Your Ultimate Russian Pronunciation Guide

Let’s start our lesson on Russian alphabet pronunciation with vowels. Though there are ten vowel letters, there are six vowels in the Russian language. Why is that? Because there are four pairs:

А - Я (A - Ya)

О - Ё (O - Yo)

Э - Е (E - Ye)

У - Ю (U - Yu)

As you can see, the second letter in the pair sounds the same. This Й (Y) sound in the beginning simply shows that this letter will make the preceding consonant soft. 

Now let’s learn proper English to Russian pronunciation:

• A is pronounced as Ah.

• Камера (Kamera) — “Camera”
• Cад (Sad) — “Garden”

• Он (On) — “He”
• Дом (Dom) — “House”

• Это (Eto) — “This”
• Каратэ (Karate) — “Karate”

• Пуля (Pulya) — “Bullet”
• Стул (Stul) — “Chair”

So, we have А (A), О (O), Э (E), У (U) vowels. What are the other two? 

Ы (Y)and И (I)make their own special pair as they sound similar, and И (I)also makes the preceding consonant soft. 

• И is pronounced as “ie” in the word “field” or “ee” in the word “keep.”

• Мир (Mir) — “World”
• Кит (Kit) — “Whale”

• Мышь (Mysh’) — “Mouse”
• Сын (Syn) — “Son”
• Мыло (Mylo) —”Soap”

Listen to our audio on Russian vowels pronunciation for more practice. Hearing from a native is essential in mastering pronunciation for Russian learners!

1- Stressed and Unstressed Syllables

Every Russian word has one stressed syllable. All other syllables—if there are any—are unstressed. So, what does that actually mean?

The thing is that in the stressed syllable, the vowel sounds loud and clear. In the unstressed syllable, exactly the same vowel sounds less clear, reduced, or even more like another vowel. This is why it’s important to learn which syllables are stressed, and not stressed, in every Russian word. 

In Russian dictionaries, word stress is marked with an accent sign above the vowel. For example, и́мя (imya)which means “name.” By the way, if the word consists of only one syllable, then this syllable will be a stressed one.

So, let’s remember a couple of easy rules of vowel reduction in unstressed syllables:

1. A (A) and O (O) Before a Stressed Vowel or Beginning a Word

If the unstressed syllable with А (A) and О (O) vowels stands right before the stressed one, or if the word starts with the letters А (A) or О (O), they sound like А (A). But there’s a difference between stressed and unstressed А (A): The unstressed one is shorter.

• Трава́ (Trava) — “Grass”

• The unstressed syllable with А (A)stands before the stressed syllable.

• The unstressed syllable with О (O)stands before the stressed syllable.

• The word starts with О (O). It doesn’t matter if this syllable stands before the stressed one or not.

• The first О (O) stands at the beginning of the word, which is why it’s pronounced as А (A). The second О (O) is in the unstressed syllable right before the stressed one, which is why it’s also pronounced as А (A).

Interesting fact!

The type of pronunciation when unstressed О (O)is pronounced as А (A),according to the rules above, is called акание (akaniye), or”pronouncing A” in English. People who live in the capital of Russia—Moscow—pronounce А (A)very clearly. 

On the other hand, people who live in southern Russian regions and in small villages keep pronouncing О (O)without changing it into А (A). This type of pronunciation is called окание (оkaniye), or”pronouncing O.”

So, be aware and change О (O) into А (A) so that you don’t sound too provincial.😄 

There’s only one exception to this rule. If the unstressed vowels А (A) and О (O)stand after Ж (Zh) and Ш (Sh) consonants and before soft consonants, then they sound somewhere between the Э (E) and Ы (Y) sounds:

• Ло́шади (Loshadi) — “Horses”
• Жале́ть (Zhalet’) — “To regret”

2. Other Unstressed Syllables

In other unstressed syllables, vowels А (A) and О (O) will sound like А (A),with a little bit of the Ы (Y)sound:

• Золото́й (Zolotoy) — “Golden”
• Шко́ла (Shkola) — “School”

3. A (A), E (Ye), and Я (Ya) After Soft Consonants & Before Stressed One

After soft consonants, in the syllable right before the stressed one, the letters А (A), Е (Ye), Я (Ya)are pronounced with the sound between Э (E) and И (I):

• Часы (Chasy) — “Watches” or “Clock”
• Перо (Pero) — “Feather”
• Пяти (Pyati) — “Five” in Genitive case

In other unstressed syllables, letters А (A), Е (Ye), Я (Ya)are pronounced as a short И (I).

