Languages
Russian for English speakers 1951
 
Russian for English speakers ABC 01
The Russian alphabet
Ðóññêèé àëôàâèò
Letter
Áóêâà		 Sound
Çâóê/Çâó÷àíèå
Àà ah
Áá b
Ââ v
Ãã gh
Ää d
Åå ai
¨¸ yo
Ææ (d)j
Çç z
Èè ee
Éé ee (short or assimilated)
Êê k
Ëë l
Ìì m
Íí n
Îî o
Ïï p
Ðð r
Ññ s
Òò t
Óó oo
Ôô f
Õõ kh
Öö ts
×÷ tch
Øø sh
Ùù shtch
Úú hard sign
Ûû hard y (hard ee)
Üü soft sign
Ýý ay
Þþ yoo
ßÿ ya
THE RUSSIAN ALPHABET

You are not supposed to learn these words by heart, but simply to become able to read them fluently.                             

Russian
Ðóññêèé		 Pronunciation
Ïðîèçíîøåíèå		 English
Àíãëèéñêèé		 AK-NOTE
ÏÀÏÀ, ïàïà papa papa, dad  
ÄÀÌÀ, äàìà damma (dame), lady This transcribes as "dàma", no doubling of "m" required.
ÄÐÀÌÀ, äðàìà (1) dramma drama This transcribes as "dràma". Someone may say he hears "dràmma", but this is just a personal preference.
ÄÎÊÒÎÐ, äîêòîð doctör (2) doctor Letter "ö" itself is a German one, sounds like "u" in the English word "fur". Do not confuse it with Russian "murky a/o" sound.
ÀÇÎÒ, àçîò azot azote, nitrogen  
ÀÄÐÅÑ, àäðåñ (3) address address Transcription with tones is "àdres"
ÀÊÐÎÁÀÒ, àêðîáàò acròbat (4) acrobat  
ÀÍÀÍÀÑ, àíàíàñ (5) ananas ananas, pine-apple  
ÀÍÎÍÈÌ, àíîíèì anoneem (6) anonym, anonymous  
(1) English P is Russian R. In Russian, the letter a is never sounded as in fate.
(2) We represent by ö a rather obscure o, sounded like -er.
(3) In Russian, the letter c (which is, by the way, called s) has always the sound of hard s.
(4) By ò, we represent an open o, nearly ah.
(5) H (English capital h) is always an n in Russian.
(6) Notice the È (inverted N), the Russian i, but sounded as in "machine" (= -ee-).

As a general rule the letter o has its normal sound (= -aw-) only in the stressed syllable of the word, e.g. : äîêòîð, like our doctor.
When preceding the stress, it tends towards ah. (Ñàìîâàð is sounded almost "samavar") ;
after the stress, it becomes obscure and is sounded almost like -er- (ïàñïîðò is nearly "passpert").