In Hebrew, some letters have two forms of pronunciation – a hard pronunciation and a soft pronunciation. The difference is determined by the presence of a small dot inside the letter, called dagesh (‘emphasis‘ in Hebrew). If the letter has a dagesh, it is pronounced hard; if it lacks the dot, it is pronounced soft. Here are some examples:
- Bet (בּ) vs. Vet (ב) – Hard: “B” (as in “ball”), Soft: “V” (as in “van”).
- Kaf (כּ) vs. Khaf (כ) – Hard: “K” (as in “kite”), Soft: “Kh” (a guttural sound, like in “Bach”).
- Peh (פּ) vs. Feh (פ) – Hard: “P” (as in “pen”), Soft: “F” (as in “fun”).
Side Note: Sometimes, you may see a dagesh in other letters besides Bet, Kaf, and Peh, but their pronunciation remains unchanged. This is due to historical and technical reasons related to Hebrew’s linguistic structure, and it does not affect modern pronunciation.
