wreck') - weerwraak / verwrongen 2 ('~revenge / twisted') ... but not "VR" in compound words: - (de) trouwring 2 ('wedding ring)
WS	- (het) nieuws ('news') - het nieuws 2 ('the news') - Zeeuws 2 ('from the province of Zeeland' 2) - Middeleeuws 2 ('Medieval') - (de) grauwsluier ('a gray veil' - phrase from a detergent commercial) - zenuwslopend 2 ('nerve-wracking') - (het) zenuwstelsel 2 ('(the) nervous system') - (de) rouwstoet 2 3 ('funeral procession')
WT	- U duwt 2 3 ('you push' - polite 'you') - (het) touwtje 2 3 ('small piece of rope, string') - (het) duwtje 2 ('small push, nudge') - (het) leeuwtje ('small, young lion') - dauwtrappen (['stepping on the dew'] - a tradition of getting out very early on Ascension day, sometimes with a bit rowdy behavior) A few Dutch families write their name with Wte  or Wtte  as the first letters. It should be pronounced as (Dutch) ute - Freule Wttewaall van Stoetwegen, Wterwijck - Joachim Wtewael 2 3 Some Dutchmen will assume it actually says witte 2 ('white') - for instance "Wittewaal" or uite 2 3 (~'out of, from') - for instance Uitewaal (Uytewael) 2 3
WU	- Wubbo (a boys' name) - wuft 2 3 ('frivolous, fickle' - old-fashioned) - wulps 2 3 ('voluptuous, sexy, seductive' - said of women) - bewust ('conscious') - (de) oorwurm ('earwig')
WUI	- wuiven 2 ('to wave')
WV	- bouwvakkers 2 ('construction workers' ‑>>) - "de Bouwvak" ('construction workers vacation, holiday') - (de) bouwval 2 ('ruin, dilapidated building') - flauwvallen 2 ('to faint')
WY	- Wychert (a boys' name) also hear WI and WIE above
WZ	- blauw zout ('blue salt') - Nieuw Zeeland ('New Zealand' ‑>>)

AW	- (het) lawaai 2 ('noise') - lawaaiïg 2 / lawaaiïge ('noisy' ‑>>)
AAW	- naweeën 2 3 ('after-birth contractions' - but usually figuratively: 'aftereffects') - (het) nawoord 2 ('afterword')
AUW	- lauw 2 / lauw/lauwe 2 ('tepid,' between cold and warm) - [(het)] blauw 2 3 ('blue') - blauwe 2 3 ('blue') - (de) dauw ('dew') - miauw! 2 ('meow!' - cat) - (de) knauw 2 3 4 5 6 ('animal bite' // psychological setback, loss of self-confidence) - rauw ('raw') - benauwd / benauwd/benauwde (difficulty breathing // 'afraid, hesitating') - (de) flauwekul 2 ('nonsense') - (het) gewauwel 2 3 ('annoying, boring talk') - kauwen 2 ('to chew') - (de/het) kauwgom 2 3 ('chewing gum') - nauwkeurig ('precise')
CHW	- zich wassen 2 ('to wash up, wash yourself') ‑>>
DW	- (de) schildwacht 2 3 ('sentry') - (de) veldwachter 2 ('rural policeman' - old-fashioned) - (de) dwang ('compulsion, coercion') - dwars 2 3 ('diagonal' // 'contrary') - (de) dwaling 2 3 ('aberration, error') - verdwaald ('lost,' not knowing where you are and where to go) - [(de)] dwaas ('silly' // 'silly person') - dwaas / dwaze 2 3 ('silly') - (de) zuidwester ('sou'wester' - rain hat) - (de) dwerg ('dwarf') - dwepen 