A Latin Pronunciation Guide for Singers
Vowel
Pronunciation
Examples
a
as in am
amen, pax, mater
e
as the a in fate
me, credo
i
as in machine
qui, kyrie, spiritui
o
as in or
domine, nobis
u
as in tutor
cum, dominum
Diphthong
Pronunciation
Examples
ae
as the a in fate
saeculorum
oe
as the a in fate
coelum
au
as in out
aut, lauda
Consonant
Pronunciation
Examples
c (before e or i)
as in church
certus, cibus
ch
as in ache (hard k)
christus
g (before e or i)
as in gentle
gens, agit
g (before other letters)
as in go
gratis, gloria
gn
ny as in canyon
agnus, signor
j (or consonant i)
as in yes
jesus, justus
s
as in sing (never as z)
passus
sc (before a, o, u, or a consonant)
as in scope
vobiscum,
schola
sc (before e and i)
as in shall
ascendit, suscipe
th
as in ten
catholicam
ti (when followed by a vowel and preceded by any
letter excepts, t, or x)
as tsee
gratias
x (in words beginning with ex followed by a vowel
or by h)
as egz
examine
x (in words beginning ex and followed by s)
as eks
exsilium
x (when the prefix ex is followed by a soft c)
as exsh
Excelsis
All other consonants are pronounced as in English.
Pronunciation Tips
More advice for singing Latin lyrics:
•
Consonants must be articulated with a certain crispness; otherwise, the singing
becomes unintelligible.
•
The letter h is pronounced k in only two words:nihil and mihi (pronounced “nee-keel”
and “mee-kee”); in all other cases h is silent. (For example,hosannah is pronounced “osah-nah.”)
•
The letter j, often written as i, is treated as y,forming one sound with the following
vowel. (For example, alleluia is pronounced as “al-le-lóo-ya;” major is pronounced as
“ma-yor.”)
•
When the letter r appears with another consonant, it should be slightly rolled on the
tongue, as in the word carnis. Care must be taken not to modify the quality of the vowel
in the syllable preceding the r. (For example, the word kyrie is pronounced “kée-ree-e,”
not “kear-ee-e.”)
•
In Latin, the letter y is considered a vowel and sounds like i.
•
The letter z is pronounced dz. (For example, the word lazarus is pronounced “la-dzaroos.”)