Speak Norwegian clearly: free pronunciation test
Find out how clear your Norwegian pronunciation is. Take the free Norwegian pronunciation test, get a score for every word you say, and learn the sounds Norwegian learners find hardest, from u and y to the kj and sj sounds.
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The hardest Norwegian sounds for learners
U, y and o
Norwegian o is often said like 'oo' (bok, bor, sko), so the letter u needs a different sound: a vowel with tightly rounded, pushed-out lips, between 'oo' and 'ee' (hus, du, ut). Y is an 'ee' said with rounded lips (by, hytte). Keeping the three apart matters: bo (to live), bu (shed) and by (city).
Long and short vowels
Vowel length changes meaning: tak (roof) has a long a, takk (thanks) a short a and a long k. The same goes for vin (wine) and vinn (win!), and for hat (hate) and hatt (hat). A double consonant after a vowel tells you the vowel is short.
The kj and sj sounds
Kj, tj and k before i, y, ei and øy make a soft sound /ç/, like the h in 'huge' (kjøpe, kjole, tjue, kino). Sj, skj and sk before i, y, ei and øy make a different sound, close to English sh (sjokolade, skjorte, ski). Many young speakers merge the two, but keeping them apart is clearer: kjære (dear) and skjære (to cut).