2 ('to be fanatical about') - (de) brandweer 2 ('fire brigade, fire department') - (de/het) noodweer 2 ('violent self-defense' // 'very bad weather') - (de) dweil 2 ('rag, mop' for wet-cleaning floors - moedwillig 2 ('deliberate') - (het) tandwiel 2 3 ('cogwheel') - verdwijnen 2 ('to disappear') - (het) lidwoord 2 ('article' - 'the, a' ‑>>) - dwingen 2 3 ('to force, compel) dwingen - dwong - gedwongen 2 ('to force - forced - forced')
EEW	- (het) zeewater 2 ('sea water') - meewerken 2 ('to co-operate') - (het) meewerkend voorwerp ([cooperating item] - 'indirect object, dative') - (het) zeewier 2 3 ('seaweed') - Zeewolde (a town)
E‑uhW	- (het) gewas ('crop') ‑>> - (het) gewaad 2 3 4 (ceremonial robe for priests) - (de) bewaker 2 ('guard') - de Waal 2 (a river) - (het) gewauwel 2 3 ('irritating, annoying talk') - (het) geweld 2 ('violence') - bewegen 2 3 ('to move' - body movements) - (de) medewerking 2 ('co-operation') - je wilt 2 ('you want to, you wish') - geweigerd 2 ('refused' - past participle) - (het) bewijs 2 ('proof') - geworden 2 ('become' - past participle) - gewoon / gewone 2 3 ('common, usual') - bewust ('conscious')
EIW	- (het) eiwit / eiwitten ('protein' / 'proteins' ‑>>)
IEUW	Dutch IEUW 2 sounds very much like EW in English NEW: Dutch long I (IE) + Dutch UW: - nieuw / nieuwe 2 ('new') - (het) nieuws ('news') - het nieuws 2 ('the news') - (de) kieuw 2 3 ('gill' - fish breathing) - see IEU in U for more
EEUW	- (de) eeuw 2 3 ('century') / eeuwen 2 ('centuries') - eeuwig 2 ('eternal') - (de) spreeuw 2 ('starling' - a bird) see EEUW in U for much more
FW	- afwachten 2 3 ('to wait for,'   "~wait and see") - (de) lijfwacht 2 ('bodyguard') - (de) afwas (dishes etc. to be washed) - afwassen 2 3 ('doing' the dishes) - Halfweg 2 ('Halfway' - a small town between Amsterdam and Haarlem) - (het) proefwerk 2 3 ('written test' - in secondary school) - (de) afweging ('consideration,' ["weighing"]) - afwisselen 2 ('to alternate, take turns, vary') - (de) afwisseling 2 3 ('change, variety') - afwijken ('to deviate, differ')
GW	- (de) wigwam 2 3 4 5 6 ('teepee') - (de) argwaan ('suspicion, mistrust') - (het) leidingwater ('tap water') - verbazingwekkend 2 3 ('amazing') - toevallig wel! 2 ("Just by accident" 'I happen to be right') - (het) slagwerk ('percussion') - langwerpig ('rectangular') - 'n vlaag wind ('a gust of wind') - (het) vliegwiel 2 ('flywheel') - (de) wegwijzer ('road sign' giving directions) - Borgworm 2 (Dutch name of the town of Waremme  in Walloon Belgium ‑>>)
IW	- (de) hooiwagen 2 ('hay cart' - Daddy Longlegs spider) - this I is a 'consonant I' pronounced as consonant Y - (Dutch J)
IEW	- (de) driewieler 2 ('tricycle') - (de) driewielrijder 2 3 ('tricyclist, tricycle rider' - a word I made up) - wie weet ...? 2 3 ('who knows ...?)
