View source for Persian phonology

{{Short description|Sounds and pronunciation of the Persian language}}
{{Self-reference|For assistance with IPA transcriptions of Persian for Wikipedia articles, see [[Help:IPA/Persian]].}}
{{use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{IPA notice}}
The phonology of the [[Persian language]] varies between [[Dialect|regional dialects]] and [[Standard language|standard varieties]]. Persian is a [[pluricentric language]] and countries that have Persian as an official language have separate standard varieties, namely: Standard [[Dari]] ([[Afghanistan]]), Standard [[Iranian Persian]] ([[Iran]]) and Standard [[Tajik language|Tajik]] ([[Tajikistan]]).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=https://iranicaonline.org/ |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=iranicaonline.org |language=en-US}}{{failed verification|date=August 2024}}</ref> The most significant differences between standard varieties of Persian are their [[vowel]] systems. Standard varieties of Persian have anywhere from 6 to 8 vowel distinctions, and similar vowels may be pronounced differently between standards. However, there are not many notable differences when comparing consonants, as all standard varieties have a similar number of [[consonant]] sounds. Though, colloquial varieties generally have more differences than their standard counterparts. Most dialects feature contrastive [[stress (linguistics)|stress]] and [[syllable]]-final [[consonant cluster]]s. Linguists tend to focus on Iranian Persian, so this article may contain less adequate information regarding other varieties.

==Vowels==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;
|+ Tehrani Persian vowel chart
!
! [[Front vowel|Front]]
! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|iː}}
| {{IPA link|uː}}
|-
! [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA link|e}}
| {{IPA link|o}}
|-
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
| {{IPA link|æ}}
| {{IPA link|ɒː}}
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:25em;"
|+ Dari vowel chart
! rowspan="2" |
! colspan="2" | [[Front vowel|Front]]
! colspan="2" | [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! <small>long</small>
! <small>short</small>
! <small>short</small>
! <small>long</small>
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|iː}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA link|ɪ}} ~ ({{IPA link|ɛ}})
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA link|ʊ}}
| {{IPA link|uː}}
|-
! [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA link|eː}}
| {{IPA link|oː}}
|-
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
|
| colspan="2" | {{IPA link|a}} ~ {{IPA link|ä}}
| {{IPA link|ɑː}}
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:25em;"
|+
Tajik vowel chart
! |
! [[Front vowel|Front]]
! [[Central vowel|Central]]
! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|i}}
| rowspan="2"| {{IPA link|ʉ}} ~ {{IPA link|ɵ̞}}
| {{IPA link|u}}
|-
! [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA link|e}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA link|ɔː}}
|-
! [[open vowel|Open]]
| colspan="2" | {{IPA link|a}}
|}

[[File:Farsi vowel chart.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|right|The vowel phonemes of Tehrani Persian]]

The graph to the right reflects the vowels of many educated Persian speakers from Tehran.<ref name="ipa_handbook">{{Cite book |last1=Majidi |first1=Mohammad-Reza |title=Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A guide to the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet |last2=Ternes |first2=Elmar |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-521-63751-0 |location=Cambridge |pages=124–125 |chapter=Persian (Farsi) |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/rosettaproject_pes_phon-2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Campbell |first=George L. |url=https://archive.org/details/concisecompendiu00camp |title=Concise compendium of the world's languages |date=1995 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0415160499 |edition=1st publ. |location=London |page=385 |chapter=Persian |url-access=limited |authorlink1=George L. Campbell}}</ref>

