Sounds of Nikud in Hebrew of All the Aleph-Bet Letters

Now let’s move on to Patach. Patach is a vowel sign that looks like a small horizontal line under the letter, like this: אַ. Patach, just like Kamatz, makes the same sound in modern Hebrew. When you click any Hebrew letter on our site that has a Patach, you’ll hear the Patach sound for that letter. Amazing, right?

Even though they’re two different vowel signs, they share the same sound. In ancient Hebrew the sounds were different, but in the modern Hebrew we speak today, both signs make the same sound. So remember: whether it’s a Patach or a Kamatz, you can hear the “ah” sound by clicking the Hebrew-letter cards marked with a Patach.

Let’s meet the Shva, the mysterious vowel sign! The Shva is two tiny dots stacked one above the other under a letter, like this: אְ. So what does it mean? Things get a little bit complex, so listen closely.

The Shva can be one of two things: it can be a Shva Na—when you click it on our site, you’ll hear the short vowel sound we learn in first grade. But sometimes it’s a Shva Nach, which makes no sound at all! How can you know which is which? (We’ll learn that in third grade.) For now, in first grade, we usually read the Shva as Shva Na, that is, with the sound.

Click one of the letter cards to hear the letter with a Shva (Shva Na). Remember: whenever you see a Shva under a letter, there are two possibilities—one with a sound, or a silent Shva Nach. Don’t worry—the more you practice, the easier it will be to know when to read the Shva and when to stay quiet.

Now we’re taking the next step in our journey and meeting the Hiriq Male. Hiriq Male is a vowel sign that marks the “ee” sound. It’s written as a single dot under the letter followed by the letter י, like this: אִי.

So if we see the Hebrew letter בִי, we read it “bee.” Remember this when you’re looking on our site for a letter with a Hiriq—find the sound you want on the cards and click the card to hear the letter with Hiriq plus Yod (that is, Hiriq Male).

Now let’s talk about the little brother of Hiriq Male—Hiriq Haser. Hiriq Haser makes the same sound as Hiriq Male, but what’s the difference? In Hiriq Haser we don’t have a י after the dot—just the dot itself, like this: ִ.

Let’s see how it looks with the letter “bet”: בִ. Interesting, right? Even without the Yod we still pronounce the “ee” sound! Remember this when you’re looking on the site for letter sounds—in this case, the Hiriq (Hiriq Haser). Click the card for any Hebrew letter and you’ll hear the Hiriq sound.

We’re continuing our journey through the world of vowel signs with Holam Male. When a Hebrew letter takes a Holam Male, the sign is arranged in a special way—a dot above the letter followed by the letter ו. Holam Male looks like this: וֹ.

So if you see the letter בוֹ, you read it “bo.” Remember this when you browse the letter cards—click any letter card to hear its sound with the Holam Male vowel.

Now we’ve reached Holam Haser, another special vowel sign. Here you’ll find all 22 Hebrew letters with Holam Haser. Holam Haser sounds exactly the same as Holam Male, but its shape is different—there’s only a dot above the letter, with no ו afterward. Holam Haser looks like this: אֹ.

How does it look on the letter “bet”? Like this: בֹ. Whether it’s Holam Male or Holam Haser, the symbols are different, but the sound is identical. So remember: whichever Holam you see, the sound is “oh”. Click the letter card you’re looking for and you’ll hear that letter with the Holam (Haser) vowel.

It’s time to meet the sweet vowel sign, the Tzeirei. Tzeirei represents the “eh” sound. It’s special in how it’s arranged—two dots side by side under the letter, like this: אֵ.

If you see the letter בֵ, you read it “beh.” Remember this when you’re browsing: find the Hebrew letter you’re looking for and click its card to hear the sound with the Tzeirei vowel.

Now let’s get to know the Segol, a vowel sign with a sound of its own. Its shape is a bit different—three dots arranged like a small triangle, like this: אֶ.

How does it look on the letter “bet”? Like this: בֶ. Segol has its own sound, slightly different from Tzeirei. Click any letter card marked with Segol to hear the letter’s sound with the Segol vowel.

Let’s keep our journey going and discover another special vowel sign—Kubutz. The cards in this section show the Hebrew letters with the Kubutz vowel. Kubutz is made of three dots arranged diagonally under the letter, like this: אֻ.

So if you see the letter בֻ, you read it “bu.” Remember this when you’re looking for letter sounds on our site—click any of these cards to hear the letters with the Kubutz vowel. Click a letter and listen to its sound!

Now let’s discover the Shuruk, a vowel sign that’s special in its own way. In modern Hebrew, Shuruk sounds exactly the same as Kubutz, but what’s the difference? The difference is in the shape of the sign: Shuruk is written as the letter וּ. How does it look with the letter “bet”? Like this: בוּ.

In terms of pronunciation today the sound is identical, so whether it’s Kubutz or Shuruk (a “small” vowel or a “full” vowel), the symbols are different but the sound is the same. Find the letter you’re looking for among the Hebrew-letter cards, click the card, and you’ll hear the letter with the Shuruk vowel.