Letters
When Q, V and X are excluded, there are 32 letters in the Polish alphabet: 9 vowels and 23 consonants.
The following table lists the letters of the alphabet, their Polish names (see also Names of letters below), the Polish phonemes which they usually represent, rough English (or other) equivalents to the sounds of those phonemes, and other possible pronunciations. For more information about the sounds, see Polish phonology.
| Upper case |
Lower case |
Polish name | Usual value | Rough English (or other) equivalent |
Other values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | a | a | /a/ | large | |
| Ą | ą | ą | /ɔ̃/ | nasal o as French bon | /ɔn/, /ɔm/ (see Nasal vowels) |
| B | b | be | /b/ | bed | /p/ when devoiced |
| C | c | ce | /t͡s/ | pits | For ch, ci, cz see Digraphs |
| Ć | ć | cie | /t͡ɕ/ | cheap (alveolo-palatal) | |
| D | d | de | /d/ | dog | /t/ when devoiced. For dz etc. see Digraphs |
| E | e | e | /ɛ/ | bed | |
| Ę | ę | ę | /ɛ̃/ | nasal e | /ɛn/, /ɛm/ (see Nasal vowels) |
| F | f | ef | /f/ | fat | |
| G | g | gie | /ɡ/ | go | /k/ when devoiced. For gi see Digraphs |
| H | h | ha | /x/ | Scots loch | For ch and (c)hi see Digraphs |
| I | i | i | /i/ | meet | /j/, or palatization (see Spelling rules) |
| J | j | jot | /j/ | yes | |
| K | k | ka | /k/ | scant | /ɡ/ if voiced. For ki see Digraphs |
| L | l | el | /l/ | light | |
| Ł | ł | eł | /w/ | will | |
| M | m | em | /m/ | men | |
| N | n | en | /n/ | not | For ni see Digraphs |
| Ń | ń | eń | /ɲ/ | canyon (alveolo-palatal) | |
| O | o | o | /ɔ/ | British English long | |
| Ó | ó | o (or u) z kreską | /u/ | boot | |
| P | p | pe | /p/ | spot | /b/ if voiced |
| R | r | er | /r/ | trilled r | For rz see Digraphs |
| S | s | es | /s/ | sea | For sz, si see Digraphs |
| Ś | ś | eś | /ɕ/ | sheep (alveolo-palatal) | /ʑ/ (cf. Ź) if voiced |
| T | t | te | /t/ | start | /d/ if voiced |
| U | u | u | /u/ | boot | Sometimes /w/ after vowels |
| W | w | wu | /v/ | vow | /f/ when devoiced |
| Y | y | igrek | /ɨ/ | between fit and put | |
| Z | z | zet | /z/ | zoo | /s/ when devoiced. For digraphs see Digraphs |
| Ź | ź | ziet | /ʑ/ | vision, alveolo-palatal | /ɕ/ when devoiced. For dź see Digraphs |
| Ż | ż | żet | /ʐ/ | vision | /ʂ/ when devoiced. For dż see Digraphs |
The letters q, v, and x do not belong to the Polish alphabet, but are used in some foreign words and commercial names. In loanwords they are often replaced by kw, w, and ks, respectively (as in kwarc "quartz", weranda "veranda", ekstra "extra").
For digraphs and other rules about spelling and the corresponding pronunciations, see Polish orthography.
Read more about this topic: Polish Alphabet
Famous quotes containing the word letters:
“How do we know, then, when a code’s been cracked? ... when we are right? ... when do we know if we have even received a message? Why, naturally, when, upon one set of substitutions, sense emerges like the outline under a rubbing; when a single tentative construal leads to several; when all the sullen letters of the code cry TEAM! after YEA! has been, by several hands, uncovered.”
—William Gass (b. 1924)
“It is the highest and most legitimate pride of an Englishman to have the letters M.P. written after his name. No selection from the alphabet, no doctorship, no fellowship, be it of ever so learned or royal a society, no knightship,—not though it be of the Garter,—confers so fair an honour.”
—Anthony Trollope (1815–1882)
“... all my letters are read. I like that. I usually put something in there that I would like the staff to see. If some of the staff are lazy and choose not to read the mail, I usually write on the envelope “Legal Mail.” This way it will surely be read. It’s important that we educate everybody as we go along.”
—Jean Gump, U.S. pacifist. As quoted in The Great Divide, book 2, section 10, by Studs Terkel (1988)