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Names derived from languages other than English aren’t always easy for English speakers to pronounce, and Welsh is no exception. As far as I am concerned, please feel free to pronounce the names and places in this book however you like. I want you to be happy!
That said, some people really want to know the right way to pronounce a word, and for them, I have included the pronunciation guide for Welsh sounds below.
Enjoy!
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a an ah sound, as in cat (Catrin)
ae an eye sound (Caer)
ai an eye sound (Dai)
c a hard c sound (Catrin)
ch a non-English sound as in Scottish ch in loch (Fychan)
d as in David (Dafydd)
dd a buzzy voiced ‘th’ sound, as in there (bardd)
e an eh sound as in bet (Medwyn)
f a v sound as in of (Caernarfon)
ff as in off (Gruffydd)
g a hard g sound, as in gas (Gruffydd)
i an ee sound (Dw i)
l as in lamp (Hywel)
ll a breathy /sh/ sound that does not occur in English (Llywelyn)
o a short o sound as in cot (Conwy)
rh a breathy mix between r and rh that does not occur in English (Rhys)
th a softer unvoiced sound than for dd as in thick (Arthur)
u a short ih sound (Gruffydd) or (Tudur), or a long ee sound if at the end of the word (Cymru—pronounced kumree)
w as a consonant, it’s an English w (Llywelyn); or as an oo sound as in book (Bwlch)
y when it is located in any syllable before the last one, it is an uh sound (Hywel). At the end of a word it can be ih as in Llywelyn or Gruffydd, or ee as in Cymry.
