Pronunciation and Spelling

Spelling is regular as to the pronunciation that it indicates. Every letter (including the digraph ) represents a single sound that should not vary much at all based on its position or which vowels it is next to. Stress is also completely regular, always falling on the very first syllable of a word. If two letters disagree in voicing, (ex. D and S as opposed to D and Z), the former inherits the voicing of the latter, so bčela “bee” when pronounced quickly is pronounced as pčela. There is an optional Cyrillic script, although the Latin is preferred for uniformity.

Latin LatterCyrillic LetterLetter NamePronun­iation
AАalike a as in “father”
BБbelike b as in “boy”
CЦ celike ts as in “tsuna­mi”
ČЧčelike ch as in “church
DДdelike d as in “dog”
ДЖdželike j as in “jump”
EЕelike e as in “less”
FФeflike f as in “fish”
GГgelike g as in “good”
HХhalike ch as in Scottish “loch
IИilike ee as in “see
JЈjelike y as in “yard”
KКkalike k as in “sky”
LЛellike l as in “law”
MМemlike m as in “mare”
NНenlike n as in “nose”
OОolike o as in British English “north”
PПpelike p as in “spare”
RРerlike the rolled r in Spanish
SСeslike s as in “song”
ŠШlike sh as in “shell”
TТtelike t as in “star”
UУulike oo as in “moon”
VВvelike v as in “very”
ZЗzelike z as in “zebra”
ŽЖželike s as in “mea­sure”