Free Finnish pronunciation checker
Free Finnish Pronunciation Test: check every word you say
Read five short Finnish sentences aloud 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:
Äiti juo kahvia ja syö leipää keittiössä.
Listen for: ä, ö and y (äiti, syö, keittiössä)
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 Finnish pronunciation
Each sentence in this Finnish pronunciation test is built around something learners find hard: ä, ö and y, long vowels, double consonants, the rolled R and stress on the first syllable. Read it aloud and a speech model trained on native Finnish 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 Finnish 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 Finnish sounds for learners
Ä, ö and y
Ä is the open vowel in 'cat', ö is like 'e' said with rounded lips, and y is 'ee' with rounded lips. They are separate vowels, not variants of a, o and u, and they change meaning: sää (weather) and saa (gets), tyyli (style) and tuuli (wind). Thanks to vowel harmony they usually appear together in a word: hyvä, pöytä, kännykkä.
Long vowels
A doubled letter means a long vowel, held about twice as long, and length can change the word: tuli (fire), tuuli (wind) and tulli (customs). Keep the vowel quality the same and simply hold it: kuu (moon), maa (land), tänään (today). Shortening a long vowel is one of the most common learner mistakes.
Double consonants
Double consonants are held longer too, with a short pause before the release: kissa, Mikko, nukkuu. Compare kato (crop failure) and katto (roof), or muta (mud) and mutta (but). Say the first syllable, hold the consonant for a moment, then finish the word.
The rolled R
Finnish r is rolled with the tip of the tongue, as in Spanish or Italian: Riikka, ranta, perjantai. A single r between vowels can be a short tap, but a double rr, as in porras (stairs), is a longer trill. An English or French R sounds clearly foreign in Finnish.
Stress on the first syllable
Every Finnish word is stressed on its first syllable, however long it is: RAUtatieasema, HELsinki, TAMpere. In compounds, each part gets a lighter secondary stress. Don't move the stress to a long vowel just because it is long: in tänään (today) the stress stays on tä.
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 Finnish pronunciation checker?
It uses a speech-assessment model trained on native Finnish 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 Finnish does the test use?
Scores are based on standard Finnish (yleiskieli) as spoken in Finland. Everyday spoken Finnish often shortens words, such as mä for minä (I), but in this test you read the written text, so say each word as it is written.
How can I improve my Finnish pronunciation?
Work on length first: say pairs like tuli and tuuli, muta and mutta, and hold the long sounds a little longer than feels natural. Then keep ä, ö and y apart from a, o and u, and put the stress on the first syllable every time. Read aloud daily and retake the test to see which words improve.
Is the Finnish 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.
Is Finnish pronunciation hard?
Finnish pronunciation is one of the easiest parts of the language. Every letter stands for one sound, words are read exactly as written, and stress always falls on the first syllable. The challenge is length: you have to hold long vowels and double consonants long enough, and keep ä, ö and y apart from a, o and u.
How long should a long vowel be in Finnish?
About twice as long as a short one. Tap a rhythm as you say tuli (fire) and tuuli (wind): the second word has a clearly longer first syllable. Record yourself, compare with native audio, and use the word checker on pairs like muta and mutta.