This page describes how IPA is used to transcribe Yiddish words at Wikipedia. It follows the pronunciation of "Standard Yiddish" (or "YIVO Yiddish"), as described in such works as Uriel Weinreich's College Yiddish and Modern English-Yiddish Yiddish-English Dictionary .
See Yiddish phonology for a more thorough look at the sounds of Yiddish.
Consonants
IPA
Letter(s)
English examples
Romanization
b
ב (beys)
b ut, web
b
d
ד (daled)
d o, bed
d
dʒ
דaaזaaש (daled zayen shin)
j oy, edge
dzh
f
פaaֿ ף (fey, i.e. pey with rafe on nonfinal form)
f ool, leaf
f
ɡ
ג (giml)
g o, beg
g
h
ה (hey)
h en
h
j
י (yud)
y es
y
k
כaaּ (kof with dagesh)[1] ק (kuf)
sk in, thick
k
l
ל (lamed)
bell
l
ʎ ל milli on
l
m
מ ם (mem)
m an, tam
m
n
נ ן (nun)
n o, tin
n
ŋ [2]
נ when followed by ג or ק
fin ger, drin k
n in the combinations ng, nk
p
פaaּ (pey with dagesh)
sp in, tip
p
r [3]
ר (reysh)
None in most accents; compare Spanish perr o and per o and French r ouge
r
s
ס (samekh)שaaׂ (sin, i.e. shin with a sin dot)[1] ת (sof, i.e. tof with no dagesh)[1]
s ee, pass
s
ʃ
ש (shin)
sh e, leash
sh
t
ט (tes)תaaּ (tof with dagesh)[1]
st ing, bet
t
ts
צ ץ (tsadek)
ts unami, pizz a
ts
tʃ
טaaש (tes shin)
ch air, teach
tsh
v
בaaֿ (veys, i.e. beys with rafe)[1] וaaו (tsvey vovn)
v oice, have
v
χ
ח (khes)[1] כ ך (khof, i.e. kof with no dagesh)
Similar to Scottish loch
kh
z
ז (zayen)
z oo, ros e
z
ʒ
זaaש (zayen shin)
pleas ure, beige
zh
Vowels
Full vowels (monophthongs)
IPA
Letter(s)
English examples
Romanization
a
אaaַ (pasekh alef)
fa ther (but not a long vowel )
a
ɛ
ע (ayin)
be d
e
ɪ
י (yud)
bi d
i
ɔ
אaaָ (komets alef)
bo ss
o
ʊ
ו (vov)
foo t
u
Diphthongs
ɛaaj
יaaי (tsvey yudn)
day , pai n
ey
aj
ײaaַ (pasekh tsvey yudn)
fi ne, why
ay
ɔaaj
וaaי (vov yud)
loi n, boy
oy
Reduced vowels
ə
ע or none
sofa
e
l̩ ל bottle
l
n̩ נ ן button
n
Other symbols used in transcription of Yiddish
IPA
Explanation
ˈ Primary stress (placed before the stressed syllable), e.g. אaaײaaזaaל [ˈaaɛaajzl̩] 'donkey'
ˌ Secondary stress, e.g. מaaאaaַaaמaaעaa־aaלaaשaaוaaן [ˈaamaməaaˌaalɔaaʃaan̩] 'Yiddish as mother tongue'
Notes
↑ a aa i E u oo Only in words of Semitic origin.
↑ Not a separate phoneme of Yiddish, but an allophone of /n/ before /ɡ, k/
↑ Depending on speaker, the rhotic /r/ may be realized either as an alveolar trill [r] , an alveolar tap [ɾ] , or a uvular trill [ʀ] .