Pronouncing Irish: bh, mh, dh, gh and fh in Real Words

The most intimidating thing about written Irish is often the pronunciation: Siobhán looks nothing like shiv-AWN. But the rules are consistent once you know them.

What the "h" does

A consonant followed by h is a lenited consonant, meaning its sound is softened. Here is what they usually sound like:

Spelling	Typical sound	Example
bh, mh	v or w	Niamh (Neev), bhí (vee)
ch	as in Scottish loch	loch (lake), ocht (eight)
dh, gh	a soft throaty sound, or y before e/i	Dhia, ghrian
fh	silent	fhéach (look)
ph	f	phóg (kissed)
sh, th	h	shúil, thóg

Names as practice

Irish names are the best-known examples:

Name	Approximate sound
Siobhán	shiv-AWN
Niamh	NEEV
Aoife	EE-fa
Caoimhe	KEE-va
Sadhbh	SIVE (rhymes with "hive")
Oisín	uh-SHEEN

Slender S

The letter s before a slender vowel (e, i) is pronounced sh:

• sé — shay (he / six)
• sí — shee (she)
• seo — shuh (this)
• sin — shin (that)

Compare sean (old) with Seán (John): both start with a sh sound.

Other useful patterns

• ao sounds like ee in many dialects: aon (one), saol (life).
• ea is often like a in cat: fear (man).
• ái is like aw: bád (boat).

Dialects

Irish has three main dialects (Munster, Connacht, Ulster), and pronunciation varies between them. This guide gives a general idea, and it's useful to listen to native speakers too.

Common mistakes

1. Pronouncing every letter. Some are silent (fh).
2. Treating bh like an English b. It is usually v or w.
3. Ignoring the fada. It lengthens the vowel.

Tips

1. Listen and repeat using audio from native speakers.
2. Practise with names you know.
3. Use the dictionary to check spelling, then check pronunciation with a speaker or teacher.

Look up any word with English Irish Dictionary →