Pronunciation
Hear the Difference
Some Arabic letters look and sound almost identical — a one-letter slip can turn 'heart' into 'dog'. Each lesson compares a confusing pair with audio, minimal pairs, and a listening drill.
Kaaf vs Qaaf — ك vs ق
Master the difference between the front k (ك) and the deep, throaty k (ق) with minimal pairs and listening drills.
Seen vs Saad — س vs ص
Learn to tell the plain s (س) from the deep, emphatic s (ص) — and hear why ص changes the whole word.
Taa vs Tah — ت vs ط
Spot the difference between the light t (ت) and the heavy, emphatic t (ط) — and the words they change.
Haa vs Ha — ح vs ه
Two kinds of h: the breathy, throaty h (ح) and the plain English h (ه). Learn to hear and say both.
Daal vs Daad — د vs ض
Arabic's famous letter: the emphatic d (ض) versus the plain d (د). Learn the sound that gave Arabic its name.
Dhaal vs Thaa — ذ vs ث
Both make the 'th' sound — but one is voiced like 'this' (ذ) and the other is not like 'thin' (ث).
Not sure about the letters themselves yet?
These lessons assume you've met the alphabet. Start there first — every letter has its own page with sound.
Learn the alphabet