Polish · Difficult words
How to pronounce szkoła in Polish
szkoła
School
Standard Polish · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
szkoła is pronounced /ˈʂkɔ.wa/ in Polish. In szkoła: Keep the tongue tip slightly farther back for the sounds /ʂ, ʐ/ and their affricates. 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 szkoła
Read szkoła in these IPA segments: ˈʂkɔ · wa. 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.Hard hushing consonants
In szkoła: 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.
2.The ł sound /w/
In szkoła: Round the lips briefly for a w-like glide and connect it to the following sound.
Watch out: Modern Polish ł is normally not an English l.
3.The open /ɔ/ vowel
In szkoła: Round the lips and keep a relatively open jaw. Sustain one vowel rather than moving toward a w sound.
Watch out: English “oh” often moves during the vowel; follow the steadier sound in the recording.
Hear it in context
Szkoła jest blisko domu.
The school is near home.
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
szkoła 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 szkoła
How do you pronounce szkoła?
szkoła is pronounced /ˈʂkɔ.wa/ in Polish. In szkoła: Keep the tongue tip slightly farther back for the sounds /ʂ, ʐ/ and their affricates. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In szkoła: Keep the tongue tip slightly farther back for the sounds /ʂ, ʐ/ and their affricates. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