IJW	- (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' ‑>>) Also hear and see EI above
JW	see hooiwagen under IW above
KW	- twee kwadraat 2 3 ('2 squared, 2 to the power 2' ‑>>) - (de) kwal ('jellyfish') - (het) kwart ('a quarter' of something) - (het) kwartier ('a quarter of an hour,' 15 minutes) - (het) kwartje ([a quarter of a guilder] - pre-Euro 25¢ coin) - (de) kwast 2 ('brush' - mostly for paint) - (de) kwelling 2 ('torment, agony, worry') - kwetsen 2 ('to injure' // 'to offend') - (de) kweekschool ('teaching academy') - kwelen 2 3 4 ('ugly, amateur singing') - (de) kwibus ('weird, idiosyncratic person') - (het) kwik ('mercury, quicksilver' ‑>>) - (de) boekwinkel 2 3 ('bookstore') - (de) kwinkslag ('funny remark') - (de) kwis ('quiz') - kwiek 2 ('lively') - (de) kwitantie 2 ('proof of payment') - kwijt 2 ('lost, cannot be found' ) - (de) rookworst 2 ('smoked sausage')
LW	- volwassen ('adult, grown-up' ) - (de) volwassene 2 ('adult, grown-up person') - (de) wandelwagen 2 ('stroller' - carrying small children) - (de) bestelwagen 2 ('small delivery van') - (de) winkelwagentje 2 ('shopping cart') - (de) zeilwagen ('sailing cart') - koolwaterstoffen ('carbohydrates' ‑>>) - (de) snelweg ('highway') - (het) bolwerk 2 3 ('stronghold,' - think of: 'bulwark' - also figuratively) - welwillend ('benevolent') - hagelwit 2 ('very white' - like hail) - (het) koolwitje 2 (a white butterfly) - Waalwijk 2 ('a town') - Muijlwijk (a family name)
MW	- (de) heimwee 2 ('homesickness' - German: Heimweh) - (de) omweg 2 ('detour') - (de) omwenteling 2 3 ('rotation // upheaval, turnaround') - (de) stoomwals 2 3 ('steamroller')
NW	- (de) boenwas ('polishing wax' for wooden floors) - (de) glazenwasser 2 ([glass] 'windows washer') - (de) kraanwagen 2 ([crane car] - 'tow truck') - (de) boevenwagen 2 ("Black Maria" - transporting prisoners) - (het) kraanwater 2 ('tap water') - kernwapens 2 ('nuclear weapons' - onwaar 2 ('untrue') - Galgenwaard 2 ('Gallows Island' - a neigborhood in the city of Utrecht 2 3) - (de) middenweg 2 ("middle way" - 'compromise') - (de) keukenwekker 2 3 4 5 ('kitchen [alarm clock] timer') - weerzinwekkend 2 ('revolting, disgusting, loathsome') - (de) mijnwerker ('miner') - (de) samenwerking ('cooperation, collaboration') - (de) tegenwerking 2 3 ('opposition, obstruction') - (de) bommenwerper 2 ('bomber' - airplane) - aanwezig / aanwezige 2 ('present, available, "here") - (het) onweer ('thunderstorm') - (het) evenwicht 2 3 ('balance') - (de) tegenwind ([wind-against] - 'headwind') - (de) fietsenwinkel 2 ('bicycle shop') - (de) ruitenwisser ('window wiper' - car) - evenwijdig / evenwijdige 2 ([equal-width] 'parallel') - Steenwijk 2 3 (a city) - (de) buitenwijk 2 3 4 ('suburb') - eigenwijs 2 ('self-willed, contrary') - (de) gebruiksaanwijzing 2 ('manual,' instructions for use) - 'geen wonder' 2 3 4 5 ([not a miracle] - "I'm not surprised") - leenwoorden ('loan words') - regenwormen ('rainworms') - samenwonen 2 ('living together,' a couple sharing a dwelling without being married) - tegenwoordig 2 3 ('at present, nowadays') - (de) vertegenwoordiger 2 ('representative' // 'traveling salesman') - verkleinwoorden 2 ('diminutives') - verkleinwoordjes 2 3 4 ('diminutives' - 'minimutives?' ‑>>)
OW	- Slowakije Slovakia ‑>> - Tsjechoslowakije the former country of Czechoslovakia - zowaar 2 3 ('right!' // 'actually') - zowel 2 ('both, as well as')
