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Ache Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

Welcome to our Ache alphabet page! The following charts show the pronunciation for the Ache orthography we have used on our site, as well as some alternate spellings that you may find in other books and websites.

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Ache Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Ache pronunciation:
a		a	Like the a in father.
e		e	Like Spanish e, pronounced somewhat like the a in gate.
i		i	Like the i in police.
o		o ~	Like the o in note.
u		u	Like the u in flute.
y	ï, i	i	This sound does not exist in English. It sounds like the i in police only pronounced further back in the mouth. If you've ever heard a Slavic language like Russian or Polish being spoken, it is the same "dark i" sound from those languages.

Ache Nasal Vowels

Nasal vowels don't exist in English, but you may be familiar with them from French (or from hearing people speak English with a French accent.) They are pronounced just like oral ("regular") vowels, only using your nose as well as your mouth. To English speakers, a nasal vowel often sounds like a vowel with a half-pronounced "n" at the end of it. You can hear examples of nasal vowels at the end of the French words "bon" and "Jean," or in the middle of the word "Français."

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:
ã	ą, añ	ã
ẽ	ę, eñ	ẽ
ĩ	į, iñ	ĩ
õ	, oñ	õ
ũ	ų, uñ	ũ
ỹ	ĩ, ïñ	ĩ

Ache Diphthongs

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Ache pronunciation:
au	aw	aw	Like ow in English cow.
ai	ay	aj	Like English eye.

Ache Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Ache pronunciation:
b		b	Like b in boy.
ch		t	Like ch in child.
j	dj	d	like the j in jar.
g		g	Like the g in go.
k	c, qu	k	Like the k in kite.
ll	y, j	j	Like the y in yes.
m		m	Like m in moon.
mb		^mb	A prenasalized b sound, something like the b in umbrella.
n		n	Like n in night.
nd		ⁿd	A prenasalized d sound, something like the d in under.
ng		ⁿg	A prenasalized g sound, something like the g in finger.
nt		ⁿt	A prenasalized t sound, something like the t in enter.
ñ		n^y	Like ny in canyon.
p		p	Like the p in pie.
r			Like a Spanish r, similar to the tt in English butter.
t		t	Like the t in tell.
v		υ ~ β	This is an approximant v sound that doesn't exist in English. If you've ever heard Scandinavian languages such as Norwegian, Danish or Finnish being spoken, it is the same v sound from those languages. It sounds like a cross between a v and a w to English speakers. Some younger Ache speakers pronounce this sound like the bilabial Spanish v in navidad instead.
’			A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

Ache Indian Pronunciation and Vocabulary Resources

   Ache words
   Ache picture dictionary
   Ache body
   Tupi Guarani language