4. Vowel И (I)

The vowel И (I)after hard consonants, after a preposition, or when the two words are pronounced together, is pronounced as Ы (Y):

• Пединститут (Pedinstitut) — “Pedagogical institute”
• К Ивану (K Ivanu) — “To Ivan”
• Смех и слёзы(Smekh i slyozy) — “Laughter and tears”

Please note that if you put a pause and don’t pronounce the words together, then И (I)doesn’t change into Ы (Y):

• cмех [pause] и слёзы(smekh i slyozy) — “Laughter and tears”

2- Е and Ё Pronunciation

While learning Russian, you’ll probably notice that in some texts, exactly the same word can be written with either Е (Ye)or Ё (Yo). So, what the heck is happening and why do Russians make the language harder than it already is? 

First, you should know that originally such words are written with Ё (Yo). So, when the word is written with Е (Ye),you should still pronounce it as if there was an Ё (Yo) instead. The thing is that some Russian linguists fight for removing the letter Ё (Yo) from the Russian language; other Russian linguists fight for leaving it in. 

For the time being, the letter Ё (Yo)is always printed in all words in children’s books, junior school textbooks, and textbooks for Russian language-learners (yes, that’s you!). But in all other cases, it’s not an obligation to use it. How do people understand whether it’s Е (Ye)or Ё (Yo)? Well, the only way is to learn these words. 

Of course, there are tricky cases when the same written words with Е (Ye)and Ё (Yo)have different meanings. For example: 

• Все (Vse) — “Everyone”
• Всё (Vsyo) — “Everything”

• Небо (Nebo) — “Sky”
• Нёбо (Nyobo) — “Palate” (the upper part in the mouth)

The only way to understand how to read this word properly is to look at the context.

Like Russian vowels, Russian consonants also form pairs of voiced and unvoiced ones:

Б - П (B - P)

В - Ф (V - F)

Г - К (G - K)

Д - Т (D - T)

Ж - Ш (Zh - Sh)

З - С (Z - S)

Why is it important to remember these consonants in pairs? There’s a little rule. When a voiced consonant gets to the end of the word, it becomes gets unvoiced (sounds like beheaded, right?). Look at the examples:

• Код (Kod) — “Code”
• Лоб (Lob) — “Forehead”

There are also four unpaired voiced consonants:

Л (L)

М (M)

Н (N)

Р (R)

And there are four unpaired unvoiced consonants:

X (Kh)

Ц (Ts)

Ч (Ch)

Щ (Shch)

Listen to our audio to hear one more time about Russian consonants and to practice them.

1- Soft and Hard Consonants

Learning the difference between soft and hard consonants is vital in mastering pronunciation in Russian grammar.

The consonants Й (Y), Ч (Ch), and Щ (Shch) are always soft.

The consonants Ж (Zh), Ш (Sh), and Ц (Ts) are always hard.

All other consonants can be either hard or soft, depending on the letter after it. In transcription, the softness of the vowel is shown with an apostrophe (‘).

Let’s practice the pronunciation. Repeat after me, changing the consonants from hard to soft:

• Л (L) - Ль (L’) 
• М (M) - Мь (M’)
• Н (N) - Нь (N’)
• X (Kh) - Xь (Kh’)
• Г (G) - Гь (G’)
• К (K) - Кь (K’)
• В (V) - Вь (V’)
• Ф (F) - Фь (F’)
• Б (B) - Бь (B’)
• П (P) - Пь (P’)
• Д (D) - Дь (D’)
• Т (T) - Ть (T’)
• З (Z) - Зь (Z’)
• С (S) - Сь (S’)

So, if the letters are written basically the same way, how do you recognize when they’re soft and when they’re hard? It’s easy.

1. If the letter Ь is after the consonant, then it’s soft. The letter Ь isn’t pronounced; its sole duty is only to notify about the softness of the consonant before it.

2. If the letters Я (Ya), Е (E), Ё (Yo),Ю (Yu), and И (I)areafter the consonant, then it’s also soft.

2- Russian Hard Sign (Ъ) and Soft Sign (Ь)

As we said above, the letter Ь doesn’t have any sound and shows the softness of the consonant before it. For example:

• Роль (Rol’) — “Role”
• Конь (Kon’) — “Male horse”

The letter Ъ is used rarely and shows the hardness of the consonant before it. So, even if the consonant is followed by the letters Я (Ya), Е (Ye), Ё (Yo), Ю (Yu), or И (I), it will still read hard. Keep in mind that Ъ is only put after prefixes. Here are the examples:

• Объект (Ob’yekt) — “Object”
• Подъезд (Pod’yezd) — “Entrance”

3- Pronunciation of Russian Rs

Okay, we’re finally here. The sound that the Russian language is famous for. It’s called the “alveolar trill.” If your native language doesn’t naturally have this sound or a similar one, it will be an adventure to master it. Let’s get started! 