In Iranian Persian there are three short vowels: {{IPAslink|æ}}, {{IPAslink|e}} and {{IPAslink|o}}, and three long vowels: {{IPAslink|ɒː}}, {{IPAslink|iː}} and {{IPAslink|uː}}. The three short vowels are only short when in an open syllable (i.e., without a [[Syllabic coda|coda]]) that is non-final (regardless of stress); e.g., {{lang|fa|صِدا}} {{IPA|[seˈdɒː]}} "sound", {{lang|fa|خُدا}} {{IPA|[xoˈdɒː]}} "God". In an unstressed closed syllable, they are around 60 percent as long as a long vowel. Otherwise all vowels are long; e.g., {{lang|fa|سِفْت‌تَر}} {{IPA|[seˑfˈtʰtæːɾ]}} "firmer".<ref name="Toos">{{Cite journal |last=Toosarvandani |first=Maziar D. |year=2004 |title=Vowel Length in Modern Farsi" |url=http://people.ucsc.edu/~mtoosarv/papers/toosarvandani_2004_JRAS.pdf |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society |series=Series 3 |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=241–251 |doi=10.1017/S1356186304004079}}</ref> When the short vowels are in open syllables, they are also sometimes unstable and may tend to assimilate in quality to the following long vowel (both in informal and formal speech). Thus, {{lang|fa|دِویسْت}} {{IPA|/deˈviːst/}} "two hundred" ranges between {{IPA|[de̝ˈviːstʰ]}} and {{IPA|[diˈviːstʰ]}}; {{lang|fa|شُلوغ}} {{IPA|/ʃoˈluːɢ/}} "crowded" ranges between {{IPA|[ʃo̝ˈluːɢ]}} and {{IPA|[ʃuˈluːɢ]}}; {{lang|fa|رَسیدن}} {{IPA|/ræsiːˈdæːn/}} "to arrive" ranges between {{IPA|[ræ̝siːˈdæːn]}} and {{IPA|[resiːˈdæːn]}}; and so on.<ref name="Toos" />

In Dari the short vowels are {{IPAslink|a}}, {{IPAslink|ɪ}} and {{IPAslink|ʊ}} in Kabul, however {{IPAslink|ɪ}} is pronounced as {{IPAslink|ɛ}} in other regions such as Herat.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Kāboli |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Iranica |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/kaboli-colloquial-persian |last1=Farhadi |first1=Rawan |date=2013-02-12 |orig-date={{date|2009-09-15}} |last2=Perry |first2=J. R.}}</ref> In Dari and Tajik {{IPA|/a/}} is the most common vowel and at the end of a word may be pronounced as {{IPA|/æ/}}.{{efn|name="eastern"}} Unlike Iranian Persian, Dari has 5 long vowels  {{IPAslink|ɑː}}, {{IPAslink|eː}}, {{IPAslink|iː}}, {{IPAslink|oː}}, and {{IPAslink|uː}}. The Dari vowel {{IPAslink|ɑː}} and the Iranian vowel {{IPAslink|ɒː}} are, respectively, the unrounded and rounded versions of the same vowel. ('roundedness' refers to the shape of the lips during pronunciation)

In Iranian Persian word-final {{IPA|/o/}} is rare except for {{lang|fa|تُوْ}} {{IPA|[tʰo]}} "you" and nouns of foreign origin. Word-final {{IPA|/æ/}} is very rare in Iranian Persian, with the exception being {{lang|fa|نَه}} {{IPA|[næ]}} "no". The word-final {{IPA|/æ/}} in Early New Persian mostly shifted to {{IPA|/e/}} in contemporary Iranian Persian, and {{IPA|[e]}} is also an allophone of {{IPA|/æ/}} in word-final position. {{IPA|/e/}} is the most common short vowel that is pronounced in final open syllables.

===Diphthongs===
The status of [[diphthongs]] in Persian is disputed.<ref name="Windfuhr1979">{{Cite book |last=Windfuhr |first=Gernot L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0g8n9mmnjKgC&pg=PA137 |title=Persian grammar: History and State of its Study |date=1979 |publisher=Mouton |isbn=9027977747 |page=137}}</ref><ref name="Alamolhoda">{{Cite journal |last=Alamolhoda |first=Seyyed Morleza |date=2000 |title=Phonostatistics and Phonotactics of the Syllable in Modern Persian |url=http://ojs.tsv.fi/index.php/StOrE/issue/view/3422 |journal=Studia Orientalia |volume=89 |pages=14–15 |issn=0039-3282}}</ref> Some authors list {{IPA|/ei, ou, ɒi, oi, ui/}},<ref name=Windfuhr1979/> others list only {{IPA|/ej/}} and {{IPA|/ou/}}, but some do not recognize diphthongs in Persian at all.<ref name=Windfuhr1979/><ref name=Alamolhoda/> A major factor that complicates the matter is the change of two classical and pre-classical Persian diphthongs: {{IPA|/ai/ > /ei/}} and {{IPA|/au/ > /ou/}}. This shift occurred in Iran but not in some modern varieties (particularly in Afghanistan).<ref name=Windfuhr1979/> Morphological analysis also supports the view that the alleged Persian diphthongs are combinations of the vowels with {{IPA|/j/}} and {{IPA|/w/}}.<ref name=Alamolhoda/>

