How Czech Sounds

Czech uses the Latin alphabet with special characters called diacritics. The háček (ˇ) and čárka (´) change how letters sound. Don't worry—these aren't random squiggles. Each one signals a specific, consistent sound.

Unlike English, Czech stress is 100% predictable: always on the first syllable. This makes Czech sound rhythmic and bouncy. 'Praha' sounds like PRA-ha, not pra-HA.

Short and long vowels are different sounds in Czech. 'pas' (passport) and 'pás' (belt) are completely different words. The čárka (´) over a vowel means hold it longer.

The letter 'ř' is unique to Czech. It's a rolled 'r' combined with 'zh' at the same time. Don't stress if you can't nail it immediately—native speakers understand approximations.

Every letter in Czech is pronounced. There are no silent 'e's or dropped consonants. If you see it, you say it.

Czech loves stacking consonants together. 'Strč prst skrz krk' (stick a finger through your throat) is a real sentence. Practice slowly, one sound at a time.

Czech has paired consonants: b/p, d/t, g/k, v/f, z/s, ž/š. At the end of a word, voiced consonants (b, d, g, v, z, ž) become voiceless (p, t, k, f, s, š). This is called devoicing.

Don't try to master every sound at once. Start with high-frequency words and let your ear adjust. Czech pronunciation is regular—once you know the rules, you can read anything.