Pronunciation
- This section describes the pronunciation in Russian. Other languages may have subtle differences.
The letter ⟨ё⟩ always represents the phoneme /o/ in a stressed syllable.
It is a so-called iotated vowel. In initial or post-vocalic position, it represents the sounds /jo/, like in 'York'. The same applies if any of ⟨ъ⟩, ⟨ь⟩ precede ⟨ё⟩.
The letter ⟨ё⟩ also indicates the phoneme /o/ together with palatalization of the preceding consonant (if it is possible). No /j/ sound occur between a consonant and a vowel in this case.
Exact pronunciation of the vowel sound of ⟨ё⟩ can vary due to allophony in Slavic languages. Except in /jo/, it more likely sounds – like 'bird' in Australian English – rather than (the usual phone for stressed /o/). See palatalization #Synchronic palatalization for some background.
Read more about this topic: Yo (Cyrillic)