Bengali has twelve vowel letters, 32 consonant sounds, and some diacritics.
Vowels
These are the twelve vowels in Bengali:
| Vowel | Unicode | Transliteration | IPA | English pronunciation | Conjunct | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | অ | ô | /ɔ/ | o of pot sometimes law, all | none | |
 | আ | a | /a/ | father, calm | া | |
 | ই | i | /i/ | kin | ি | |
 | ঈ | i | /i/1 | keen | ী | |
 | উ | u | /u/ | full | ু | |
 | ঊ | u | /u/1 | fool | ূ | |
 | ঋ | ri | /ri/ | redo | ৃ | |
 | ঌ | li | /li/2 | leeway | ৢ | |
 | এ | e | /e/ | short: pet, long: bay, other: can | ে | |
 | ঐ | oi | /oj/ | pronounce ও and ই together | ৈ | |
 | ও | o | /o/ | law, all, caught | ো | |
 | ঔ | ou | /ow/ | pronounce ও and উ together | ৌ |
Vowels are referred to by their sound and are suffixed by '-kar' when referring to a conjunct. However, ই and উ also have prefix 'hrôshsho', and ঈ and ঊ suffix 'dirgho'.
^1 In theory they should be lengthened /iː/ and /uː/, but in spoken Bangla this is not the case.
^2 This letter is obsolete: now the character for it represents the number 9.
Always keep in mind that the English pronunciations are only approximations. You must try to use the IPA whenever possible.
These vowel letters were initially adopted from the Devanagari script that is used to write Sanskrit and Hindi. Although ঋ is a vowel in Sanskrit, it is pronounced in Bengali as /ri/, a consonant-vowel combination.
ঐ and ঔ are used to denote two diphthongs, although there are many more diphthongs in use in Bengali. There is no symbol for the vowel sound â (like the a in English bat) in the basic inventory of Bengali script, so the ligature অ্যা is used instead.
Moreover, depending on context, the graphs অ and এ can sound like o and â, respectively.
Diphthongs
The Bangla alphabet has only two single vowels representing diphthongs (ঐ and ঔ). But in actual practiced Bangla, there are more diphthongs that are written by putting the vowels together or attaching them to the consonant য় ("ya"; pronounced /yɔ/ and called the "semi-vowel অ"). Here are the ones that will fit in one syllable:
- /ij/:
- /iw/:
- /ej/:
- /ee̯/:
- /ew/:
- /eo̯/:
- /æe̯/:
- /æo̯/:
- /aj/:
- /ae̯/:
- /aw/:
- /ao̯/:
- /ɒe̯/:
- /ɒo̯/:
- /oj/:
- /oe̯/:
- /oo̯/:
- /ow/:
- /uj/:
Consonants
Of the consonants in Bengali, ten are aspirated—that is, they sound as if an 'H' was appended to it. /z/ only occurs only in foreign words.
Consonants are referred to by their sound followed by ô (ক = kô), with some exceptions, namely:
- জ = borgio jô
- ড় = đôe shunno ŗô
- ঢ় = đhôe shunno ŗô
- ণ = murdhonno nô
- ন = donto nô
- য = ôntostho jô
- য় = ôntostho ô
- শ = talobbo shô
- ষ = murdhonno shô
- স = donto shô
| Consonant | Unicode | Transcription | IPA | English pronunciation | With vowel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ক | k | /k/ | cat | কা কি কী কু কূ কৃ কৢ কে কৈ কো কৌ |
 | খ | kh | /kʰ/ | chemist | খা খি খী খু খূ খৃ খৢ খে খৈ খো খৌ |
 | গ | g | /g/ | goal | গা গি গী গু গূ গৃ গৢ গে গৈ গো গৌ |
 | ঘ | gh | /gʰ/ | ghost | ঘা ঘি ঘী ঘু ঘূ ঘৃ ঘৢ ঘে ঘৈ ঘো ঘৌ |
 | ঙ | ng | /ŋ/ | singer | ঙা ঙি ঙী ঙু ঙূ ঙৃ ঙৢ ঙে ঙৈ ঙো ঙৌ |
 | চ | ch | /tʃ/ | check | চা চি চী চু চূ চৃ চৢ চে চৈ চো চৌ |
 | ছ | chh | /tʃʰ/ | ch + h together | ছা ছি ছী ছু ছূ ছৃ ছৢ ছে ছৈ ছো ছৌ |
 | জ | j | /dʒ/ | jest | জা জি জী জু জূ জৃ জৢ জে জৈ জো জৌ |
 | ঝ | jh | /dʒʰ/ | j + h together | ঝা ঝি ঝী ঝু ঝূ ঝৃ ঝৢ ঝে ঝৈ ঝো ঝৌ |
 | ঞ | n | /n/ | night | ঞা ঞি ঞী ঞু ঞূ ঞৃ ঞৢ ঞে ঞৈ ঞো ঞৌ |
