The first time you look at a written Polish sentence, it looks absurd.

It’s basically like someone fell asleep on their keyboard.

You see words like szczęście (happiness) or chrząszcz (beetle) and you probably wonder how on earth the human mouth can make those sounds.

But here’s the secret: Polish pronunciation is actually much easier than English pronunciation.

In English, the letter “a” sounds completely different in “cat”, “car”, and “about”. You have to guess how to say it.

In Polish, that never happens.

Polish is a phonetic language. This means that once you learn the rule for a specific letter or group of letters, it is pronounced that way 99% of the time.

The trick is simply learning how to read the combinations of letters - specifically the digraphs.

The easy part: polish vowels

Before we tackle the scary consonants, you should know that Polish vowels are very simple. They are short, crisp, and never change their sound.

You don’t need to “glide” them like you do in English (think of how you say “go” - it sounds like “go-uu”). In Polish, you just stop the sound.

Note that U and Ó make the exact same sound. The difference is only in spelling/history (just like Rz and Ż below).

What are digraphs?

The reason Polish looks like it has too many consonants is because it uses digraphs.

A digraph is simply two letters that come together to make one single sound.

We actually have these in English, too. Think of the word “Phone”. The P and the H combine to make an F sound. You don’t say “P-hone”.

Polish just has more of them.

When you see Cz, Sz, or Rz, do not try to pronounce the letters separately. Treat them as a single block that makes a single noise.

The “hissing” sounds (sz, cz, rz, ż, ch)

These are the sounds that give Polish its distinctive “rustling” quality.

If you are learning Polish, mastering these four or five sounds will instantly make you understandable.

Sz (The “Sh” sound)

This is pronounced almost exactly like the English sh in “shape” or “shoe”.

Cz (The “Ch” sound)

This is pronounced like the English ch in “chair” or “chocolate”.

Ch / H (The “H” sound)

In Polish, Ch and H make the exact same sound. It is like the English h in “house”, but sometimes a little bit raspier, deeper in the throat.

Rz / Ż (The “Zh” sound)

This is the one that usually confuses people.

Rz and Ż (the z with a dot) sound exactly the same.

They make a sound like the s in the English word “pleasure” or “vision”. It is a buzzing sound.

Important note: There is one exception for Rz. If Rz comes after a voiceless consonant (like P, T, K, Ch), it sounds like Sz (sh). For example, Przez (through) sounds like “P-shez”.

Hard sounds vs. soft sounds

This is the part that distinguishes a native speaker from a beginner.

Polish has “Hard” sounds and “Soft” sounds.

The digraphs we just looked at (Sz, Cz, Ż/Rz) are Hard. When you say them, your tongue should be curled back slightly, flat against the roof of your mouth.

However, Polish also has Soft versions of these sounds. These are written with an accent mark (Ś, Ć, Ź) or followed by the letter ‘i’ (Si, Ci, Zi).

Here is the difference:

• Hard (Sz): Tongue is back. The sound is low and rushing. Like “Shhh” when quieting a baby.
• Soft (Ś / Si): The middle of your tongue raises up to the roof of your mouth. You almost smile when you say it. It sounds higher pitched.

Let’s look at the pairs:

If you mix these up, you might say a different word.

For example:

• Kasza (Groats/Porridge) - Hard Sz
• Kasia (A girl’s name) - Soft Si

Regional variations in pronunciation

Unlike Spanish regional variations or Arabic dialects, Polish is extremely standardized.

If you learn standard Polish, you will be understood perfectly in Gdansk, Warsaw, Krakow, and Wroclaw.

However, there are tiny differences called regionalisms.

The most famous one involves “voicing”.

In the Warsaw region (Mazowsze), if a word ends in a consonant and the next word starts with a vowel, they usually keep the consonant unvoiced (whispered).

In the Krakow region (Małopolska), they tend to “voice” that consonant.

Example: Brat Ewy (Eve’s brother).

• Standard/Warsaw: Pronounced “Brat Ewy” (The T stays sharp).
• Krakow: Pronounced “Brad Ewy” (The T sounds like a D because it connects to the E).

This is very subtle and you do not need to worry about it when learning. Both are correct.

How to practice

You cannot learn pronunciation just by reading a blog post. You have to move your mouth.

Here are my top tips for getting these sounds right:

1. The Shadowing Technique

Find audio of a native speaker (a podcast or a Polish course). Listen to a sentence, pause it, and repeat it immediately. Try to mimic their speed and intonation exactly.

2. Don’t fear the clusters

When you see a word like W Szczebrzeszynie (In Szczebrzeszyn), break it down.

• W
• Szcze (Sh-che)
• Brze (B-zhe)
• Szy (Sh-ih)
• Nie (N-yeh)

3. Focus on vowels first

If your vowels are clear (A, E, I, O, U, Y), you will be understood even if your consonants are a little bit “English”. If your vowels are wrong, people will struggle to understand you.

4. Record yourself

It feels awkward, but recording yourself on your phone and listening back is the best way to hear the difference between your Sz and Ś.

Polish pronunciation looks like a nightmare, but it is just a puzzle. Once you know which pieces go together, the picture becomes clear!