The Latin Alphabet & Pronunciation
Learn to read and pronounce Classical Latin: long and short vowels, consonant values, and the difference between Classical and Ecclesiastical pronunciation.
A lesson of Latin A1 — Beginner, in Foundations of Latin, about 10 minutes.
The Latin Alphabet and Pronunciation
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to read Latin aloud with correct Classical pronunciation and understand the key differences from English.
The Latin Alphabet
Latin uses 23 letters — the Roman alphabet that became ours. Missing: J, W, and U (written as I and V instead).
| Latin letters | Notes |
|---|---|
| A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T V X Y Z | No J, U, or W |
I and V do double duty:
- I = vowel (like English "i") AND consonant (like English "y" — iam = "yam")
- V = vowel (like English "u") AND consonant (like English "w" — vir = "wir")
Vowels: Long and Short
Every Latin vowel has a short and long form. Long vowels are held about twice as long.
| Letter | Short | Long |
|---|---|---|
| A | as in aha | as in father |
| E | as in pet | as in they |
| I | as in sit | as in machine |
| O | as in not | as in note |
| V (u) | as in put | as in rude |
Long vowels are marked with a macron (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) in textbooks. In ancient texts, no marks exist — Romans knew the pronunciation.
Why it matters: Mālum (apple) vs. Malum (evil) — different words distinguished only by vowel length.
Consonants: Key Differences from English
| Latin | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| C |