Polish · Difficult words
How to pronounce pięć in Polish
pięć
Five
Standard Polish · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
pięć is pronounced /ˈpjɛɲt͡ɕ/ in Polish. In pięć: Raise the middle of the tongue close to the hard palate. The symbols /ɕ, ʑ/ and their affricates are the softer Polish hushing sounds. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
Explore the app’s available speaking languages
Find the sounds in pięć
The reference transcription for pięć is /ˈpjɛɲt͡ɕ/. 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.Soft hushing consonants
In pięć: Raise the middle of the tongue close to the hard palate. The symbols /ɕ, ʑ/ and their affricates are the softer Polish hushing sounds.
Watch out: Keep these distinct from the harder sz/ż/cz/dż series.
2.The soft n /ɲ/
In pięć: Raise the middle of your tongue for a single palatal n, similar to the linked “ny” in “canyon”.
Watch out: Do not read ń as an ordinary n followed by an extra vowel.
3.The open /ɛ/ vowel
In pięć: Keep the vowel open, like the vowel in many pronunciations of English “bed”, without a final glide.
Watch out: Avoid turning this vowel into English “ay”.
Hear it in context
Mam pięć biletów.
I have five tickets.
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
pięć is presented using Standard Polish. 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 pięć
How do you pronounce pięć?
pięć is pronounced /ˈpjɛɲt͡ɕ/ in Polish. In pięć: Raise the middle of the tongue close to the hard palate. The symbols /ɕ, ʑ/ and their affricates are the softer Polish hushing sounds. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In pięć: Raise the middle of the tongue close to the hard palate. The symbols /ɕ, ʑ/ and their affricates are the softer Polish hushing sounds. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