The Persian orthography does not distinguish between the diphthongs and the consonants {{IPA|/j/}} and {{IPA|/w/}}; that is, they are both respectively written as {{lang|fa|ی}} and {{lang|fa|و}}.

{{IPA|/ou/}} becomes {{IPAblink|o|oː}} in the colloquial Tehran dialect but is preserved in other Western dialects and standard Iranian Persian.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

===Spelling and example words===
For [[Iranian Persian]]:
{| class="wikitable"
! [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
! [[Grapheme|Letter]]
! [[Romanization]]
! Example(s)
|-
| {{IPAslink|æ}} || ـَ ,ـَه; || a ||  {{IPA|/næ/}} &nbsp;  {{lang|fa|نَه}} &nbsp; "no"
|- 
| {{IPAslink|ɒː}} || ـا, آ ,ىٰ; || ā ||  {{IPA|/tɒː/}} &nbsp;  {{lang|fa|تا}}&nbsp; "until"
|-
| {{IPAslink|e}} || ـِ ,ـِه;  || e || {{IPA|/ke/}} &nbsp; {{lang|fa|کِه}} &nbsp; "that"
|-
| {{IPAslink|iː}} || ـِیـ ,ـِی; || ī || {{IPA|/ʃiːr/}} &nbsp; {{lang|fa|شیر}}  &nbsp; "milk"
|-
| {{IPAslink|o}}  || ـُ ,ـُوْ; || o ||  {{IPA|/to/}}  &nbsp; {{lang|fa|تُوْ}} &nbsp; "you" (singular)
|-
| {{IPAslink|uː}} || ـُو; || ū ||  {{IPA|/zuːd/}} &nbsp; {{lang|fa|زُود}} &nbsp; "early"
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! IPA
! Letter
! Romanization
! Example(s)
|-
| {{IPA|/ej/}} || ـَیْ;  || ey ||  {{IPA|/kej/}} &nbsp;  {{lang|fa|کَیْ}} &nbsp; "when?"
|-
| {{IPA|/ow/}} || ـَوْ; || ow ||  {{IPA|/now/}} &nbsp;  {{lang|fa|نَوْ}} &nbsp; "new"
|-
|}
Eastern Persian varieties ([[Tajik language|Tajik]] and [[Dari]]) have also preserved these two Classical Persian vowels:
{| class="wikitable"
! IPA
! Letter
! Romanization
! Example(s)
|-
| {{IPAslink|eː}} || ـی; || ē || {{IPA|/ʃeːɾ/}} &nbsp; {{lang|fa|شی٘ر}} &nbsp; "lion"
|-
| {{IPAslink|oː}}  || ـو; || ō ||  {{IPA|/zoːɾ/}} &nbsp; {{lang|fa|زو٘ر}} &nbsp; "strength"
|-
|}

In the modern [[Perso-Arabic alphabet]], the short vowels {{IPA|/æ/}}, {{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/o/}} are usually left unwritten, as is normally done in the [[Arabic alphabet]]. (See {{slink|Arabic phonology|Vowels}}.)