Let the air pass between the alveolar ridge and your relaxed tongue. The alveolar ridge is that hill on the upper part of your mouth where you put your tongue when saying “t” or “d.”

That’s it! You’ve just finished reading everything you need to know about basic pronunciation in Russian language. Listen to our audio about Russian pronunciation rules for better understanding, and try our pronunciation quiz.😉

Want to pronounce words in Russian like a native? Do your best to avoid common errors in pronunciation. 

Here are the most common mistakes that Russian learners make, as well as Russian pronunciation tips to avoid them.

1. If the letters Я (Ya), Е (E), Ё (Yo),Ю (Yu), or И (I)follow the consonant, they make it soft. A common mistake happens when pronouncing нет (net) meaning”no” as (niet). If you want to avoid this, then soften the Н (N) consonant first, and after that pronounce the vowel.

1. Remember to stress only one syllable per word. When you stress all syllables, the word sounds longer and child-like. Russians love to reduce vowels, so do that as well.

1. Remember to make the last voiced consonant in the word unvoiced.

1. Don’t forget to pay attention to the letters Ь and Ъ. They don’t have any sound, but do make the consonant before either soft (Ь) or hard (Ъ).

1. Don’t pronounce Russian consonants with an effort, like in English. Try to put a hand in front of your mouth and say “top.” Do you feel that air coming from your mouth on every consonant? That’s an English way of pronunciation. To sound Russian, relax your mouth and tongue. Say the consonants without this effort.

Here’s an exercise for you. Put your hand in front of your mouth and practice saying the following words: 

• танк (tank) — “tank”
• пончик (ponchik) — “donut”
• куртка (kurtka) — “jacket”

Practice till you stop making the puff of air out of your mouth.😉

Watchour video about more mistakes of Russian learners and how to avoid them. 

In every language, there are words that are hard to pronounce, especially in Russian where you can find a word with up to seven consonants consecutively! If you’re wondering, one such word is контрвзгляд (kontrvzglyad), meaning”counter view.”

The key to pronouncing this word is separating it into two parts (kontr + vzglyad). This word is rarely used, but there are a lot of hard-to-pronounce words that are used very often. Let’s figure them out, while expanding your pronunciation in Russian vocabulary!

• Здравствуйте (Zdravstvuyte) — official “Hello”

• This a word that you should know, despite there being other ways of how to say “hello” in Russian. Figured out why this word is so tricky? Right, the letter В (V) is missing from the transcription. It’s simply not pronounced. But don’t forget to put it in your writing.😉

• Поздравляю (Pozdravlyayu) — “Congratulations!”

• To pronounce it correctly, divide the word into four parts: По-здрав-ля-ю (Po-zdrav-lya-yu).

• Пожалуйста (Pozhaluysta) — “Please” or “You are welcome”

• This is another tricky word with a missing sound. Found out which one? Right, Й (Y). Though it’s written, nobody pronounces it.

• Достопримечательность (Dostoprimechatel’nost’) — “Landmark”

• In order to pronounce such a long word, use the method of dividing it into syllables again: Дос-то-при-ме-ча-тель-ность (Dos-to-pri-me-cha-tel’-nost’).

• Преподаватель (Prepodavatel’) — “Teacher”

• So, now you already know how to deal with such long Russian word pronunciation, don’t you? Just divide the word into syllables: Пре-по-да-ва-тель (Pre-po-da-va-tel’). That’s it.😄

Check out our word list with the hardest Russian words for even more practice!

Proper pronunciation is important, very important. Some say it’s even more important than getting the grammar perfectly correct! Why would this be?

1) Good Understanding 

If communicating with native speakers matters to you when learning Russian, you need to be understood when you talk, and you need to be able to understand the native speakers. After all, without understanding, the purpose of language is null and void! In order to be understood, you need to be able to speak the language in a way that is familiar to native speakers, or at least recognizable by them. 