 | ট | ţ | /ʈ/ | tax | টা টি টী টু টূ টৃ টৢ টে টৈ টো টৌ |
 | ঠ | ţh | /ʈʰ/ | Thailand | ঠা ঠি ঠী ঠু ঠূ ঠৃ ঠৢ ঠে ঠৈ ঠো ঠৌ |
 | ড | đ | /ɖ/ | damp | ডা ডি ডী ডু ডূ ডৃ ডৢ ডে ডৈ ডো ডৌ |
 | ড় | ŗ | /ɾ/3 | Spanish 'r' | ড়া ড়ি ড়ী ড়ু ড়ূ ড়ৃ ড়ৢ ড়ে ড়ৈ ড়ো ড়ৌ |
 | ঢ | đh | /ɖʰ/ | đ + h together | ঢা ঢি ঢী ঢু ঢূ ঢৃ ঢৢ ঢে ঢৈ ঢো ঢৌ |
 | ঢ় | ŗh | /ɾʰ/3 | ŗ + h together | ঢ়া ঢ়ি ঢ়ী ঢ়ু ঢ়ূ ঢ়ৃ ঢ়ৢ ঢ়ে ঢ়ৈ ঢ়ো ঢ়ৌ |
 | ণ | n | /n/ | night | ণা ণি ণী ণু ণূ ণৃ ণৢ ণে ণৈ ণো ণৌ |
 | ত | t | /t̪/ | somewhat like thin | তা তি তী তু তূ তৃ তৢ তে তৈ তো তৌ |
 | থ | th | /t̪ʰ/ | t + h together | থা থি থী থু থূ থৃ থৢ থে থৈ থো থৌ |
 | দ | d | /d̪/ | somewhat like the | দা দি দী দু দূ দৃ দৢ দে দৈ দো দৌ |
 | ধ | dh | /d̪ʰ/ | d + h together | ধা ধি ধী ধু ধূ ধৃ ধৢ ধে ধৈ ধো ধৌ |
 | ন | n | /n/ | night | না নি নী নু নূ নৃ নৢ নে নৈ নো নৌ |
 | প | p | /p/ | pint | পা পি পী পু পূ পৃ পৢ পে পৈ পো পৌ |
 | ফ | ph, f | /pʰ/, /f/ | p + h, or fence | ফা ফি ফী ফু ফূ ফৃ ফৢ ফে ফৈ ফো ফৌ |
 | ব | b | /b/ | bear | বা বি বী বু বূ বৃ বৢ বে বৈ বো বৌ |
 | ভ | bh | /bʰ/ | Bhutan | ভা ভি ভী ভু ভূ ভৃ ভৢ ভে ভৈ ভো ভৌ |
 | ম | m | /m/ | mountain | মা মি মী মু মূ মৃ মৢ মে মৈ মো মৌ |
 | য | j | /dʒ/ | jest | যা যি যী যু যূ যৃ যৢ যে যৈ যো যৌ |
 | য় | e, ø | /e/, n/a | 4 | য়া য়ি য়ী য়ু য়ূ য়ৃ য়ৢ য়ে য়ৈ য়ো য়ৌ |
 | র | r | /r/ | road | রা রি রী রু রূ রৃ রৢ রে রৈ রো রৌ |
 | ল | l | /l/ | load | লা লি লী লু লূ লৃ লৢ লে লৈ লো লৌ |
 | শ | 5 | শা শি শী শু শূ শৃ শৢ শে শৈ শো শৌ | ||
 | ষ | sh | /ʃ/ | shell | ষা ষি ষী ষু ষূ ষৃ ষৢ ষে ষৈ ষো ষৌ |
 | স | 5 | সা সি সী সু সূ সৃ সৢ সে সৈ সো সৌ | ||
 | হ | h | /h/ | home | হা হি হী হু হূ হৃ হৢ হে হৈ হো হৌ |
^3 ড় and ঢ় usually sound like র in spoken Bangla. It is still important to recognize the difference.
^4 Usually this does not have a sound between vowels. Very often this will be transliterated with a 'y'; never pronounce this as in yard unless preceded by an ই or ঈ.
^5 In most cases, শ represents /ʃ/ while স represents /s/. We will inform you when this is different.
Modifiers and others
| Symbol with [kɔ] (ক) | Name | Function | Transliteration | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ক্ | hôshonto "hôshônt" | Suppresses the inherent vowel [ɔ] | k | /k/ |
| কৎ | khônđo tô "khonḍ tô" | Final unaspirated dental [t̪] (ত) | kôt | /kɔt̪/ |
| কং | ônushshar | Final velar nasal [ŋ] (ঙ) | kông | /kɔŋ/ |
| কঃ | bishôrgo |
|
- |
|
| কঁ | chôndrobindu "moon-dot" | Vowel nasalization | kôñ | /kɔ̃/ |
ঃ -h and ং -ng are also often used as abbreviation marks in Bengali, with ং -ng used when the next sound following the abbreviation would be a nasal sound, and ঃ -h otherwise. For example, ডঃ ḍôh stands for ডক্টর ḍôkṭor "doctor" and নং nông stands for নম্বর nômbor "number". Some abbreviations have no marking at all, as in ঢাবি ḍhabi for ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় Ḍhaka Bishshobiddalôe "Dhaka University". The full stop can also be used when writing out English letters as initials, such as ই.ইউ. i iu "E.U.".
The jôphôla is sometimes used as a diacritic to indicate non-Bengali vowels of various kinds in transliterated foreign words. For example, the schwa is indicated by a jôphôla, the French u and the German umlaut ü as উ্য, the German umlaut ö as ও্য or এ্য, etc.
The apostrophe, known in Bengali as ঊর্ধ্বকমা urdhokôma "upper comma", is sometimes used to distinguish between homographs, as in পাটা paţa "plank" and পা'টা paţa "the leg". Sometimes a hyphen is used for the same purpose (as in পা-টা, an alternative of পা'টা).