===Historical shifts===
Early New Persian inherited from [[Middle Persian]] eight vowels: three short ''i, a, u'' and five long ''ī, ē, ā, ō, ū'' (in [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: {{IPA|/i a u/}} and {{IPA|/iː eː ɑː oː uː/}}). It is likely that this system passed into the common Persian era from a purely quantitative system into one where the short vowels differed from their long counterparts also in quality: ''i'' > {{IPAblink|ɪ}}; ''u'' > {{IPAblink|ʊ}}; ''ā'' > {{IPAblink|ɑː}}. These quality contrasts have in modern Persian varieties become the main distinction between the two sets of vowels.<ref name="rees2008">{{Cite thesis |last=Rees |first=Daniel A. |title=Towards Proto-Persian: An Optimality Theoretic Historical Reconstruction |degree=Ph.D. dissertation |publisher=Georgetown University |chapter=From Middle Persian to Proto-Modern Persian |year=2008 |hdl=10822/553156 |hdl-access=free |s2cid=141259973}}</ref>

The inherited eight-vowel inventory is retained without major upheaval in [[Dari language|Dari]], which also preserves quantitative distinctions.<ref name="rastorgueva1982">{{Cite book |last1=Ефимов |first1=В. А. |last2=Расторгуева |first2=B. C. |last3=Шарова |first3=Е. Н. |publisher=Наука |year=1982 |volume=3. Новоиранские языки: западная группа, прикаспийские языки. |location=Moscow |pages=5–315 |script-title=ru:Основы иранского языкознания |trans-title=Fundamentals of Iranian Linguistics |chapter=Персидский, таджикский, дари}}</ref>

In [[Western Persian]], two of the vowel contrasts have been lost: those between the tense mid and close vowels. Thus ''ē'', ''ī'' have merged as {{IPAblink|iː}}, while ''ō'', ''ū'' have merged as {{IPAblink|uː}}. In addition, the lax close vowels have been lowered: ''i'' > {{IPAblink|e}}, ''u'' > {{IPAblink|o}}; this vowel change has also happened in many dialects of Dari. The lax open vowel has become fronted: ''a'' > {{IPAblink|æ}}, and in word-final position further raised to {{IPAblink|e}}. Modern Iranian Persian does not feature distinctive vowel length.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Рубинчик |first=Ю. А. |publisher=Восточная литература |year=2001 |isbn=5-02-018177-3 |location=Moscow |page=19 |script-title=ru:Грамматика современного литературного персидского языка |trans-title=Grammar of modern literary Persian language}}</ref>

In both varieties, ''ā'' is more or less labialized and raised in Dari. Dari ''ō'' is also somewhat fronted.<ref name="rastorgueva1982" />

Tajiki has also lost two of the vowel contrasts, but differently from Western Persian. Here, the tense/lax contrast among the close vowels has been eliminated. That is, ''i'' and ''ī'' have merged as {{IPAslink|ɪ}}, and ''u'' and ''ū'' as {{IPAslink|ʊ}}. The back vowels have [[chain shift]]ed as well. Open ''ā'' has been rounded and raised to an open-mid vowel {{IPAslink|ɔ}} (compare with [[Canaanite shift]]). In northern dialects, mid ''ō'' ([[Phonemic orthography|transcribed phonologically]] as {{angbr|ӯ}} in the Cyrillic script and "ū" in the Latin script) has shifted to {{IPAslink|ɵ}}, while in southern dialects, mid ''ō'' has shifted upward and merged with ''ū'' (and ''u'') as {{IPAslink|ʊ}}.

A feature of Eastern Persian{{efn|name="eastern"}} dialects is the systematic [[lowering]] of ''i'' and ''ī'' (both {{angbr|и}} in Tajiki) to ''e'' and ''ē'' (both {{angbr|е}} in Tajiki), and ''u'' and ''ū'' (both {{angbr|у}} in Tajiki) to ''o'' and ''ō'' (both {{angbr|ӯ}} in Tajiki), directly before a [[glottal consonant]] ({{IPAslink|h}} or {{IPAslink|ʔ}}) that is in the same syllable; loanwords from [[Arabic]] generally undergo these changes as well. However, since {{angbr|ӯ}} (''o'', ''ō'') has merged into {{angbr|у}} (''u'', ''ū'') in most dialects of southern and central Tajikistan, {{angbr|у}} ({{IPAslink|ʊ}}) is realized before the glottal consonants in those dialects instead. (This phenomenon also occurs in neighbouring [[Urdu]] and [[Hindi]], but it is only the <u>short</u> vowels ''i'' and ''u'' that are lowered to ''e'' and ''o'' before {{IPAslink|h}} and {{IPAslink|ʔ}}.)

