This list is intended to help English-speaking singers pronounce foreign lyrics better. Don't take this as the ultimate truth! As I said, every language and dialect have their own peculiarities, and there are always exceptions to any rule.
| Letter | Pronounciation | Comments |
| A | As the "A" in "car" | |
| B | As in English | |
| C | Various | No fixed rules really. Can be pronounced "K" (as in "car") or "S" (as in "certain") depending on language and circumstances. |
| D | As in English | |
| E | As the first "E" in "ever" | |
| F | As in English | |
| G | As the "G" in "great" | |
| H | As the "H" in "heaven" | |
| I | As the "I" in "sit" | |
| J | As the "Y"(!) in "way" | |
| K | As in English | |
| L | As in English | |
| M | As in English | |
| N | As in English | |
| O | As the "O" in "on" | |
| P | As in English | |
| Q | "K" | |
| R | Somewhat like the "R" in "through" | Most English (and French and Danish) dialects tend to slur the "R" in different ways while in other languages it is usually trilled. Scottish and really "posh" English is however often quite close to how the letter is generally pronounced. |
| S | As in English | |
| T | As in English | |
| U | As the "U" in "sue" | |
| V | As the "V" in "very" | In German the "V" is pronounced "F" |
| W | As the "V" in "very" | This is perhaps the most common mistake English and Americans make when trying to speak a foreign language. In all other languages the "W" is a "double V", not a "double-U" |
| X | Various | Depending on circumstances, the "X" can be either pronounced "K" or (more commonly "KS" |
| Y | ? | I really can't think of any English word that uses the "Y" the way it's used in other languages. The best I can think os is: As the "Y" in "pretty", but much more rounded. Does anybody have a better suggestion? |
| Z | Various | Can be pronounced like an ordinary "S" or as a voiced "S" (as in "zero") |
Scandinavian lettersThese may not be of general interest, but since I'm Norwegian myself and since including them it wouldn't do any harm, here they are. |
| &Aelig; / Ä | As the "a" in "bad" | The letter æ is used in Denmark and ä in Sweden for almost the same wovel. In Norway we use æ these days but you can occasionally find ä in older books. |
| Ø / Ö | As the "i" in "bird" | The letter ø is used in Denmark and ö in Sweden for almost the same wovel. In Norway we use ø these days but you can occasionally find ö in older books. Ø is actually really a o-e ligature and in names and older sources you can occasionally find it spelled "oe." |
| Å | As the "a" in "war" | In names and in older sources a double a is often used in place of the å. |
