Faroese pronunciation is quite straightforward once the basic rules have been learnt. Stress always falls on the the first syllable on any word.
Vowels
Accented vowels are treated as letters in their own right in Faroese, with their own pronunciation. All vowels have long and short forms. Vowels are short in front of two or more consonants, otherwise they are long.
- A a
- (Short) like "a" in "land", (long) like "ea" in "bear".
- Á á
- (Short) like "aw" in "law", (long) like "wha" in "whack".
- E e
- (Short) like "e" in "bet", (long) like "ai" in "air".
- I i
- (Short) like "i" in "sit", (long) like the "ee" in "see".
- Í í
- (Short) like the "wi" in "with", (long) like "whee" in "wheeze".
- O o
- (Short) like "aw" in "law", (long) like "oa" in "oar".
- Ó ó
- (Short) like "e" in "father", (long) like "o" in "wrote".
- U u
- (Short) like "oo" in "foot", (long) like "oo" in "food".
- Ú ú
- (Short) like Faroese long "i" but said with rounded lips, (long) like Faroese long "u" but said with rounded lips.
- Y y
- Same as Faroese "i": (Short) like "i" in "sit", (long) like the "ee" in "see".
- Ý ý
- Same as Faroese "í": (Short) like the "wi" in "with", (long) like "whee" in "wheeze".
- Æ æ
- Same as Faroese "a": (Short) like "a" in "land", (long) like "ea" in "bear".
- Ø ø
- (Short) like "e" in "father", (long) like short Faroese "ó" but lengthened.