OEW	- hoewel ('although') - hoe werkt 't? 2 ('how does it work, how does it go, what's the mechanism?') - hoe weinig we weten 2 ('how little we know')
OUW	OU also hear - AU above - bouwen ('to build') - (de) houweel ('pickaxe') - jouw ('your' - singular informal)
PW	- (de) wipwap ('seesaw' - childrens' language) - (de) stroopwafel 2 (a cookie of crystallized syrup between two very thin waffles) - (de) koopwaar ('merchandise') - op weg naar ... 2 3 ('on the way to ...') - op weg naar huis 2 3 4 ('on the way home, homeward bound') - (de) opwelling 2 ('sudden impulse') - "Hup Willem!" 2 (sports encouragement: 'William - do your best, go for it!') - opwindend 2 3 ('exciting')
RW	- onverwacht ('unexpected') - verwachten 2 ('to expect') - (de) verwachting 2 / verwachtingen 2 3 ('expectation'/ 'expectations') - in verwachting 2 (pregnant,' "expecting") - klaarwakker ('wide awake') - [(de)] verwant 2 ('relative' - related) - (de) wirwar ('a jumble, things mixed up') - verward ('confused') - lekker warm 2 3 ('comfortably warm') - (de) verwarming ('heating') - (de) verwarring 2 3 4 ('confusion') - haar wassen ('washing hair - (de) kinderwagen ('baby carriage') - verwaand 2 ('arrogant, too high an opinion of yourself') - (het) vuurwapen ('firearm') - (de) voorwaarde / voorwaarden 2 ('pre-condition' / 'pre-conditions') - (het) vaarwater ('waterway') - onder water 2 3 4 ('under water, flooded') - ver weg 2 3 ('far away') - onderweg 2 ('on the way') - (de) spoorweg 2 ('railroad') - (de) overweg 2 3 ('railroad crossing') - vaarwel ('farewell') - overweldigend 2 ('overwhelming') - verwend 2 3 4 ('spoiled, overindulged') - verwennen 2 ('to spoil, overindulge') - (het) achterwerk ('backside, buttocks') - (het) vuurwerk ('fireworks') - verwerken 2 ('to process') - (de) afvalverwerking 2 3 ('garbage processing, disposal') - (het) voorwerp 2 3 ('item') - ouderwets / ouderwetse 2 3 ('old-fashioned') - de Merwede (a river) - halverwege 2 ('halfway') - Barwegen 2 (a hamlet in the province of Friesland 2 3) - overwegen 2 3 4 ('to consider') - Noorwegen ('Norway') - zwaar weer ([heavy] - 'bad weather') - (de) tarwe ('wheat') - (de) sperwer 2 ('sparrowhawk' - a bird) - (de) treurwilg ('weeping willow' - a tree) - Neerwinden (a town in Belgium) - overwinnen ('to win, conquer, defeat') - (de) overwinning ('victory') - spierwit 2 ('very white' [ - like muscle]) - (het) achterwiel 2 3 ('rear wheel') - (het) stuurwiel ('steering wheel') - (het) karwei ('job, task, piece of work') - Beverwijk 2 (a town) - Harderwijk 2 (a town) - Zuiderwijk 2 (a family name) - terwijl 2 ('while') - (het) onderwijs ('education, teaching') - spelenderwijs 2 ('like play,' - 'without much effort, with much ease') - (het) verwijt 2 ('reproach, recrimination') - verwijten 2 ('to reproach, address blame to a person') - onderwijzen 2 3 ('to teach') - (de) verwijzing 2 ('referral') - (de) weerwolf ('werewolf') - (de) verwonding ('wound, injury') - (de) winterwortel ('large carrot') - overwogen ('considered') - (het) voorwoord 2 ('preface') - (het) oerwoud 2 3 ([primeval forest] 'jungle') - verwrongen ('twisted, distorted' - WR = "VR") - weerwraak / verwrongen 2 ('~revenge / twisted') - (de) oorwurm ('earwig') Minor Exceptions: W in erwt is not pronounced: (de) erwt ('pea') - erwt / erwten 2 ('pea/peas') - doperwten 2 ('English peas') - kikkererwten 2 3 / kekererwten ('chickpeas, garbanzo beans') W in murw  is pronounced as F: murw ('beaten down, spirit broken') - compare: (de) smurf ('smurf')
