Your realm is being prepared…
Your realm is being prepared…
The 23-letter classical Latin alphabet with pronunciation, example words, and notes on where ecclesiastical (Church) Latin differs. Built for classical homeschool families.
23
letters (no J, U, W)
5
vowels, each long or short
2
pronunciation systems
The classical Latin alphabet has 23 letters. Modern English inherited 26 because three letters were added later:
When you read an authentic classical Latin text, you will often see IVLIVS or iulius rather than Julius. This is correct ancient spelling. Most modern textbooks for homeschool families use the modernized spelling (Iulius or Julius) for clarity.
There are two widely-taught pronunciation systems:
How educated Romans spoke in the late Republic (~50 BC). Used by most classical homeschool curricula, including Classical Conversations, Memoria Press, and Visual Latin.
Example: Caesar = KAI-sar
How Latin is pronounced in the Catholic Church today — it evolved from medieval Italian pronunciation. Used in Church music and liturgy.
Example: Caesar = CHAI-sar
If you're not sure which to teach:use classical. It's what most homeschool curricula expect and what students will encounter at Latin conventions, Mastery Review, and NLE competitions. For a deeper comparison, see our blog post Latin Pronunciation Guide.
Classical: like 'a' in father (long ā) or 'a' in cat (short a)
āra—altar
Classical: like English 'b'
bonus—good
Classical: always hard, like 'k' in king — even before e or i
Ecclesiastical: soft 'ch' before e/i (as in centum → 'chentum').
Cicerō—Cicero (KI-ke-ro in classical)
Classical: like English 'd'
dōnum—gift
Classical: like 'e' in they (long ē) or 'e' in bet (short e)
ēgī—I drove / I led
Classical: like English 'f'
fīlius—son
Classical: always hard, like 'g' in gold — even before e or i
Ecclesiastical: soft 'j' sound before e/i.
gēns—tribe, nation
Classical: like English 'h' — lightly aspirated
habeō—I have
Classical: like 'ee' in machine (long ī) or 'i' in bit (short i); also serves as consonant 'y'
īra—anger
Classical: same as C — rare, used mostly in borrowed words and a few abbreviations
Kalendae—first day of the month
Classical: like English 'l'
lūna—moon
Classical: like English 'm'; at the end of a word, nasalizes the previous vowel
mare—sea
Classical: like English 'n'
nox—night
Classical: like 'o' in over (long ō) or 'o' in off (short o)
ōs—mouth
Classical: like English 'p', but without the puff of air
pater—father
Classical: always followed by u, pronounced 'kw'
quis—who
Classical: rolled or trilled, like Italian or Spanish 'r'
Rōma—Rome
Classical: always a hissing 's' as in see — never a 'z' sound
sōl—sun
Classical: like English 't'
terra—earth, land
Classical: pronounced like English 'w' (V was the same letter as U in ancient Rome)
Ecclesiastical: pronounced like English 'v'.
veniō—I come (classical: WEH-nee-oh)
Classical: like 'x' in axe (= k + s)
rēx—king
Classical: like French 'u' or German 'ü' — rare, used only in Greek loan words
hymnus—hymn
Classical: like 'z' in zoo — rare, used only in Greek loan words
zōna—belt, zone
Latin has four two-letter vowel combinations (diphthongs / digraphs) that students need to recognize at a glance:
| Digraph | Sound | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ae | classical: like 'ai' in aisle; ecclesiastical: like 'e' in they | puellae | of the girl / the girls |
| oe | classical: like 'oi' in coin; ecclesiastical: like 'e' in they | poena | punishment |
| au | like 'ow' in cow — the same in both pronunciations | laudō | I praise |
| eu | a quick 'eh-oo' run together (rare) | Eurōpa | Europe |
The bar over a vowel — ā ē ī ō ū — is called a macron. It marks a long vowel. In classical Latin, vowel length is not decorative: it changes the meaning of words.
Most classical homeschool textbooks (Henle, First Form, Latin for Children) show macrons on every long vowel for the first year or two. Students should practice saying the correct length out loud from day one — it becomes much harder to relearn later.
Via Latina has 500+ Henle vocabulary words, classical pronunciation audio on every word, and games for classical homeschool families. Free to start.
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