Bengali vowels
11 vowel letters from the Bengali course, with sound spellings and available recordings. Learn to recognise the shapes before moving to attached vowel signs.
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11 Bengali vowel letters
Compare the independent letters, English sound spellings, and course hints. The English labels are approximate reading aids.
| Letter | English sound guide | Reading hint | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| অ | ô | Open rounded ô /ɔ/, distinct from আ a and ও o. An unmarked consonant starts with this reading; words may change or omit it. | Listen |
| আ | a | Open a, roughly in father. This is a different vowel quality from অ, not simply a longer অ. আম — am · mango | Listen |
| ই | i (ই) | i, roughly in see. ই and ঈ have the same modern vowel sound; remember which spelling you see. ইট — iṭ · brick | Listen |
| ঈ | i (ঈ) | The same i sound as ই. Its traditional long-vowel name describes spelling history, not a modern length contrast. | Listen |
| উ | u (উ) | Rounded u, roughly in food. উ and ঊ have the same modern vowel sound. উট — uṭ · camel | Listen |
| ঊ | u (ঊ) | The same u sound as উ. Keep the historical spelling distinct without holding the vowel longer. | Listen |
| ঋ | ri | Usually ri in modern Bengali Sanskrit-derived words. The historical vowel letter does not require a syllabic r sound. | Listen |
| এ | e | Steady e. Some words instead have an open æ-like vowel; the spelling alone does not settle every word reading. | Listen |
| ঐ | oi | Glide from o toward i, roughly oy in boy. The historical AI spelling is read oi in modern Bengali. | Listen |
| ও | o | Rounded o, closer than অ ô. Keep it steady, without an English-style glide. | Listen |
| ঔ | ou | Glide from o toward u. The historical AU spelling is read ou in modern Bengali. | Listen |
Compare the letters and hints
Use the course’s hints for these vowel letters. Similar English spellings do not necessarily represent the same sound.
- অ — Open rounded ô /ɔ/, distinct from আ a and ও o. An unmarked consonant starts with this reading; words may change or omit it.
- আ — Open a, roughly in father. This is a different vowel quality from অ, not simply a longer অ.
- ই — i, roughly in see. ই and ঈ have the same modern vowel sound; remember which spelling you see.
Move to attached vowel signs
- Choose a few written forms and compare their English hints.
- Cover the hints and identify the letters in a different order.
- Practise with matching, mixing, flashcards, or a visual quiz.
Compare each independent vowel with its attached form in the vowel-sign chart.
Prepared by Learn Akshara from our beginner Bengali curriculum. English spellings are approximate learning aids. Writing-system reference: The Unicode Standard, South Asian Scripts. AI-generated pronunciation is a learning aid, not a guarantee of accuracy. See our audio sources and credits.