Original Latin texts used the letter V in place of the vowel U as well (since the letter U did not exist). Modern Latin textbooks typically update the text to use the letter U for the vowel, and V only as the consonant.
For example, the name Iulius or “Julius” is pronounced “Yoo-lee-us. "
C is always hard, as in “cat. " cum (with) = koom G is always hard, as in “goal. " ago (I drive) = ah-go S is always a voiceless “s” sound as in “snake. " spuma (foam) = spoo-ma R is always rolled. This sound doesn’t exist in most English dialects, so beginners can pronounce this as they would normally say “R. "
If you want perfect pronunciation, try to include the h by making the following vowel breathier, as in “hot house” or “uphill”[2] X Research source
Enunciate to keep the sounds distinct. For example, Classical Latin “t” is always pronounced clearly as a hard “t,” never softening to a sloppy “d” sound. [3] X Research source There are a small number of corner cases which are not important for beginners. If you want to become a Latin pronunciation expert, these are covered in the extra rules later on.
If your main goal is to speak Church Latin, now’s a good time to skip down to that section, since the vowel pronunciations are quite different. If you cannot find a text like this, speak with an advanced Latin student to get familiar with vowel pronunciation. Most students learn this best through practice and memorization, but you can look up the complex rules for identifying long and short vowels if you prefer that method.
A as in alike E as in let I as in lick O as in off U as the “oo” in foot
Ā as in father (the same sound as short a, but held for a longer time) Ē as the “a” in mate Ī as the “ee” in beep Ō as in only Ū as the “oo” in boot
AE as the word eye. saepe (often) = sai-peh AU as the word ow. laudat (he/she/it praises) = low-daht EI as in ray. eicio (I accomplish) = ay-kee-oh OE as in oil. In all other vowel combinations, pronounce the vowels as separate syllables. tuus (your) = tu-us A combination of short and long vowels do not produce dipthongs. “poēta” (poet) = po-ay-tah
If a syllable has a long vowel or a diphthong, it is heavy. If a syllable is followed by a double consonant, it is heavy. The letter x counts as a double consonant (ks). If neither of those is true, the syllable is light. (Some teachers refer to this as “long” and “short” syllables, but it’s important not to confuse them with long and short vowels. )
Abutor (I squander) is pronounced ah-BOO-tor because the penult has a long vowel. Occaeco (I make blind) is pronounced ok-KAI-ko because the penult has a diphthong (ae). Recusandus (that which must be rejected) is pronounced reh-koo-SAN-dus because the penult is followed by a double consonant (nd).
Praesidium (guard) is pronounced prai-SI-di-um. The penult is light, so the accent falls on the syllable before it.
Double consonants are pronounced twice: reddit (she gives back) is “red-dit,” not “re-dit”. “bt” and “bs” are pronounced “pt” and “ps. “[5] X Research source “gn” was pronounced “ngn” as in “wing nut. “[6] X Research source Some scholars think the letter “m” at the end of a word nasalized the final vowel, as in modern French, and that the combinations “ns” and “nf” had a similar effect. [7] X Research source “br”, “pl”, and similar double consonants that “flow” into an l or r do not count as double consonants for syllable stress. [8] X Research source
If C appears before ae, e, oe, and i, pronounce it ch as in chain (instead of a hard c as in cat). In the same context, G is soft as in gem instead of hard as in goat. SC becomes sh as in sheep instead of sc as in scold. CC becomes tch as in catchy instead of cc as in accord. XC becomes ksh instead of ksk.
A as in father. E as in red. I or Y as the “ee” in sleep. O as in for (not as in go). U as the “oo” in boot.
GN is always pronounced as the “ni” in onion. TI followed by any additional vowel is pronounced as the “tsy” in patsy. Exception: TI is still pronounced “tee” if it is at the start of a word, or if it follows s, x, or t.
EI is pronounced as a diphthong (one sound) only in the word Hei.
