Hebrew alphabet · Lesson 16 of 22

Ayin ע

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Meet Ayin

The sixteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the common modern Israeli pronunciation taught here, Ayin usually adds no consonant sound of its own, just like Aleph (א): you pronounce the vowel written with it. Some speakers, especially in Mizrahi Hebrew, pronounce it deep in the throat. Its name, עַיִן, is also the Hebrew word for “eye.”

Ayin Hebrew Letter (ע): Sound, Words & Practice

What you’ll learn

Recognize Ayin: ע.
Read Ayin with the vowel written with it, and know the other pronunciations you may hear.
Read Ayin in real words like עַיִן (eye) and עוּגָה (cake).

How Ayin sounds

Ayin (ע) is the sixteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the common modern Israeli pronunciation taught here, it usually has no separate consonant sound. Pronounce the vowel written with it. Some speakers may use a brief catch in the throat, like the break in 'uh-oh'. Some speakers, especially in Mizrahi varieties of Hebrew, pronounce Ayin as a sound made deep in the throat. These are different pronunciations of the same letter.

Ayin and the word for “eye”

The Hebrew word 'עַיִן' [a-yin] means 'eye'. It has two syllables, with stress on the first, a. The Latin transcriptions in this lesson are reading aids, not IPA. Hyphens separate syllables, and y sounds like the y in 'yes'. For the vowels, use a as in 'father', e as in 'bed', i as in 'see', o as in 'more' without an r, and u as in 'food'. These are approximate guides: keep each vowel clear and avoid an English-style glide. Vowel length does not distinguish the vowels taught here.

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Ayin in real words

Read three words with Ayin and see how each one is pronounced, then read five more words aloud for reading practice.

Words to Practice:

כּוֹעֵס

ko-es

angry

The Hebrew word 'כּוֹעֵס' [ko-es] means 'angry'. This is the masculine singular form, as in 'he is angry'. It consists of four letters: Kaf (כּ), Vav (ו), Ayin (ע), and Samekh (ס). Kaf with a dagesh gives [k]. Holam Male (וֹ) represents [o], with no separate [v]. The vowel under Ayin is Tzere (ֵ), two dots side by side, giving [e] here; it is not Segol (ֶ), which has three dots. In the pronunciation taught here, Ayin adds no separate consonant sound. Samekh gives the final [s]. Read [ko-es] in two syllables, with stress on es; keep the o and e separate.

עַיִן

ayin

eye

The Hebrew word 'עַיִן' [a-yin] means 'eye'. It consists of three letters: Ayin (ע), Yud (י), and Nun Sofit (ן). In the pronunciation taught here, Ayin adds no separate consonant sound, and Patah beneath it gives [a]. Yud is the consonant [y], as in 'yes'; Hiriq beneath it gives [i]. Nun Sofit adds [n], which ends the second syllable. Read [a-yin] in two syllables, with stress on the first, a. Do not add a vowel after the final n.

עוּגָה

uga

cake

The Hebrew word 'עוּגָה' [u-ga] means 'cake'. It consists of four letters: Ayin (ע), Vav (ו), Gimel (ג), and Hey (ה). In the pronunciation taught here, Ayin adds no separate consonant sound. Shuruk (וּ), Vav with a dot inside, represents [u], with no separate [v]. Gimel with Kamatz Gadol gives [ga]. Hey (ה) at the end of the word has no separate [h] sound here. Read [u-ga] in two syllables, with stress on ga.

Reading Practice

Read each word aloud. In the exercises, you will also review נָא [na], 'please', often used in formal requests and on signs, and נַחַל [na-khal], 'stream' or 'brook', with stress on na. Here kh represents one consonant sound, like the 'ch' in Scottish 'loch' or German 'Bach', not the English 'ch' in 'chair'.

גַּן

gan

garden

אָבַד

avad

he/it was lost

סִיבוּב

sivuv

rotation

יָד

yad

hand; arm

טוֹב

tov

good

Conclusions

Step by step, you are getting closer to mastering the Hebrew alphabet. The sixteenth letter is now behind you! Stay persistent and dedicate enough time to the theoretical material. If needed, review what you've learned. Strengthen your understanding through practice exercises.

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Your practice results

Use your results to decide what to revisit.