Alphabet & Pronunciation
അക്ഷരമാലയും ഉച്ചാരണവും
Malayalam script tells you exactly how to say a word just by reading it. English spelling doesn't — the same letters can hide sounds that vanish completely when spoken.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
Silent letters: written but never spoken
knife, comb, hour — the k, b, and h are never pronounced
every Malayalam letter you write is a letter you say — no exceptions
English kept old spellings even after the pronunciation changed, so many words carry letters that are pure history — visible on the page, silent in the mouth. Malayalam script never does this: what's written is read, letter for letter. Expect to memorize which English letters go silent on a word-by-word basis, since there's no rule that predicts it reliably.
One letter, several sounds
the letter 'a' in cat, father, and about — three different vowel sounds
each Malayalam vowel letter keeps essentially one sound everywhere it appears
A single English letter shifts its sound depending on the word around it, with no visible marker to warn you. Malayalam vowels stay far more consistent — once you learn how a letter sounds, it keeps sounding that way. This is why English pronunciation has to be learned alongside spelling, not derived from it.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
- Malayalam (previous course)
- കത്തിkatthi
- Malayalam (previous course)
- ചീപ്പ്cheeppu
- Malayalam (previous course)
- മണിക്കൂർmanikkoor
- Malayalam (previous course)
- കേൾക്കുകkelkkuka
- Malayalam (previous course)
- എഴുതുകezhuthuka
- Malayalam (previous course)
- പകുതിpakuthi
- Malayalam (previous course)
- നടക്കുകnadakkuka
- Malayalam (previous course)
- കയറുകkayaruka
- Malayalam (previous course)
- സംശയംsamshayam
- Malayalam (previous course)
- ശാന്തംshantham