A-class vowels
The A-class vowels make some variation of the “a” sound in English. They are:
| patah | אַ | short vowel; pronounced as the a in father |
| qamats | אָ | long vowel; pronounced as the a in father |
| hataf-patah | אֲ | very short or reduced vowel; pronounced as the a in anniversary |
| qamats-hey | דָּה | pronounced as the a in father |
E-class vowels
The E-class vowels make some variation of the “e” sound in English. They are:
| segol | אֶ | short vowel; pronounced as the e in met |
| sere | אֵ | long vowel; pronounced as the ey in they |
| sere-yod | נֵי | long vowel; pronounced as the ey in they |
| hataf-segol | אֱ | very short or reduced vowel; pronounced as the e in enemy |
I-class vowels
The I-class vowels make some variation of the “i” sound in English. They are:
| hiriq | אִ | pronounced as the e in she |
| hiriq-yod | אִי | pronounced as the e in she |
O-class vowels
The O-class vowels make some variation of the O sound in English. They are:
| holem | אֹ | long vowel; pronounced as the o in role |
| holem-vav | אוֹ | long vowel; pronounced as the o in role |
| qamats-hatuf | אָ | short vowel; pronounced as the o in odd |
| hataf-qamats | אֳ | very short or reduced vowel; pronounced as the o in odd |
U-class vowels
The U-class vowels make some variation of the u sound in English. They are:
| qibbuts | אֻ | pronounced as the u in rule |
| shureq | אוּ | pronounced as the u in rule |