The Swedish Alphabet: All 29 Letters and How to Say Them
01/10/2026
Short answer: The Swedish alphabet has 29 letters: the same 26 letters used in English, plus three extra vowels at the end, å, ä and ö. Most consonants sound similar to English, but Swedish vowels and a few consonant combinations take practice to get right.
If you are starting out with Swedish, whether for the YKI test, for work, or just out of curiosity, learning the alphabet properly is the first real step. It shapes how you read, spell and pronounce everything that comes after.
The 29 letters of the Swedish alphabet
Swedish uses the Latin alphabet with three additional vowels placed at the very end: å, ä, ö. In Swedish, these are treated as separate letters, not as variations of a or o, so they come last in the alphabet and in any alphabetically sorted list, such as a phone book or dictionary.
| Letter | Swedish name | Rough pronunciation | Example word |
|---|---|---|---|
| A a | a | like "a" in "father" | hatt (hat) |
| B b | be | like English b | bil (car) |
| C c | se | like English c, soft before e/i | cykel (bicycle) |
| D d | de | like English d | dag (day) |
| E e | e | like "e" in "they" | en (one/a) |
| F f | eff | like English f | fisk (fish) |
| G g | ge | hard g, or "y" before soft vowels | gata (street) |
| H h | hå | like English h | hus (house) |
| I i | i | like "ee" in "see" | is (ice) |
| J j | ji | like English y | ja (yes) |
| K k | kå | hard k, or "sh" before soft vowels | katt (cat) |
| L l | ell | like English l | lampa (lamp) |
| M m | emm | like English m | mat (food) |
| N n | enn | like English n | natt (night) |
| O o | o | like "oo" in "moon", varies | bok (book) |
| P p | pe | like English p | penna (pen) |
| Q q | ku | like English q, rare | Qatar |
| R r | err | rolled or guttural depending on dialect | röd (red) |
| S s | ess | like English s | sol (sun) |
| T t | te | like English t | te (tea) |
| U u | u | rounded, no English equivalent | hus (house) |
| V v | ve | like English v | vatten (water) |
| W w | dubbel-ve | like English v, mostly in names | Wilhelm |
| X x | eks | like English x | taxi |
| Y y | y | rounded "ee", no English equivalent | by (village) |
| Z z | säta | like English s, rare | zebra |
| Å å | å | like "o" in "more" | år (year) |
| Ä ä | ä | like "e" in "bed" or "a" in "air" | äpple (apple) |
| Ö ö | ö | like German ö, no English equivalent | öra (ear) |
The three extra vowels: å, ä, ö
These letters often confuse new learners because they look like accented versions of a and o, but in Swedish they are fully independent letters with their own sounds and their own place in the alphabet.
- Å sounds close to the "o" in the English word "more", for example in gå (to walk) or sång (song).
- Ä sounds like "e" in "bed", for example in äta (to eat) or väder (weather).
- Ö has no real English equivalent; round your lips as if saying "o" but say "e" instead, as in söt (sweet) or öppen (open).
Tricky consonant sounds
A few Swedish consonants and combinations are famous for tripping up beginners:
- Sj-sound: letters like sj, skj, and sk before soft vowels create a breathy sound, as in sju (seven) or skjorta (shirt).
- Tj-sound: tj and k before soft vowels sound like a soft "ch", as in tjej (girl) or kyss (kiss).
- G: hard before a, o, u, å, as in gata, but like "y" before e, i, y, ä, ö, as in gilla (to like).
Why the alphabet matters for the YKI test and beyond
Getting pronunciation and spelling right from the start saves you time later, especially if you are preparing for the YKI exam or working toward Finnish citizenship through Swedish. Many learners in Finland skip over the alphabet quickly and then struggle with listening comprehension later because they never built a solid sound foundation.
If you are just getting started, our guide on how to learn Swedish walks through a logical order for building skills, starting with sounds and letters before moving to grammar and vocabulary.
Practice tips
- Say the alphabet out loud daily until the extra three letters feel natural.
- Listen to native pronunciation from official resources such as oph.fi and repeat aloud.
- Learn words in pairs that differ only by one vowel, such as val (whale) and väl (well), to train your ear.
Want structured, guided pronunciation practice instead of figuring it out alone? Our Total Beginner to YKI course starts right from the alphabet and builds up to exam-level fluency with a teacher correcting your sounds from day one.
Frequently asked questions
Does Swedish really have 29 letters?
Yes. It uses the standard 26-letter Latin alphabet plus å, ä and ö, which are considered separate letters and placed at the end of the alphabet.
Are å, ä and ö just accented a and o?
No. Although they look related, they are independent letters with their own sounds, their own alphabetical position, and they can completely change the meaning of a word.
Which Swedish sounds are hardest for English speakers?
The sj-sound, the tj-sound, and the vowels u, y and ö usually take the most practice since English has no direct equivalents.
Do I need to memorize the alphabet before learning words?
It helps a lot. Knowing the letters and their sounds makes it much easier to read, spell and pronounce new vocabulary correctly from the start.
Is Swedish pronunciation similar to Finnish?
Not really. Despite being spoken in the same country, Swedish and Finnish belong to different language families and sound quite different; see our comparison of Swedish vs Finnish for details.