Pronunciation

Vowels

a
like a in father

e
like e in get

i
like ee in flee

o
like o in order

u
like oo in moon

ä
like a in hat

ö
like German ö, similar to e in her

ü
like German ü, similar to ew in few

õ
a uniquely Estonian sound pronounced with the tongue in the same position as the o sound, but with lips unrounded; kind of halfway between the e in get and the u in hung

The duration of vowel sounds can be short, long, or overlong, depending on the word. Short vowels are written with one letter, long and overlong vowels with two. Overlong vowels often change the pitch or stress of the syllable as well as the duration. There is no written distinction between long and overlong vowels.

Example:

short sada (SAH-dah) → one hundred
long saada (SAAH-dah) → send!
overlong saada (SAAAH-dah) → to get