Russian Pronunciation

Once you have learned the following Russian Pronunciation rules, you will be able to read and speak almost all Russian words.

The great news about Russian, is that it is a phonetic language - so what you see is what you hear (most of the time). Naturally, there's always a few exceptions, but we've outlined the rules for you here.

First, make sure you know the Russian Alphabet where we explain the standard sounds for each letter. Then, follow through the rules and examples below, and you will have the foundations you need for learning all Russian words.

It's all in the Accent

We've all seen or heard a comedian make fun of another person's accent. Whether it be German, British, American, Chinese, or indeed Russian... each has their own destinctive sound.

Well, humour aside, this is a very important note about pronunciation. Your aim should always be to speak with the same accent as a local. So, where a Russian speaker trills their "r's", you too should trill your "r's"!

You will pick this up in time. Keep listening to language CD's/mp3's, watching Russian movies, and most of all listen to the particular accents that your Russian friends use.