Croatian is phonetic. What you see is what you say.
Unlike English or French, Croatian words are pronounced exactly as they’re written. Every letter has a fixed sound. No guessing, no exceptions.
Vowels are simple
Croatian has five vowels: a, e, i, o, u. They’re always pronounced the same way, no matter where they appear in a word.
a
/a/“a”
e
/e/“e”
i
/i/“i”
Consonants? Mostly straightforward.
Most consonants work like in English, but a few need attention:
- č – like 'ch' in 'chicken'.
- ć – softer than 'č', like the 't' in 'future'.
- š – like 'sh' in 'shoe'.
- ž – like the 's' in 'pleasure'.
Stress isn’t random
In Croatian, stress usually falls on the first syllable. If it doesn’t, there’s an accent mark (´) to show you where it goes. No guessing games.
No silent letters. Ever.
English has words like 'knight' where half the letters are decorative. Croatian doesn’t. If it’s written, it’s pronounced. Every time.
Practice with tongue twisters
Want to test your pronunciation? Try Croatian tongue twisters. They’re brutal but effective.
Final verdict
Croatian pronunciation is easier than most European languages. No hidden rules, no silent letters, no stress roulette. Just read it and say it. That’s it.
