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This is the pronunciation key for IPA transcriptions of Latin on Wikipedia.

It provides a set of symbols to represent the pronunciation of Latin in popflock.com resource articles, and example words that illustrate the sounds that correspond to them. Integrity must be maintained between the key and the transcriptions that link here; do not change any symbol or its value without establishing consensus on the talk page first.

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H:IPA-LA

The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Classical Latin and Ecclesiastical Latin pronunciations in popflock.com resource articles. For a guide to adding IPA characters to popflock.com resource articles, see {{IPA-la}} and popflock.com Resource: Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Entering IPA characters.

See Latin spelling and pronunciation and Latin regional pronunciation for a more thorough look at the sounds of Latin.

Consonants^[1]
IPA	Latin alphabet		Examples	English approximation
IPA	Class.	Eccl.	Examples	English approximation
b	b		bellum	bean
d	d		decem	deck
dz		z^[2]	z?lus	adds
d?		g^[3]	g?ns	giant
f	f		faci?	fan
?	g		gravis	gear
h	h^[4]		habe?	her or hour
j	i^[5]	j^[5]	i?s	yes
k	c, k		caput	scar
k?	ch^[2]		charta	car
k?	qu^[6]		quattuor	squash
k?	qu^[6]		qu?	French cuisine
l	l		locus	leave
?	l^[7]		multus	all
m	m^[8]		manus	man
n	n^[8]		noster	next
?	n^[8]		longus^[9]	song
?	g		ignis^[9]	song
?		gn	ignis^[9]	onion
p	p		pax	span
p?	ph^[2]		pharetra	pan
r	r		regi?	trilled or tapped r
s	s^[10]		sum	send
?		sc^[3]	scind?	sharp
t	t		tabula	stone
t?	th^[2]		thalamus	tone
ts		t^[3]	porti?	Botswana
t?		c^[3]	centum	change
w	u^[5]		uerbum	west
v		v^[5]	uerbum	vest
z	z^[2]		z?lus	zest
z		s^[10]	miserere	zest

Vowels^[11]
IPA	Latin alphabet		Examples	English approximation
IPA	Class.	Eccl.	Examples	English approximation
a	a		anima	pasta
a:	?		?cer	father
?	e		est	met
e			est	met
e:	?		?l?ctus	Scottish made
?	i		incipit	mit
i		i y	?ra	meet
i:	?		?ra	meet
?	o		omnis	off
o		o	omnis	off
o:	?		?rd?	RP or Australian law
?	u		urbs	put
u		u	l?na	cool
u:	?		l?na	cool
?	y^[2]		cyclus	Scottish cute
y:	?^[2]		c?ma	Scottish cued
Diphthongs
ae?	ae		aet?s	sigh
oe?	oe		poena	boy
au?	au		aurum	cow
eu?	eu		seu	no English equivalent; Spanish euro
ui?	ui		cui	no English equivalent; Spanish muy
Nasal vowels^[8]
:			monstrum	long nasal vowels

Prosody
IPA	Examples	Explanation
'	G?ius ['?a:.i.?s]	stress (placed before the stressed syllable)^[12]
.	G?ius ['?a:.i.?s]	syllable marker, generally between vowels in hiatus^[13]

Notes

^ Geminate (double) consonants are written with a doubled letter except for /jj/ and /ww/: anus /'an?s/, annus /'ann?s/. In IPA, they may be written as double or be followed by the length sign: /nn/ or /n:/.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Only found in Greek loanwords.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d In Classical Latin, ⟨c g t⟩ are always pronounced hard, as /k g t/. In Ecclesiastical Latin, ⟨c g sc⟩ are pronounced as soft [t? d? ?] before the front vowels ⟨e i y ae oe⟩ and unstressed ⟨ti⟩ before a vowel is pronounced [tsi].
^ ⟨H⟩ was generally silent. Sometimes medial ⟨h⟩ is pronounced in Ecclesiastical Latin (mihi); it was pronounced faintly in Classical Latin.^{[clarification needed]}
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d
In Classical Latin, ⟨i u⟩ represent the vowels /? i: and /? u:/, and the consonants /j/, and /w/. Between consonants or when marked with macrons or breves, ⟨i u⟩ are vowels. In some spelling systems, /j w/ are written with the letters ⟨j v⟩. In other cases, consult a dictionary.
- Consonantal ⟨i⟩, between vowels, stands for doubled /jj/: cuius ['k?jj?s]. The vowel before the double /jj/ is usually short, but it is sometimes marked with a macron. When a prefix is added to a word beginning in /j/, the /j/ is usually single: tr?-iectum [tra:'j?kt?:].
- /w/ is doubled between vowels only in Greek words, such as Euander [?w'wand?r].
In Ecclesiastical Latin, ⟨i⟩ represents the vowel /i/, ⟨j⟩ represents the consonant /j/, ⟨u⟩ represents the vowel /u/ or (in the combinations ⟨gu su qu⟩) the consonant /w/, and ⟨v⟩ represents the fricative /v/.
^ The labialized velar /k?/ was pronounced as labio-palatalized [k?] before the vowels /?, i:, ?, e:/.
^ /l/ has two allophones in Classical Latin: velarized , at the end of a word or before another consonant, and plain in other positions.
^ ^a ^b ^c In Classical Latin, the combination of a vowel and ⟨m⟩ at the end of a word, or a vowel and ⟨n⟩ before ⟨s⟩ or ⟨f⟩, represents a long nasal vowel.
^ ^a ^b ^c In both Classical and Ecclesiastical Latin, /n/ is pronounced as before /k, ?/. The digraph ⟨gn⟩ is pronounced as [?n] in Classical Latin but [?] in Ecclesiastical Latin.
^ ^a ^b In Ecclesiastical Latin, /s/ between vowels is often pronounced .
^ Classical Latin has long and short vowels. If vowel length is marked, long vowels are marked with macrons, ⟨?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?⟩, and short vowels with breves, ⟨?, ?, ?, ?, ?, y?⟩. Ecclesiastical Latin does not distinguish between long and short vowels.
^ In words of two syllables, the stress is on the first syllable. In words of three or more syllables, the stress is on the penultimate syllable if heavy, on the antepenultimate syllable otherwise. There are some exceptions, most caused by contraction or elision.
^ This does not indicate a glottal stop [?]; glottal stops are not reconstructed for Latin prosody in word-internal hiatus.

