The Faroese Alphabet And Pronunciation Guide For Beginners
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If you look at written Faroese, you might think it looks a lot like Icelandic or Old Norse.
You would be right.
But if you try to read it out loud using English or even Icelandic rules, people might not understand a word you are saying.
Why is Faroese pronunciation so difficult?
The main reason is that the written language is etymological (based on history), but the spoken language has changed a lot over the centuries. This means there is a big gap between how a word looks and how it sounds.
For example, the letter Ð appears everywhere in writing, but we almost never pronounce it.
But don’t worry. Once you learn a few key rules, it starts to make sense.
In this guide, I will walk you through the alphabet and the most important pronunciation rules you need to get started.
Table Of Contents:
The Faroese alphabet
The Faroese alphabet has 29 letters.
We do not use C, Q, W, or Z in native words (though you might see them in names or borrowed words).
We do, however, have some special letters that English does not have: Á, Ð, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, Æ, and Ø.
Here is the full alphabet:
A, Á, B, D, Ð, E, F, G, H, I, Í, J, K, L, M, N, O, Ó, P, R, S, T, U, Ú, V, Y, Ý, Æ, Ø
Vowels: long vs short sounds
This is the most important rule in Faroese pronunciation.
Every vowel has two sounds: a long sound and a short sound.
How do you know which one to use?
The Rule:
- If there is one consonant (or no consonant) after the vowel, it is usually long.
- If there are two or more consonants after the vowel, it is usually short.
Here is a breakdown of how to pronounce them.
| Letter | Long Sound (1 consonant) | Short Sound (2+ consonants) |
|---|---|---|
| A a | Like “ea” in bear | Like “a” in hat |
| Á á | Like “oa” in boat (very rounded) | Like “o” in hot |
| E e | Like “ai” in air | Like “e” in bed |
| I i / Y y | Like “ee” in see | Like “i” in hit |
| Í í / Ý ý | Like “uy” (dipthong, sounds like ui) | Like “i” in hit |
| O o | Like “o” in cold | Like “o” in top |
| Ó ó | Like “ou” in soul (but more distinct) | Like “u” in turn (rounded) |
| U u | Like “oo” in moon | Like “u” in put |
| Ú ú | Like “ew” (dipthong, sounds like yu) | Like “y” in mystic (rounded) |
| Æ æ | Like “ea” in bear (Same as A) | Like “a” in hat (Same as A) |
| Ø ø | Like “er” in herd (longer) | Like “er” in herd (shorter) |
Note: You will notice that A and Æ sound exactly the same in Faroese. Also, I and Y sound the same, and Í and Ý sound the same.
Here is an example of the difference between long and short Á:
Bátur (Long sound because only ‘t’ follows)
Átta (Short sound because double ‘tt’ follows)
The letter Ð (The silent letter)
The letter Ð (called edd) is confusing for beginners because it looks like it should have a sound.
In Icelandic, it sounds like the “th” in “weather.”
In Faroese, Ð is never pronounced as a “th”.
Instead, it acts as a “bridge” between vowels.
- It is usually silent. especially at the end of words.
- It can sound like a ‘Y’ (j) if it is near ‘i’ vowels.
- It can sound like a ‘V’ if it is near ‘u’ vowels.
Let’s look at a very common word:
Góðan
In the greeting Góðan morgun (Good morning), the ð acts as a glide. It isn’t a hard consonant. It just helps you slide from the Ó to the A.
Tricky consonant combinations
Faroese has some very specific consonant sounds that give the language its unique character.
LL sounds like DL
If you see a double L, pronounce it like “dl”.
Fjall (Pronounced: Fyadl)
NN sounds like DN (sometimes)
If NN comes after a diphthong (like á, í, ó, ú, ei, ey, oy), it is pronounced like “dn”.
Seinni (Pronounced: Saidni)
HV sounds like KV
This is a very common feature. Words starting with HV (which are usually question words) are pronounced with a K sound.
Hvat (Pronounced: Kvat)
Hvar (Pronounced: Kvar)
G pre-aspiration
When a word ends in a vowel followed by gv, we insert a sound before it. Actually, the letter G acts strangely.
If G is at the beginning of a word, it is a hard G (like garden). If G is between vowels, it is often silent or soft like a Y.
KJ and GJ
When K or G are followed by J (or sometimes E/I), they become soft sounds.
- Kj sounds like “ch” in church.
- Gj sounds like “j” in jam.
Kjoli (Pronounced: Choli)
Regional variations
Faroese is spoken by about 54,000 people, but we still have dialects!
The main distinction you will hear is between the Suðuroy dialect (Southern islands) and the Tórshavn dialect (Mainland/Standard).
The guide above follows the standard pronunciation you will hear in the capital, Tórshavn.
However, if you travel south to Suðuroy, you might notice some differences:
- The letter Á: In Tórshavn, long Á is “oa”. In Suðuroy, it is often pronounced closer to “aa” (a long ‘a’ sound).
- Short vowels: Some short vowels keep their quality better in the south.
For a beginner, I recommend sticking to the standard Tórshavn pronunciation, as it is what you will hear on the radio (Kringvarp Føroya) and in most learning materials.
Summary
Faroese pronunciation takes practice because you have to ignore how the word looks and focus on the rules.
Here is a quick checklist to remember:
- Check if the vowel is long (1 consonant after) or short (2 consonants after).
- Remember that Ð is soft or silent, never “th”.
- LL is “dl” and HV is “kv”.
- A and Æ sound the same.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Faroese people are generally very happy that you are trying to speak our language.
