Ika Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

˜Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
a		a	Like the a in father.
e		e	Like the e sound in Spanish, similar to the a in gate.
i		i	Like the i in police.
i	ï, y	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.
o		o	Like the o in note.
u		u	Like the u in flute.
	u, ə, ü	ə	Like the a in English about.

˜Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
b		b	Like b in boy.
ch	č	t	Like ch in chair.
d		d	Like the d in day.
g		g	Like the g in girl.
h	j	h	Like h in hay.
j		d	Like j in jar.
k	c, qu	k	Like the k in kiss.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
p		p	Like the p in pin.
r			Like the r in Spanish pero, somewhat like the tt in American English butter.
s		s	Like s in sun.
š	sh, x		Like sh in shell.
t		t	Like the t in tell.
w		w	Like w in way.
ž	zh		Like the ge in garage.
’	, ?		A pause sound, like the one in the middle of the word "uh-oh."

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