Pronunciation 5: Letter Combos
There are some two-letter combinations that are pronounced in a special way. Here they are:
- ay - always sounds like eye
- aw - always sounds like ow
- si - sometimes pronounced as "sh"
- di or dy - sometimes pronounced as "jy"
- ti - sometimes pronounced as "ch"
- ts - sometimes pronounced as "ch"
- ll (double L) - pronounced "ly" (found in Spanish-derived words/names)
The first two rules always apply. The rest of the rules are far less common, but do occasionally come up.
Bagay is pronounced "bog-eye." Lapaw is pronounced "lop-ow."
Tianggi (small store) is an important word. The "ti" says "ch," and the "ngg" means the G is pronounced. Tianggi is pronounced "chon-gee."
Diutay (a little bit) is another great example. The "di" say "j," and the "ay" says "eye." Diutay is pronounced "jyu-tie." This is one of the rare times you'll see the "di/dy" combination. The "ay," on the other hand, is always going to make the "eye" sound.