The following chart summarizes the later shifts into modern Tajik, Dari, and Western Persian.<ref name="rastorgueva1982" /><ref name="windfuhr1987">{{Cite book |last=Windfuhr |first=Gernot |title=The World's Major Languages |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-19-506511-4 |editor-last=Comrie |editor-first=Bernard |location=Oxford |page=543 |chapter=Persian |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/worldsmajorlangu0000unse/page/543}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Simon |first=Zsolt |date=2017 |title=Marangozis, J.: ''A short grammar of hieroglyphic Luwian'' [Lincom studies in Indo-European linguistics 26] |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1556/aant.47.2007.1.5 |journal=Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=139–142 |doi=10.1556/aant.47.2007.1.5 |issn=0044-5975|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;
! rowspan="3" |Classical Persian
! colspan="3" |New Persian
! colspan="4" rowspan="2" |Examples
|-
! rowspan="2" |Western Persian
! colspan="2" |Eastern Persian
|-
!Dari
!Tajik
! Perso-Arabic script
! Tajik Cyrillic script
! Romanization
!English translation
|-
| {{IPAslink|a}}|| {{IPAslink|æ}}
| colspan="2" |{{IPAslink|a}}|| {{lang|fa|شَب}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|шаб}} || šab || night
|-
| {{IPAslink|ɑː}}|| {{IPAslink|ɒː}}
|{{IPAslink|ɑː}}
|{{IPAslink|ɔ}}|| {{lang|fa|باد}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|бод}} || bād || wind
|-
| {{IPAslink|i}}|| {{IPAslink|e}}
|{{IPAslink|ɪ}}
| rowspan="2" |{{IPAslink|i}}|| {{lang|fa|دِل}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|дил}} || dil || heart
|-
| {{IPAslink|iː}}|| rowspan="2" | {{IPAslink|iː}}
|{{IPAslink|iː}}|| {{lang|fa|شِیر}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|шир}} || šīr || milk
|-
| {{IPAslink|eː}}
|{{IPAslink|eː}}
|{{IPAslink|e}}|| {{lang|fa|شی٘ر}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|шер}} || šēr || lion
|-
| {{IPA|/aj/}} || {{IPA|/ej/}} 
| colspan="2" |{{IPA|/aj/}}||  {{lang|fa|کَیْ}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|кай}} || kay || when
|-
| {{IPAslink|u}}|| {{IPAslink|o}}
|{{IPAslink|ʊ}}
| rowspan="2" |{{IPAslink|u}}|| {{lang|fa|گُل}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|гул}} || gul || flower
|-
| {{IPAslink|uː}}|| rowspan="2" | {{IPAslink|uː}}
|{{IPAslink|uː}}|| {{lang|fa|نُور}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|нур}} || nūr || light
|-
| {{IPAslink|oː}} 
|{{IPAslink|oː}}
|{{IPAslink|ɵ}}|| {{lang|fa|رو٘ز}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|рӯз}} || rōz || day
|-
| {{IPA|/aw/}} || {{IPA|/ow/}} 
|{{IPA|/aw/}}
|{{IPA|/aʋ/}}|| {{lang|fa|نَوْ}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|нав}} || naw || new
|}

