The Lithuanian Alphabet: A Beginner's Pronunciation Guide to All 32 Letters

Good news first: Lithuanian is spelled almost exactly as it is pronounced. Once you know the 32 letters, you can read any Lithuanian word out loud — even if you do not know what it means yet.

Below is every letter with an approximate English comparison. English sounds are only a guide, so listen to the native audio for each letter in our alphabet and pronunciation lesson.

The 32 letters at a glance

A Ą B C Č D E Ę Ė F G H I Į Y J K L M N O P R S Š T U Ų Ū V Z Ž

Q, W and X are not part of the alphabet. F and H appear mostly in borrowed words such as fotografas (photographer) and humoras (humour).

Vowels

• A a — like 'a' in 'father', but short: namas (house).

• Ą ą — a long 'a': ąsotis (jug).

• E e — an open sound, close to 'a' in 'cat': medus (honey).

• Ę ę — the same open sound, but long: tęsti (to continue).

• Ė ė — a long, closed 'e', a bit like 'ay' in 'day' without the glide: gėlė (flower).

• I i — short, like 'i' in 'sit': ir (and).

• Į į and Y y — both a long 'ee' as in 'see': įėjimas (entrance), tylus (quiet).

• O o — usually a long 'o', rounder than in English: sodas (garden).

• U u — short, like 'u' in 'put': upė (river).

• Ų ų and Ū ū — both a long 'oo' as in 'moon': ačiū (thank you).

The 'tail' letters ą, ę, į, ų were once nasal vowels. In modern Lithuanian they are simply pronounced long — you do not need to say them through your nose.

Consonants that differ from English

• C c — 'ts' as in 'cats': cukrus (sugar).

• Č č — 'ch' as in 'church': čia (here).

• J j — 'y' as in 'yes': jūra (sea).

• R r — a rolled or tapped r, as in Spanish or Italian: rytas (morning).

• Š š — 'sh' as in 'shop': šuo (dog).

• Ž ž — like the 's' in 'measure': žuvis (fish).

• G g — always hard, as in 'go', never as in 'gym': gatvė (street).

• H h — a soft 'h' as in 'hat', mostly in loanwords.

The other consonants — b, d, f, k, l, m, n, p, s, t, v, z — sound much like their English equivalents. Many consonants become 'soft' before i and e, which is why i after a consonant often only softens it, as in ačiū or čia.

Letter combinations to know

• ch — like 'ch' in Scottish 'loch' or German 'Bach': chemija (chemistry).

• dž — 'j' as in 'jam': džiaugsmas (joy).

• ie — like 'ye' in 'yeah': pienas (milk).

• uo — like 'wo' in 'wonder': duona (bread).

• ai — like 'i' in 'kite': kaip (how).

• ei — like 'ay' in 'say': eime (let's go).

What about word stress?

Stress is the hardest part of Lithuanian pronunciation for beginners. It can fall on any syllable, it can move when a word changes form, and it is not marked in everyday writing. The best way to learn it is to listen and repeat — which is why every word in our vocabulary list and flashcards has native audio.

Practise in 10 minutes a day

1. Listen to each special letter in the pronunciation lesson and repeat it out loud.

2. Read 10 words from the vocabulary list before playing the audio, then check yourself.

3. Practise tricky pairs: c / č (cukrus / čia), š / ž (šuo / žuvis), e / ė (medis / mėnuo).

4. Read one short dialogue out loud, line by line, after the speaker.

Once the letters feel natural, you are ready for your first real words. Start with our guide to essential Lithuanian phrases for everyday life.