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Waorani Pronunciation and Spelling Guide

Welcome to our Waorani alphabet page! The following charts show the pronunciation for the Waorani 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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Waorani Vowels

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Waorani pronunciation:
a		a	Like the a in father.
ae	æ	æ	Like the a in cat.
e		e ~ ε	Like Spanish e, similar to the a in gate. Sometimes it sounds more like the e in get.
i		i	Like the i in police.
o		o ~	Like the o in note. Sometimes it sounds more like the oo in book.

Waorani 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, ä	ã
ãẽ	ąę, äë
ẽ	ę, ë	ẽ
ĩ	į, ï	ĩ
õ	, ö	õ

Waorani Consonants

Character We Use:	Sometimes Also Used:	IPA symbol:	Waorani pronunciation:
b		b	Like b in boy.
d		d	Like d in day.
g	gu	g	Like g in girl.
k	c, qu	k	Like k in king.
m		m	Like m in moon.
n		n	Like n in night.
ñ	ny	n^y	Like ny in canyon.
ng		ŋ	Like the ng in sing.
p		p	Like p in pine.
r	d		Like the r in Spanish pero, somewhat like the tt in American English butter.
t		t	Like t in time.
w	hu	w	Like w in way.
y		j	Like y in yes.

Waorani Indian Pronunciation and Vocabulary Resources

   Waorani vocabulary
   Waorani picture dictionary
   Huaorani numbers