16 - āyin

ע

Similar to א, the consonant ע is a stop of the air flow that precedes a vowel. Technically speaking, א is a glottal stop whereas ע is a pharyngeal stop. However, over time, the difference between the two has become much less pronounced. In spoken Hebrew ע is often silent; yet in writing, it introduces syllables that begin with a vowel sound.

עברית    (Hebrew)
נעים    (pleasant)

When ע is the last letter of a word, it is pronounced /a'/ when preceded by /e/, /i/, /o/, or /u/ (any vowel but /a/):

שבוע    (week)

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א  ב  ג  ד  ה  ו  ז  ח  ט  י  כ  ך  ל  מ  ם  נ  ן  ס  ע  פ  ף  צ  ץ  ק  ר  ש  ת