Free Arabic pronunciation checker
Free Arabic Pronunciation Test: check every word you say
Read five short sentences in Modern Standard Arabic aloud, with transliteration under each one, or type any word you want to check. You get a score for every word, an overall score with accuracy, fluency and completeness, and a list of words to practise first.
Read this aloud:
كتب الكاتب كتابا جميلا عن الجامعة.
Pronunciation: Kataba al-kātib kitāban jamīlan ʿan al-jāmiʿa.
Listen for: Long vs short vowels (kataba, kātib, kitāb)
Tap to record
Your recording is sent securely for scoring and is not stored by Flalingo.
Scores come from a standard native-speaker model for this language, so regional accents may score a little lower.
How to check your Arabic pronunciation
Each sentence in this Arabic pronunciation test is built around a sound learners find hard: long and short vowels, ع and ح, خ, غ and ق, the shadda and the emphatic consonants. Read it aloud and a speech model trained on native Arabic speakers compares every word you say with the text.
You get an overall score from 0 to 100, plus accuracy, fluency and completeness. Every word gets its own score, so you can see which ones sound off and start there. You can also type your own Arabic text, up to 160 characters, and check it the same way.
How the test works
Read five sentences aloud
Each sentence is short and built around sounds that learners of this language find hard. You can also type your own text, up to 160 characters, or tap one of the hard words to try.
AI scores every word
A speech-assessment model trained on native speakers compares what you say with the text. It scores accuracy, fluency and completeness from 0 to 100, and gives every word its own score.
Get your report
Each word is coloured by how close it was, and you see a short list of words to practise first. Record a sentence again to check your progress, then share your score with a friend.
The hardest Arabic sounds for learners
ع and ح
Both are made deep in the throat. ح (ḥ) is a strong, breathy h made by tightening the throat, as if fogging up a mirror with force (حب ḥubb, love). ع (ʿ) is made in the same place with your voice on (عين ʿayn, eye). Don't drop ع, and don't turn ح into a plain ه.
خ, غ and ق
خ (kh) is like the ch in Scottish 'loch' (خبز khubz, bread), and غ (gh) is the same sound with voice, close to a gargle or the French R (غرفة ghurfa, room). ق (q) is a k made much further back, where the throat begins. Keep it apart from ك: قلب qalb means heart, but كلب kalb means dog.
Emphatic consonants
ص ض ط ظ are 'heavy' versions of s, d, t and dh. Pull the back of your tongue up and back as you say them, which also makes the vowels around them sound deeper. Compare سيف sayf (sword) and صيف ṣayf (summer), or تين tīn (figs) and طين ṭīn (mud).
Long and short vowels
Arabic has three short vowels (a, i, u) and three long ones (ā, ī, ū), and length changes meaning: جمل jamal (camel) and جمال jamāl (beauty). Long vowels are written with ا, و and ي, but short vowels usually are not. Hold long vowels about twice as long as short ones.
Shadda (doubled consonants)
A shadda ( ّ ) doubles a consonant, so you hold it longer: درس darasa (he studied) and درّس darrasa (he taught). The same doubling happens after al- with 'sun letters': الشمس is said ash-shams, not al-shams. The shadda is usually not written in everyday texts, so learn it with each word.
What your pronunciation score means
| Score | Level | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 90–100 | Excellent | Your words are clear and close to a native speaker. Try longer or harder sentences to keep improving. |
| 75–89 | Good | Easy to understand. A few words still stand out, so practise them one at a time. |
| 60–74 | Fair | Mostly understandable, but people may ask you to repeat some words. Start with the words in your practice list. |
| 0–59 | Needs work | Some words may be misunderstood. Slow down, practise the flagged words on their own, then say them in short phrases. |
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is this Arabic pronunciation checker?
It uses a speech-assessment model trained on native Arabic speakers. The model lines up your recording with the text, scores every word for accuracy and rates your fluency and completeness. It is a good guide to which words sound off, but it is not a teacher, so look for words that get flagged again and again rather than worrying about one low score.
Which Arabic does the test use?
The test uses Modern Standard Arabic (fuṣḥā), the Arabic of news, books and formal speech. Dialect pronunciations, such as a g sound for ج or a glottal stop for ق, are normal in everyday speech but may score lower here.
How can I improve my Arabic pronunciation?
Start with the sounds that change meaning: ع and ح, ق and ك, and the emphatic letters. Practise them in pairs such as قلب and كلب, or سيف and صيف. Read vowelled texts aloud every day, pay attention to long vowels and shadda, and retake the test to see which words improve.
Is the Arabic pronunciation test free?
Yes. The test and the word checker are free and you don't need an account. To keep it free for everyone, there is a small daily limit on checks.
How do I pronounce the Arabic letter ع (ayn)?
Say 'ah' and tighten the muscles in the middle of your throat, as if you were about to gag slightly, while keeping your voice on. The sound comes from the throat, not the mouth. Practise with عين ʿayn (eye), عربي ʿarabī (Arabic) and معلم muʿallim (teacher), and don't simply skip it.
Is Arabic pronunciation hard?
Some Arabic sounds are new for most learners, especially the throat sounds ع, ح, خ and غ, the deep ق and the emphatic letters. The good news is that the vowel system is small and the spelling is regular once you know the letters. With daily practice, most learners can make all the sounds within a few months.