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Pronunciation



Note about phonetic descriptions


Pronunciation of certain sounds
The hard d
en dansker dan-skə a Dane
Danmark dan-mahk Denmark
at arbejde aah-by-də to work
 
The silent d
at kende kɛn-ə to know
spændende spɛn-n-ə exciting
almindelig ʌl-meen-lee ordinary
 
The soft d
at hedde heeð to be called something
en måned mawn-əð a month
hvad vaeð what
 
Here are a few more examples of the soft d
en kode koo-ð a code
fed feeð fat
en side see-ð a side, a page
en periode pɛ-yoo a period
glad glaeð glad, happy
 
The soft d is the most difficult Danish sound. The closest it comes to English is the th, but with your tongue extended a bit farther. It doesn't come naturally for English speakers, and requires quite a bit of practice.

To most people it sounds like an l, and it might help to think that it lies somewhere between a d and an l.
 
See d