Letter Names
The names of the letters are:
| Letter | Name | IPA | Typical sound value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aa | a | between English 'father' and 'cat' | |
| Áá | á | the "ow" in "cow" | |
| Bb | bé | 'p' with no puff of air. | |
| Dd | dé | 't' with no puff of air. | |
| Ðð | eð | the "th" in "the" (always medially, not initially). | |
| Ee | e | "eh" like the "e" in "end" | |
| Éé | é | a shorter sounding "yeah" | |
| Ff | eff | (same as in English sometimes, see notes) | |
| Gg | gé | (same as in English sometimes, see notes) | |
| Hh | há | (same as English) | |
| Ii | i | the "i" in "win" | |
| Íí | í | the "e" in "we" | |
| Jj | joð | said as a "y" or an aspirated "y" (see notes) | |
| Kk | ká | 'k' with a puff of air. | |
| Ll | ell | (same as in English) | |
| Mm | emm | (same as in English) | |
| Nn | enn | (same as in English) | |
| Oo | o | the "our" in "four" (British English) | |
| Óó | ó | "oh" | |
| Pp | pé | 'p' with a puff of air. | |
| Rr | err | rolled, as in Spanish, but slightly more delicately | |
| Ss | ess | always an unvoiced "s" never a voiced "z" sound | |
| Tt | té | 't' with a puff of air. | |
| Uu | u | 'i' in 'in' but rounded. | |
| Úú | ú | like the "ou" in "you" | |
| Vv | vaff | similar to English 'v' | |
| Xx | ex | like the hard German "ch" followed by an s | |
| Yy | ypsilon y | same as 'i' | |
| Ýý | ypsilon ý | same as 'í' | |
| Þþ | þorn | "th" as in "thing" (commonly initially, with some exceptions) | |
| Ææ | æ | "eye" | |
| Öö | ö | "e" in "end" but rounded, from the middle of the mouth |
Read more about this topic: Icelandic Alphabet
Famous quotes containing the words letter and/or names:
“When you travel to the Celestial City, carry no letter of introduction. When you knock, ask to see God,—none of the servants.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Without infringing on the liberty we so much boast, might we not ask our professional Mayor to call upon the smokers, have them register their names in each ward, and then appoint certain thoroughfares in the city for their use, that those who feel no need of this envelopment of curling vapor, to insure protection may be relieved from a nuisance as disgusting to the olfactories as it is prejudicial to the lungs.”
—Harriot K. Hunt (1805–1875)