When learning to speak a new language, you will learn that the more you progress the more intricate it becomes! For instance, almost every language has vocabulary that may look the same in writing, but because the words are pronounced differently, they have very different meanings. This means that you may say a word in Russian, and because of a slight change in pronunciation, the meaning of the word changes completely. Understandably, this can make for pretty embarrassing situations! At worst, your mispronounced Russian will sound garbled to a native speaker. 

Knowing the nuances of how a word or letter is pronounced will also help you to understand spoken Russian better.

No worries if this feels hard; you’re learning, and with our help at RussianPod101, you will not have a problem with mispronunciation if you follow our advice and examples carefully.

2) Good Communication 

Not pronouncing Russian or any other language correctly can lead to a lot of frustration because you’re unable to express what you mean, and you will not be understood correctly. Even if you have total knowledge of Russian grammar, and can write it like a native, not knowing how to speak it properly will only make for very frustrating communication all around.

3) A Good Impression 

Even if you’re only a beginner, it is possible to speak any language correctly. This way, you are bound to make a good impression on native speakers, and when you’re more fluent, you will be likely to garner a lot more respect than a fumbling newbie speaker who doesn’t care much for correct pronunciation. 

People often have a lot of patience for someone who learns to speak a new language, but native speakers are more likely to address you and engage with you in conversation if you work hard on your accent. This is simply because you’ll be able to understand one another! So, proficiency in pronunciation can mean the difference between having none or plenty of Russian speaking friends. It will also serve you well in the workplace, and make you popular with your Russian speaking managers and employers or employees.

Learning to speak Russian properly is also a sign of respect for not only the language, but also the native speakers and their customs. 

1) Use voice recording tools to perfect your pronunciation

RussianPod101 has plenty of resources to help you with your Russian pronunciation, so be sure to make thorough use of our recordings with native Russian speakers. These are available not only to demonstrate to you how you should pronounce Russian vocabulary, but also sentences and dialogues. Watch and listen to these over and over again to train your ear, and watch the teacher’s mouth as she speaks in the video lessons. Then, copy the speech as best you can. Later, you can record yourself to hear if you sound like a native speaker and compare yourself with native speakers. Great for self-motivation.

2) Practice in front of the mirror.

And see that you’re copying the correct lip and mouth movements.

3) Use our RussianPod101 dictionary!

Use the Russian dictionary provided by RussianPod101 to look up words and listen to the audio pronunciation. This will go a long way towards giving you an idea of how to pronounce a word or letter correctly.

4) Train your ear to the language!

Make an effort to listen often to Russian music and recorded books, and watch plenty of Russian movies and/or TV shows in Russian. This will train your ear to the language, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you pick up the accent. Remember, this is the way we learned to speak when we were young - mostly by listening to the adults talking, and repeating what they say!

5) Practice, practice, practice… 

Repetition of the same thing may be boring, but in learning a new language, you’re creating new pathways in your brain. For these to remain and become habitual, you will need to repeat the correct pronunciation often.

6) Make friends with a native Russian speaker.

Don’t be shy to address them in Russian! Ask them to correct you when you make a pronunciation mistake - this is a wonderful way to practice and learn the language first-hand, and also to make new friends.

7) Practice your pronunciation with your Russian teacher!

If you’re a serious student and don’t know where to meet native Russian speakers, consider investing in RussianPod101’s Premium PLUS plan. This means you will have your own native Russian teacher available to practice your pronunciation with, and much more! Send recordings of yourself speaking Russian and get feedback from your Russian teacher.

You made it to the conclusion. We’re so proud of you! 

Dealing with language pronunciation—especially with the pronunciation of such an old and complicated language as Russian—is a hard, but necessary, step. Save the link to this article and come back here when you experience a problem with pronouncing a word the right way.

By the way, do you know the method for remembering things better? Use a pyramid learning trick. Reread this article in one hour, reminding yourself of the rules about Russian pronunciation. The best thing is to make notes with the main rules. Then reread your notes or an article after eight hours, after one day, after three days, after one week, after two weeks, and then reread it every two weeks, three more times. 

Put a reminder on your calendar. Every time, you’ll learn one-hundred percent, but your brain will store only a small part of it. Next time, you’ll put into your storage room one more part, and so on, until you finally get the full picture in your long-term memory.

We know you can do it! 

But if you experience problems with self-management, break study promises, or don’t know how to organize your learning process for the long term, consider participating in our MyTeacher program for Russian learners. Here, attentive teachers will guide you through the learning process, offer motivation, and help you master Russian pronunciation according to your goals. 

We hope your Russian language-learning journey will be fascinating! Stay with us for more interesting articles.😉