Pronunciation of The Modern Filipino Alphabet
| Letter | Pronunciation | IPA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | ey | /a/ | Becomes in unstressed positions |
| B | bi | /b/ | |
| C | si | /k/ or /s/ | Substituted by the letters k or s or digraph ts in Abakada, depending on the sound the letter generates. It is only used for words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into Filipino or Filipino words which were written using Spanish orthography. |
| D | di | /d/ | /ɾ/ and /d/ are sometimes interchangeable |
| E | ee | /ɛ/ | Sometimes pronounced |
| F | ef | /f/ | Substituted by the letter p in Abakada. It is only used for words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into Filipino or Filipino words which were written using Spanish orthography. |
| G | dzi | /ɡ/; before or /dʒ/ | |
| H | eyts | /h/ | |
| I | ay | /i/ | /i/ is usually pronounced in unstressed positions |
| J | dzey | /dʒ/ or /h/ | Written as the digraph dy or trigraph diy in Abakada when using the /dʒ/ phoneme or as h when using the /h/ phoneme. The sound varies depending on the language. It is only used for words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into Filipino or Filipino words which were written using Spanish orthography. |
| K | kei | /k/ | /k/ has a tendency to become between vowels |
| L | el | /l/ | |
| M | em | /m/ | |
| N | en | /n/ | |
| Ñ | enyé | /ɲ/, /nʲ/ or /nj/ | Written as the digraph ny or trigraph niy in Abakada. It is only used for words of Spanish origin that have not been assimilated into Filipino or Filipino words which were written using Spanish orthography. |
| Ng | endzi | /ŋ/ | pronounced 'ng' as in sing, running, etc. Note its similarity with the word 'ng' (originally 'ng̃' with a tilde over the g), which is a propositional word that is pronounced 'nang'. |
| O | o | /o/ | /o/ may be pronounced, and tends to become in stressed positions |
| P | pi | /p/ | |
| Q | kyu | /kʷ/ | Written as the digraph kw or trigraph kuw in Abakada. It is only used for words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into Filipino or Filipino words which were written using Spanish orthography. |
| R | ar | /ɾ/ | /ɾ/ and /d/ are sometimes interchangeable |
| S | es | /s/ | |
| T | ti | /t/ | |
| U | yu | /u/ | When unstressed, /u/ is usually pronounced |
| V | vi | /v/ | Substituted by the letter b in Abakada. It is only used for words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into Filipino or Filipino words which were written using Spanish orthography. |
| W | dobol yu | /w/ | |
| X | eks | /ks/ | Written as the digraph ks in Abakada. It is only used for words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into Filipino or Filipino words which were written using Spanish orthography. |
| Y | wai | /j/ | |
| Z | zi | /z/ | Substituted by the letter s in Abakada. It is only used for words of foreign origin that have not been assimilated into Filipino or Filipino words which were written using Spanish orthography. |
Read more about this topic: Filipino Orthography
Famous quotes containing the words modern and/or alphabet:
“All modern revolutions have ended in a reinforcement of the power of the state.”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)
“I believe the alphabet is no longer considered an essential piece of equipment for traveling through life. In my day it was the keystone to knowledge. You learned the alphabet as you learned to count to ten, as you learned “Now I lay me” and the Lord’s Prayer and your father’s and mother’s name and address and telephone number, all in case you were lost.”
—Eudora Welty (b. 1909)