German · Difficult words

How to pronounce ehrlich in German

ehrlich

Honest

EHRLIHHY/ˈeːrlɪç/

Standard German · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.

ehrlich is pronounced /ˈeːrlɪç/ in German. In ehrlich: Raise the tongue toward the hard palate and let air flow through a narrow gap. The sound is light and unvoiced. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

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Find the sounds in ehrlich

The reference transcription for ehrlich is /ˈeːrlɪç/. Read adjacent consonants together without inserting extra vowels. The mark /ˈ/ comes immediately before the main stressed syllable. Give that syllable a little more prominence without swallowing the others.

  1. 1.The ich sound /ç/

    In ehrlich: Raise the tongue toward the hard palate and let air flow through a narrow gap. The sound is light and unvoiced.

    Watch out: English sh uses a different tongue position. Do not replace /ç/ with k.

  2. 2.A steady /e/ vowel

    In ehrlich: Keep the tongue toward the front and sustain a single /e/ vowel. Listen for its exact height in the recording.

    Watch out: English “ay” often ends with a glide; do not automatically carry that glide into this vowel.

  3. 3.Front-vowel position

    In ehrlich: Listen for the distinction between the closer /i/ and the more relaxed /ɪ/ when shown. Keep your tongue toward the front.

    Watch out: Do not decide vowel quality from English spelling alone.

Hear it in context

Sei ehrlich — war der Vortrag gut?

Be honest — was the talk good?

Listen once, say it aloud, then replay at 1.00×. Keep the word connected to the surrounding sentence rather than giving every syllable equal weight.

Pronunciation and variety

ehrlich is presented using Standard German. Regional accents and connected speech can change details. The isolated word and the example let you compare the dictionary form with a short spoken context.

The English-style respelling is approximate. Use the IPA and recording together for vowel quality and consonants that do not have an exact English equivalent.

Meaning and everyday use

Questions about ehrlich

How do you pronounce ehrlich?

ehrlich is pronounced /ˈeːrlɪç/ in German. In ehrlich: Raise the tongue toward the hard palate and let air flow through a narrow gap. The sound is light and unvoiced. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.

What should I listen for first?

In ehrlich: Raise the tongue toward the hard palate and let air flow through a narrow gap. The sound is light and unvoiced. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.

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