SW	- (de) boswachter ('forest ranger') - (de) sluiswachter 2 ('sluice attendant') - stadswallen ('city walls') - (de) boswandeling 2 (a walk in a forest) - (de) stadswandeling 2 ('city walking tour') - Bolsward (a town) - Swarthout 2 3 (black [wood] - a family name) - Swartwout 2 3 (black [forest] - a family name) - Reimerswaal (a 'drowned' Medieval town) - Swanepoel (a family name) - Valkenswaard (a town) - (de) verhuiswagen ('moving van') - vleeswaren 2 ('deli meat' - for sandwiches) - (de) voedingswaarde 2 ('nutritional values' ‑>>) - weliswaar ('although') - wetenswaardigheden ('~factoids' ['things worthy to know']) - (het) levenswerk 2 ('life's work,' - 'Magnum Opus') - Swellendam (a town) - vreeswekkend 2 3 ('frightening' [fear-creating]) - wittebroodsweken 2 ('a couple's first weeks of marriage') - Sweem (old family name - lives on in the US as 'Swaim') - Swifterbant 2 (a town) - (de) kaaswinkel 2 ('cheese shop') - (de) viswinkel 2 ('fishmonger, fish store') - Boswijk (Bushwick, NY? ‑>>) - Brunswijk 2 (a family name) - Molswijk (a family name) - Rijswijk (a town) - Winterswijk (a town) - Aswoensdag 2 ('Ash Wednesday,' the day after Carnival is over, the start of Lent) - (het) scheepswrak ('wrecked ship' - W before R is pronounced as V)
TW	- de Nachtwacht 2 3 4 5 (Rembrandt's famous painting 'The Night Watch' ‑>>) - (de) witwas ('"white" laundry') - ietwat 2 3 ('somewhat') - (de) vrachtwagen ('truck') - uitwaaien 2 3 4 (going outdoors for a walk to get some fresh air - and clear the mind - a.o.) - (de) nachtwaker 2 3 ('night watchman') - twaalf ('12') - na twaalven 2 ('after 12') ‑>> - nietwaar? 2 3 ([isn't it true?] 'isn't it?') - Witwatersrand 2 ([White water's ridge] - part of the town of Johannesburg, South Africa) - (de) zoetwatervis ([sweet-] 'freshwater fish') - (het) spuitwater 2 ('carbonated water') - echt waar? 2 ("is it really true?") - (de) uitweg 2 ('way out' - also figuratively) - Twente (area in the East of The Netherlands) - (de) uitwerking 2 3 ('effect, result' // 'elaboration') - (het) kunstwerk 2 ('work of art') - (het) netwerk 2 ('network') - (het) ontwerp 2 ('design') - Antwerpen ('Antwerp') - twee ('2') - tweede ('second') - tweedehands 2 3 ('secondhand') - (de) tweeling ('twins') - tweetalig 2 3 ('bilingual') - (de) betweter 2 3 ([know-better] - 'know-it-all') - slecht weer 2 ('bad weather') - 'petweer' ("miserable weather!") - (de) dienstweigeraar 2 3 ([draft-refuser] conscientious objector to military service) - ontwikkelen 2 ([to unwind] - 'to develop') - (de) ontwikkeling / (de) ontwikkelingen 2 3 ('development'/'developments') - (de) uitwisseling ('exchange') - (de) twist ('quarrel' - old-fashioned) - (de) zwart-wit foto ('black-and-white picture') - (de) twijfel ('doubt') - twijfelen 2 3 ('to doubt') - (het) antwoord 2 ('answer') - antwoorden ('to answer' // 'answers') - (de) cervelaatworst (a sausage, like a mild salami) - (de) verantwoordelijkheid ('responsibility') - verantwoordelijk / verantwoordelijke 2 ('responsible') - onverantwoordelijk 2 3 ('irresponsible') - Swartwout 2 3 (black [forest] - a family name) - ontwrichten 2 3 ('to disrupt, disorganize, disjoint' - note that Dutch WR is pronounced as VR)