[geminated-1] Geminate (double) consonants are written with a doubled letter except for /jj/ and /ww/: anus /'an?s/, annus /'ann?s/. In IPA, they may be written as double or be followed by the length sign: /nn/ or /n:/.

[greek-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Only found in Greek loanwords.

[palatalized-3] In Classical Latin, ⟨c g t⟩ are always pronounced hard, as /k g t/. In Ecclesiastical Latin, ⟨c g sc⟩ are pronounced as soft [t? d? ?] before the front vowels ⟨e i y ae oe⟩ and unstressed ⟨ti⟩ before a vowel is pronounced [tsi].

[4] ⟨H⟩ was generally silent. Sometimes medial ⟨h⟩ is pronounced in Ecclesiastical Latin (mihi); it was pronounced faintly in Classical Latin.^{[clarification needed]}

[semivowel-5] In Classical Latin, ⟨i u⟩ represent the vowels /? i: and /? u:/, and the consonants /j/, and /w/. Between consonants or when marked with macrons or breves, ⟨i u⟩ are vowels. In some spelling systems, /j w/ are written with the letters ⟨j v⟩. In other cases, consult a dictionary.
Consonantal ⟨i⟩, between vowels, stands for doubled /jj/: cuius ['k?jj?s]. The vowel before the double /jj/ is usually short, but it is sometimes marked with a macron. When a prefix is added to a word beginning in /j/, the /j/ is usually single: tr?-iectum [tra:'j?kt?:].

/w/ is doubled between vowels only in Greek words, such as Euander [?w'wand?r].
In Ecclesiastical Latin, ⟨i⟩ represents the vowel /i/, ⟨j⟩ represents the consonant /j/, ⟨u⟩ represents the vowel /u/ or (in the combinations ⟨gu su qu⟩) the consonant /w/, and ⟨v⟩ represents the fricative /v/.

[6] Consonantal ⟨i⟩, between vowels, stands for doubled /jj/: cuius ['k?jj?s]. The vowel before the double /jj/ is usually short, but it is sometimes marked with a macron. When a prefix is added to a word beginning in /j/, the /j/ is usually single: tr?-iectum [tra:'j?kt?:].

[7] /w/ is doubled between vowels only in Greek words, such as Euander [?w'wand?r].

[6] The labialized velar /k?/ was pronounced as labio-palatalized [k?] before the vowels /?, i:, ?, e:/.

[7] /l/ has two allophones in Classical Latin: velarized , at the end of a word or before another consonant, and plain in other positions.

[nasalization-8] In Classical Latin, the combination of a vowel and ⟨m⟩ at the end of a word, or a vowel and ⟨n⟩ before ⟨s⟩ or ⟨f⟩, represents a long nasal vowel.

[gn-9] In both Classical and Ecclesiastical Latin, /n/ is pronounced as before /k, ?/. The digraph ⟨gn⟩ is pronounced as [?n] in Classical Latin but [?] in Ecclesiastical Latin.

[sz-10] In Ecclesiastical Latin, /s/ between vowels is often pronounced .

[long-11] Classical Latin has long and short vowels. If vowel length is marked, long vowels are marked with macrons, ⟨?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?⟩, and short vowels with breves, ⟨?, ?, ?, ?, ?, y?⟩. Ecclesiastical Latin does not distinguish between long and short vowels.

[12] In words of two syllables, the stress is on the first syllable. In words of three or more syllables, the stress is on the penultimate syllable if heavy, on the antepenultimate syllable otherwise. There are some exceptions, most caused by contraction or elision.

[13] This does not indicate a glottal stop [?]; glottal stops are not reconstructed for Latin prosody in word-internal hiatus.

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