Pipil Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

˜Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
a		a	Like the a in father.
a:	aa	a	Like a only held longer.
e		e	Like the e sound in Spanish. In English, it is midway between the vowel sounds in met and mate.
e:	ee	e	Like e only held longer.
i		i	Like the i in police.
i:	ii	i	Like i only held longer.
o		o	Like the o in note.
o:	oo	o	Like o only held longer.
u		u	Like the u in flute.
u:	uu	u	Like u only held longer.

˜Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	How To Pronounce It:
ch	č	t	Like ch in chair.
h		h	Like h in hay.
k		k ~ g	Like the soft k in skate. Sometimes, especially between vowels, it is pronounced more like the g in gate.
kw	qu	kw	Like qu in English square.
l		l	Like l in light.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
ng		ŋ	Like ng in sing.
p		p	Like the soft p in spy.
r			Like Spanish r, a little like the tt in English butter.
s		s	Like s in see.
t		t	Like the soft t in star.
tl	hl, ł	ł	This sound is a lateral fricative that doesn't really exist in English. It sounds like the "ll" in the Welsh name "Llewellyn." Some English speakers can pronounce it well if they try to pronounce the "breathy l" in the word clue without the c in front of it. Not all dialects of Pipil have this sound.
ts	tz, c	ts	Like ts in cats.
w		w ~	Like w in way. At the end of a word or before a consonant, Pipil w is usually pronounced voicelessly, like the sound made when blowing out a candle.
x	sh, š		Like sh in shell.
y		j	Like y in yes.

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