i / y

Spelling I and Y

Level 2

In Slovak, i and y (and í and ý) are pronounced the same. The consonant before them decides the spelling: y after the hard consonants h, ch, k, g, d, t, n and l, and i after the soft ones, such as č, š, ž, c, j, ď, ť, ň and ľ.

How It Works

Three groups of consonants.

  • Hard (h, ch, k, g, d, t, n, l) are followed by y: chyba (mistake), kytica (bouquet), dym (smoke), ty (you), nový (new), lyžica (spoon)
  • Soft (ž, š, č, dž, c, dz, j, ď, ť, ň, ľ) are followed by i: čistý (clean), šiť (to sew), žiť (to live), cibuľa (onion)
  • Ambiguous (b, m, p, r, s, v, z, f): in a native root, y appears only in the selected words and words built from them; everywhere else you write i

Selected words. A few from each group: byť, bystrý, obyvateľ; my, mydlo, myslieť; pýtať sa, pysk; ryba, rýchly; syn, syr, sýty; vy, vysoký, zvyk; jazyk, nazývať sa. There are no selected words after f. Some pairs sound alike but differ in meaning: byť (to be) and biť (to beat), my (we) and mi (to me), výr (eagle owl) and vír (whirlpool).

d, t, n and l. Here the spelling tells you how to pronounce the consonant. In native words di, ti, ni and li are soft even without a caron, as in deti and ticho (see soft d, t, n and l), while dy, ty, ny and ly are hard, as in dym and nový. The caron marks the soft consonants elsewhere; see soft consonants and the caron.

Loanwords and endings. Loanwords often follow their source: kino, gitara, chirurg have i after a hard consonant, and bicykel, cyklus have y after c. In endings the grammar decides, not the root rules: dobrý (one man) but dobrí (men), as explained in plural adjectives.

Examples (6)

  1. To je moja chyba.

    That's my mistake.

    Word by Word: That is my mistake.

    Ch is a hard consonant, so it is followed by y.

  2. Stôl je čistý.

    The table is clean.

    Word by Word: Table is clean.

    Č is soft, so the root has i. The ending -ý follows the hard t.

  3. Ty si môj brat.

    You're my brother.

    Word by Word: You are my brother.

    Ty has a hard t. Written ti would be pronounced with a soft ť.

  4. V izbe je ticho.

    It's quiet in the room.

    Word by Word: In room is quiet.

    Ti is pronounced soft, like ťi, even without a caron.

  5. Kúpil som mydlo.

    I bought some soap.

    Word by Word: Bought I-am soap.

    Mydlo is one of the selected words after m.

  6. My sme doma, zavolaj mi.

    We're at home, call me.

    Word by Word: We are at-home, call to-me.

    My (we) and mi (to me) sound the same but are spelled differently.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing i after a hard consonant.

    To je moja chiba.
    To je moja chyba.

    After h, ch, k and g, native words take y.

  • Writing y after a soft consonant.

    Stôl je čystý.
    Stôl je čistý.

    After soft consonants such as č, š and ž, write i.

  • Ignoring the selected words after an ambiguous consonant.

    Kúpil som midlo.
    Kúpil som mydlo.

    After m, a native root takes y only in the selected words, and mydlo is one of them.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

i / yLevel 2Spelling I and Y

Learn This First

Before Spelling i and y, learn Soft Consonants and the Caron. Soft consonants are usually followed by i and hard ones by y.