Speak Hindi clearly: free pronunciation test

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The hardest Hindi sounds for learners

• Short and long vowels

  Hindi vowels come in short and long pairs, and length can change the word: दिन din (day) and दीन dīn (poor), कम kam (less) and काम kām (work). The short a, written with no vowel sign, is a relaxed 'uh' sound, close to the u in 'but'. At the end of most words this short a is not pronounced: कमल is kamal, not kamala.

• Aspirated consonants

  Hindi has pairs of consonants that differ only in a puff of air: प pa and फ pha, त ta and थ tha, क ka and ख kha. Unaspirated sounds have no puff at all, even less than the p in 'spin'. The puff changes meaning: पल pal (moment) and फल phal (fruit). Voiced sounds have aspirated partners too, like भ bh in भाई bhāī (brother) and घ gh in घर ghar (house).

• Retroflex and dental consonants

  Hindi has two kinds of t and d. Dental त t and द d are made with the tongue tip against the back of the upper teeth. Retroflex ट ṭ and ड ḍ are made with the tip curled back against the roof of the mouth. English t and d sit in between, so practise both: दाल dāl (lentils) and डाल ḍāl (branch).