Consonants
Hard Soft
IPA Examples English approximation IPA Examples English approximation
b bok; apdjējt[1] boot Bjēlyj beautiful
d dat'; futbōl[1] do djēlo; [hod'bā] Error: [undefined] Error: {{Lang}}: no text (help): text has malformed markup (help); [zhenīt'ba] Error: [undefined] Error: {{Lang}}: no text (help): text has malformed markup (help)[1] dew (UK)
f фо́рма; вы́ставка;[1] бо́ров[2] fool фина́л; верфь; кровь[2] few
ɡ год[3][4]; анекдо́т[1] goo ɡʲ геро́й argue
j есть [je-]; ёж [jɵ-]; юг [ju-]; я [ja]; майо́р[5] yes
k кость; бе́гство[1]; флаг[2] scar кино́; секью́рити skew
l луна́[6] pill лес; боль lean
m мы́ло moot мя́со; семь mute
n нос noon нёс; день; ко́нчик[7] newt (for some dialects)
p под; ры́бка[1]; зуб[2] span пе́пел; цепь; зыбь[2] spew
ɾ раз flapped or trilled r, like in Spanish ɾʲ ряд; зверь flapped or trilled r, like in Spanish
s соба́ка; ска́зка[1]; глаз[2] soup си́ний; здесь; есть; грызть[1] assume (for some dialects)
ʂ широ́кий; кни́жка[1]; муж[2]; что[8] rush ɕː щека́; счита́ть; мужчи́на[9][10] wish sheep
t то; во́дка;[1] лёд[2] stand тень; дитя́; путь; грудь[2] stew (UK; for some dialects)
ts[11] цена́; нра́виться[10] cats [11] чай; течь[10] chip
v вы; его́[4]; афга́н[1] voodoo весь; вью́га view
x ход; Бог[3][10] loch (Scottish); ugh хи́трый; Хью́стон; лёгкий[1][3][10] huge (for some dialects)
z зуб; сбор[1] zoo зима́; резьба́; жизнь; про́сьба[1] presume (for some dialects)
ʐ жест; волшба́[1] rouge ʑː по́зже[12] prestige genre
Stressed vowels
[-soft] [+soft]
IPA Examples English approximation IPA Examples English approximation
a трава́ father æ пять; ча́сть[13] pat (US)
ɛ жест; э́тот met e пень; э́тика[13] mace
ɨ ты; ши́шка; с и́грами roses (for some dialects) i ли́ния; и́ли meet
o о́блако; шёпот chore ɵ тётя; плечо́[13] foot
u пу́ля boot ʉ чуть; лю́ди[13] choose
Unstressed vowels
[-soft] [+soft]
IPA Examples English approximation IPA Examples English approximation
ɐ облака́; како́й; сообража́ть; тропа́[14] bud
ə ко́жа; о́блако; се́рдце about ə во́ля; сего́дня; ку́ча[15] lasagna
ɨ дыша́ть; жена́; во́ды; эта́п; к Ива́ну roses (for some dialects) ɪ лиса́; четы́ре; тяжёлый; де́вять; часы́[16] bit
ʊ мужчи́на put ʉ чуде́сный; люби́ть[13] youth
ɛ тетра́эдр; поэте́сса[17] met
o ра́дио; поэте́сса[17] chore ɵ ма́чо; сёрфинги́ст[18] foot
Suprasegmental
IPA Example Explanation
ˈ четы́ре [tɕɪˈtɨrʲɪ] Stress mark, placed before the stressed syllable
ː сза́ди [ˈzːadʲɪ][1] Consonant length mark, placed after the geminated consonant
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Consonants in consonant clusters are assimilated in voicing if the final consonant in the sequence is an obstruent (except [v, vʲ]). All consonants become voiceless if the final consonant is voiceless or voiced if the final consonant is voiced (Halle 1959:31).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i The voiced obstruents /b, bʲ, d, dʲ, ɡ, v, vʲ, z, zʲ, ʐ/ are devoiced word-finally unless the next word begins with a voiced obstruent (Halle 1959:22).
  3. ^ a b c г is usually pronounced [ɣ] or [x] in some religious words and colloquial derivatives from them, such as Го́споди and Бог, and in the interjections ага́, ого́, го́споди, ей-бо́гу, and also in бухга́лтер [bʊˈɣaltʲɪr] (Timberlake 2004:23). /ɡ/ devoices and lenites to [x] before voiceless obstruents (dissimilation) in the word roots -мягк- or -мягч-, -легк- or -легч-, -тягч-, and also in the old-fashioned pronunciation of -ногт-, -когт-, кто. Speakers of the Southern Russian dialects may pronounce г as [ɣ] (soft [ɣʲ], devoiced [x] and []) throughout.
  4. ^ a b Intervocalic г represents /v/ in certain words (сего́дня, сего́дняшний, итого́ ), and in the genitive suffix -ого/-его (Timberlake 2004:23).
  5. ^ The soft vowel letters е, ë, ю, я represent iotated vowels /je, jo, ju, ja/, except when following a consonant. When these vowels are unstressed (save for ë, which is always stressed) and follow another vowel letter, the /j/ may not be present. The letter и produces iotated sound /ji/ only after ь.
  6. ^ /l/ is often strongly pharyngealized [ɫ], but that feature is not distinctive (Ladefoged & Maddieson 1996:187-188).
  7. ^ Alveolo-palatal consonants are subjected to regressive assimilative palatalization; i.e. they tend to become palatalized in front of other phones with the same place of articulation.
  8. ^ Most speakers pronounce ч in the pronoun что and its derivatives as [ʂ]. All other occurrences of чт cluster stay as affricate and stop.
  9. ^ щ is sometimes pronounced as [ɕː] or [ɕɕ] and sometimes as [ɕtɕ], but no speakers contrast the two pronunciations. This generally includes the other spellings of the sound, but the word счи́тывать sometimes has [ɕtɕ] because of the morpheme boundary between the prefix с- and the root -чит-.
  10. ^ a b c d e [ts], [tɕ], [ɕː], [x], have voiced allophones, [dz], [], [ʑː], [ɣ] respectively, before voiced stop consonants. Examples: плацда́рм, начди́в, дочь бы, вещдо́к, трёхдне́вный.
  11. ^ a b The affricates [ts] and [tɕ] are sometimes written with ligature ties: [t͡s] and [t͡ɕ]. Ties are not used in transcriptions on Wikipedia (except in phonology articles) because they may not display correctly in all browsers.
  12. ^ Geminated [ʐː] is pronounced as soft [ʑː], the voiced counterpart to [ɕː], in a few lexical items (such as дро́жжи or заезжа́ть) by conservative Moscow speakers; such realization is now somewhat obsolete (Yanushevskaya & Bunčić (2015:224)).
  13. ^ a b c d e Vowels are fronted and/or raised in the context of palatalized consonants: /a/ and /u/ become [æ] and [ʉ], respectively between palatalized consonants, /e/ is realized as [e] before and between palatalized consonants and /o/ becomes [ɵ] after and between palatalized consonants.
  14. ^ Word-initial and pretonic (before the stress) /a/ and /o/, as well as when in a sequence.
  15. ^ Only in certain word-final morphemes (Timberlake 2004:48-51).
  16. ^ Unstressed /a/ is pronounced as [ɪ] after ч and щ except when word-final.[citation needed]
  17. ^ a b In the careful style of pronunciation unstressed /e/ and /o/ in foreign words may be pronounced with little or no reduction.
  18. ^ Unstressed [ɵ] only occurs in foreign words.