{{See also|Tajik language#Vowels|l1=Tajik vowels}}

==Consonants==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="2" |
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Denti-alveolar consonant|Dento-<br>alveolar]]
! [[Postalveolar consonant|Post-alv.]]/<br>[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}} || {{IPA link|n}} || || ||  ||
|- style="text-align:center;"
! rowspan="2" | [[Plosive|Plosive]]/<br/>[[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
!<small>[[voiceless]]</small> 
| {{IPA link|p}} || {{IPA link|t}}|| {{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}|| {{IPA link|k}}|| ({{IPA link|q}})<sup>1</sup>||{{IPA link|ʔ}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
!<small>[[voiced]]</small> 
|{{IPA link|b}} || {{IPA link|d}} || {{IPA link|d͡ʒ}} || {{IPA link|ɡ}} || ||
|- style="text-align:center;"
! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! <small>[[voiceless]]</small>
| {{IPA link|f}} || {{IPA link|s}} || {{IPA link|ʃ}} || colspan="2" | {{IPA link|x}}~{{IPA link|χ}}
|| {{IPA link|h}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
! <small>[[voiced]]</small>
| rowspan="2" |{{IPA link|v}}~{{IPA link|w}}<sup>2</sup> ||{{IPA link|z}} ||{{IPA link|ʒ}} ||colspan=2| {{IPA link|ɣ}}~{{IPA link|ʁ}}
||
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" | [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| {{IPA link|l}} || {{IPA link|j}} || || ||
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" | [[Tap consonant|Tap]]/[[Trill consonant|Trill]]
| || {{IPA link|ɾ}}~{{IPA link|r}}   || || || ||
|}
Notes:

# In Central [[Western Persian|Iranian Persian]] {{IPAslink|ɣ}} and {{IPAslink|q}} have merged into [{{IPA link|ɣ}}~[[Voiced uvular stop|ɢ]]]; as a voiced velar fricative {{IPA|[ɣ]}} when positioned [[intervocalic]]ally and unstressed, and as a voiced uvular stop {{IPA|[ɢ]}} otherwise. Many dialects within Iran have well preserved the distinction.<ref name="ipa_handbook" /><ref name="jahani2005">{{Cite book |last=Jahani |first=Carina |title=Linguistic Convergence and Areal Diffusion: Case studies from Iranian, Semitic and Turkic |publisher=RoutledgeCurzon |year=2005 |isbn=0-415-30804-6 |editor-last=Csató |editor-first=Éva Ágnes |location=London |pages=79–96 |chapter=The Glottal Plosive: A Phoneme in Spoken Modern Persian or Not? |editor-last2=Isaksson |editor-first2=Bo |editor-last3=Jahani |editor-first3=Carina}}</ref><ref name="thackston1993_phonology">{{Cite book |last=Thackston |first=W. M. |url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontope00thac |title=An Introduction to Persian |date=1993-05-01 |publisher=Ibex Publishers |isbn=0-936347-29-5 |edition=3rd Rev |page=xvii |chapter=The Phonology of Persian |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontope00thac |url-access=registration |chapter-url-access=registration}}</ref>
# While a single phoneme across all dialects, it may be interpreted as phonemic /w/ in Dari and Classical Persian, and phonemic /v/ in Iranian Persian. In Dari in Classical Persian, this phoneme is fairly stable, it is exclusively realized as [w] without any notable allophonic variations. In Iranian Persian, this phoneme is a stable [v] in the onset, but less stable in the coda, where [w] may occur after certain vowels. In Tajik, it varies freely between [w]~[v] most of the time, but [v] is more common in the syllable onset.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Corey |title=Variation in Persian Vowel Systems – University of Maryland |url=https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:657365/FULLTEXT01.pdf |website=Digitala Vetenskapliga Arkivet}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rees |first=Daniel A. |title=Towards Proto-Persian: An Optimality Theoretic Historical Reconstruction. Ph.D. dissertation. |publisher=Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Georgetown University. |year=2008}}</ref>