UW	Dutch spelling/pronunciation rules say a single vowel followed by one or more consonants at the end of a word is 'short' - but UW is an exception to that rule: UW is always 'long.' Uw ('your' - polite 'you') (de) duw ('push') - (het) duwtje 2 ('small push, nudge') - duwen ('to push') - U duwt 2 3 ('you are pushing') - ik heb geduwd ('I have pushed') - (de) schaduw ('shadow, shade') - (de) weduwe 2 ('widow') - (de) weduwnaar 2 ('widower') - (het) huwelijk ('marriage') - gehuwd 2 ('married' - bureaucratic, formal) - (het) juweel ('a jewel') - juwelen ('jewels, jewelry') - (de) juwelier ('jeweler') - (de) baljuw 2 ("bailiff" - Medieval law court official) - zwaluw ('swallow' - a bird) - sluw 2 / sluw/sluwe 2 ('sly, cunning') - fluweel ('velvet') - (de) kluwen ('skein' - ball of wool thread) - (de) luwte 2 ('lee,' calm sea area - also figuratively) - zenuw ('nerve') - (de) zenuwbehandeling ([nerve treatment] - 'root canal' (treatment)) - zenuwslopend 2 ('nerve-wracking') - (het) zenuwstelsel 2 ('(the) nervous system') - ruw 2 / ruwe 2 ('rough') - ruwaard ('a medieval ruler') - ruwheid ('roughness') - ruwweg ('roughly' - estimating) - gruwelen ('horrors // to be horrified') - gruwelijk ('gruesome, horrible') - schuw / schuw/schuwe 2 ('very shy') - schuwer 2 ('even more shy') - (de) afschuw 2 ('horror, disgust, loathing') - afschuwelijk 2 ('awful, horrible') - waarschuwen 2 3 ('to warn') - (de) waarschuwing 2 3 ('warning') - zonder waarschuwing 2 ('without (a) warning') - (de) stuw ('flood-control dam') - de Veluwe / de Betuwe (areas in the East of The Netherlands) Compare: ritueel ('ritual // a ritual') and - fluweel ('velvet') - UEE and UWEE sound the same. But U  ('you' - formal) and Uw  ('your' - formal) do sound different
ZW	- (de) zwabber ('mop' - a kind of broom) - zwak 2 / zwakke 2 / zwak/zwakke 2 3 ('weak,' not strong) - zwalken 2 ('to wander, roam') - (de) zwam 2 ('mushroom' - old-fashioned) - zwammen ('mushrooms' // 'to talk nonsense') - zwanger 2 ('pregnant') - zwart 2 3 4 ('black') - (de) zwager 2 ('brother-in-law') - zwaaien ('to wave') - (de) zwaluw ('swallow' - a bird) - (de) zwaan ('swan') - zwaar / zwaar/zware ('heavy') ‑>> - (de) zwaartekracht 2 3 ('gravity') - (de) zwavel ('sulphur') - zwelgen 2 ('to wallow, guzzle') - zwellen 2 ('to swell up') - zwemmen ('to swim') - (de) zwendel 2 ('fraud, swindle') - (de) zwengel ('handle, crank') - (de) zwerm 2 ('swarm') - zwerven 2 ('to roam') - (de) zwerver 2 ('tramp, hobo') - zwetsen ('to talk nonsense') - (de) Zweed 2 ('Swede,' Swedish male person) - Zweden ('Sweden') - (de) zweefmolen 2 ('whirligig') - (de) zweep 2 ('whip') - zweren 2 ('to swear') - (het) zweet 2 ('sweat') - zweten 2 ('to sweat') - (de) zwei ('adjustable angle tool' - carpentry) - (het) zwin ('tideway') - 't Zwin (lake and nature preserve in the province of Friesland 2 3) - Zwitserland ('Switzerland') - zwiepen 2 ('to swish' // 'to bounce') - zwijg! 2 ('don't speak!' 'Shut up!") - zwijgen 2 3 ('keeping your mouth shut, not speak') - (het) zwijn 2 3 ('swine') - zwoel 2 / zwoele / zwoel/zwoele 2 ('sultry, sensual') - Zwolle 2 (a city) - Zwolse 2 ('of Zwolle' // 'woman of Zwolle') - zweren / zwoer / gezworen ('to swear / swore / sworn')

Compare the sound of Dutch F, V and W

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

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Gij zult niet stelen 'Thou shalt not steal'