Sounds and spelling cheat sheet

A quick look at phonology. Nothing here is new: each row links to the section that teaches it. Stage: B Beginner, I Intermediate, A Advanced.

Letters

Each letter has one sound, and native text is lowercase. Two vowels in a row are two syllables. th is one letter written with two characters, and there is no t. y is always a consonant.

Vowels

Letter	Say	Like	Pitch	Stage
u	/ʉ/	you (without the y)	high	B
a	/ä/	spa	low	B
o	/o̞/	Cambodia (no glide)	mid-low	B
e	/e̞/	bet	mid-high	B

Vowel pitch is optional and adds no meaning; when sound and pitch disagree, the sound wins. Stress is loudness, never pitch. Exact pitches: a 0, o +3, e +5, u +7 semitones (vowel pitch values, A).

Consonants and their names

The name is what you say when you spell a word aloud. The unvoiced sound is fine for style; prefer the voiced one so you can hold a note.

Letter	Say	Like	Unvoiced	Name	Stage
b	/b/	be	/p/	bu	B
d	/d/	do	/t/	de	B
g	/ɡ/	go	/k/	go	B
h	/ɦ/	ahead	/h/	ha	B
z	/z/	zoo	/s/	zu	B
v	/v/	vie	/f/	ve	B
r	/ɹ/	red		ro	B
l	/l/	lie		la	B
n	/n/	no		nu	B
m	/m/	me		me	B
th	/ð/	this	/θ/	tho	B
w	/w/	we		wa	B
y	/j/	yes		yu	B
x	/ʒ/	vision (not English x)	/ʃ/	xe	B

Rows are in alphabetical order: the ten digit letters first (1 to 9, then 0), then the other consonants. The vowels come last and name themselves (u, a, o, e). Pause between names: ogoze is a go o zu o. A letter you talk about in a clause is a mention, read by its name.

Word shape

Edges and syllables

Rule	Example	Stage
A content word ends in -l, -m, -n, or -r, the audible end	azozon = a-zo-zon	B
Inside a word, a consonant starts a syllable and never closes one	odozel = o-do-zel	B
Roots are vowel-first: V(CV)+	zobulol = z + obulo + -l	I
Place-name root with no cluster: seven letters, ends n + vowel	azabanan Japan	A
Place-name root that keeps a cluster	avranzan France	A
A root's last two letters hint at its kind and job	ogoze cat: z a creature, o one of its kind	A

Parts of a word, in order

Part	What it is	Stage
Role letter	first letter: the word's job in the clause	I
Optional l after /ɡ/	adjective before the noun	B
Optional l after /b/	bl-: completes the word right before it	B
Root(s)	vowel-first; a dictionary compound is one long root (oyaheha bedroom); a root after a root is joined by mid-word x (compounds)	I
Mid-word th	the stance seam: scope, sakes, viewpoint	I
-l / -m / -n / -r	the word ending	B
-ln	one of a name	I
-x	plural / associates, after the ending	B
-rl / -rm	stand-in or pinned resume	I
-rth	pointing back: the only word-final th	I

Word-initial x is the continue prefix, not a compound seam.

Number words

Rule	Example	English	Stage
A role letter followed by r starts a number word	gragel	three (g + ra + ge + -l)	I
Counting from the end is spoken rue before the digits			I

Digit syllables and letter names

Ten letters also start a digit syllable; the table is here. The letter's name uses the opposite vowel (a↔u, o↔e), so naming a letter is not counting.

Letter	Digit	Name	Stage
b	ba (1)	bu	I
d	do (2)	de	I
g	ge (3)	go	I
h	hu (4)	ha	I
z	za (5)	zu	I
v	vo (6)	ve	I
r	re (7)	ro	I
l	lu (8)	la	I
n	na (9)	nu	I
m	mo (0)	me	I

Singing

Feature	What it means	Stage
One vowel per letter	stacked vowels are separate syllables	A
No stress in spelling	rhythm may stress a beat	A
Voiced preferred	unvoiced is style only	A
Vowel pitch in song	dropped: the melody owns the pitch	A
Legal clusters	gl-; bl-, with a syllabic l before r / w; role letter + r (number) or + w (tag); -lx -mx -nx -rx; -ln; -rl -rm -rth; clusters in a place-name root	A