Polish · Difficult words
How to pronounce szesnaście in Polish
szesnaście
Sixteen
Standard Polish · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
szesnaście is pronounced /ʂɛsˈnaɕ.t͡ɕɛ/ in Polish. In szesnaście: 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.
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Find the sounds in szesnaście
Read szesnaście in these IPA segments: ʂɛs · ˈnaɕ · t͡ɕɛ. Dots and stress marks identify the boundaries shown in the reference; these symbols are not English spelling. 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 szesnaście: 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.Hard hushing consonants
In szesnaście: Keep the tongue tip slightly farther back for the sounds /ʂ, ʐ/ and their affricates.
Watch out: Do not collapse the hard and soft Polish consonant series into one English sh sound.
3.The open /ɛ/ vowel
In szesnaście: 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 szesnaście książek.
I have sixteen books.
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
szesnaście 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 szesnaście
How do you pronounce szesnaście?
szesnaście is pronounced /ʂɛsˈnaɕ.t͡ɕɛ/ in Polish. In szesnaście: 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 szesnaście: 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.
