| Latin Sounds and Pronunciation |
|
A Guide to Latin Consonants
for Latin I and II
| Consonant |
Pronunciation |
Latin Example |
Notes |
| b |
as in boy |
baculum |
before an s or t is pronounced like an English p, such as urbs. |
| c |
like k in kite |
canis |
always hard, as in cat |
| d |
as in dog |
dies |
|
| f |
as in fire |
filia |
|
| g |
as in good |
gratia |
always hard, as in go. If combined with n, such as the Latin magnus, the g is silent |
| h |
as in hire |
hortus |
|
| j or i |
like y in you |
iam |
creates a y sound, the letter j was adopted in Medieval Latin |
| l |
as in lip |
labor |
|
| m |
as in made |
mors |
|
| n |
as in nap |
nihil |
|
| p |
like p in put |
puer |
always hard, such as "put" |
| qu |
as in quick |
quod |
|
| s |
as in sit |
saepe |
|
| t |
as in ten |
toga |
|
| v |
like w in will |
via |
|
Latin consonants not mentioned here (r and z) have little or no English equivalent and their pronunciations are debated. R may have had a slight roll similar to modern French or even a roll as much as the Spanish language does.
You many also notice other unusual letters, particulary in actual Latin text. Letters such as z, th, y, ph or ch were adopted so that Latin authors could transliterate Greek letters into Latin:
| Latin Consonant |
Greek Consonant |
| z |
ζ (zeta) |
| th |
θ (theta) |
| y |
υ (upsilon) |
| ph |
φ (phi) |
| ch |
χ (chi) |
^ Grammatica