===Allophonic variation===
Alveolar stops {{IPAslink|t}} and {{IPAslink|d}} are either [[Apical consonant|apical]] [[Alveolar consonant|alveolar]] or [[Laminal consonant|laminal]] [[Denti-alveolar consonant|denti-alveolar]].  The [[voiceless]] [[obstruent]]s {{IPA|/{{IPAplink|p}}, {{IPAplink|t}}, {{IPAplink|t͡ʃ}}, {{IPAplink|k}}/}} are [[Aspiration (phonetics)|aspirated]] much like their English counterparts: they become aspirated when they begin a syllable, though aspiration is not [[Complementary distribution|contrastive]].<ref name="mahootian1997">{{Cite book |last=Mahootian |first=Shahrzad |url=https://archive.org/details/persiandescripti00gebh |title=Persian |publisher=Routledge |year=1997 |isbn=0-415-02311-4 |location=London |pages=[https://archive.org/details/persiandescripti00gebh/page/n311 287], 292, 303, 305 |url-access=limited}}</ref> The Persian language does not have syllable-initial consonant clusters ([[#Phonotactics|see below]]), so unlike in English, {{IPA|/p, t, k/}} are aspirated even following {{IPAslink|s}}, as in {{lang|fa|هَسْتَم}} {{IPA|/ˈhæstæm/}} ('I exist').<ref name="mace1993">{{Cite book |last=Mace |first=John |title=Modern Persian |date=March 1993 |publisher=Teach Yourself |isbn=0-8442-3815-5}}</ref>  They are also aspirated at the end of syllables, although not as strongly.

The [[Velar consonant|velar]] stops {{IPA|/{{IPAplink|k}}, {{IPAplink|ɡ}}/}} are [[Palatalization (phonetics)|palatalized]] before [[front vowel]]s or at the end of a syllable.

In Classical Persian, the [[uvular]] consonants {{lang|fa|غ}} and {{lang|fa|ق}} denoted the original Arabic phonemes, the fricative {{IPAblink|ʁ}} and the plosive {{IPAblink|q}}, respectively. In modern [[Tehrani Persian]] (which is used in the Iranian mass media, both colloquial and standard), there is no difference in the pronunciation of {{lang|fa|غ}} and {{lang|fa|ق}}. The actual realisation is usually that of a voiced stop {{IPAblink|ɢ}}, but a voiced fricative {{IPAblink|ɣ}}~{{IPAblink|ʁ}} is common intervocalically. The classical pronunciations of {{lang|fa|غ}} and {{lang|fa|ق}} are preserved in the eastern varieties, [[Dari]] and [[Tajik language|Tajiki]], as well as in the southern varieties (e.g. [[Zoroastrian Dari language]] and other Central / Central Plateau or [[Kermanic languages]]).

Some Iranian speakers show a similar merger of {{lang|fa|ج}} and {{lang|fa|ژ}}, such that {{IPAblink|d͡ʒ}} alternates with {{IPAblink|ʒ}}, with the latter being restricted to intervocalic position.

Some speakers front {{IPAslink|h}} to a [[voiceless palatal fricative]] {{IPAblink|ç}} in the vicinity of {{IPAslink|i}}, especially in syllable-final position. The velar/uvular fricatives are never fronted in such a way.

The flap {{IPAslink|ɾ}} has a [[Trill (phonetics)|trilled]] allophone [{{IPA|r}}] at the beginning of a word;<ref name="mahootian1997" /> otherwise, they contrast between vowels wherein a trill occurs as a result of gemination (doubling) of [{{IPA|ɾ}}], especially in loanwords of Arabic origin. Only [{{IPA link|ɾ}}] occurs before and after consonants; in word-final position, it is usually a free variation between a flap or a trill when followed by a consonant or a pause, but flap is more common, only flap before vowel-initial words. An [[approximant]] {{IPAblink|ɹ}} also occurs as an allophone of {{IPA|/ɾ/}} before {{IPA|/t, d, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, l/}}; {{IPA|[ɹ]}} is sometimes in free variation with {{IPA|[ɾ]}} in these and other positions, such that {{lang|fa|فارْسِی}} ('Persian') is pronounced {{IPA|[fɒːɹˈsiː]}} or {{IPA|[fɒːɾˈsiː]}} and {{lang|fa|سَقِرْلات}} ('scarlet') {{IPA|[sæɣeɹˈlɒːt]}} or {{IPA|[sæɣeɾˈlɒːt]}}. {{IPA|/r/}} is sometimes realized as a long approximant {{IPA|[ɹː]}}.

The [[velar nasal]] {{IPAblink|ŋ}} is an allophone of {{IPAslink|n}} before {{IPA|/k, ɡ/}}, and the [[uvular nasal]] {{IPAblink|ɴ}} before {{IPA|/q/}}.

{{IPA|/f, s, ʃ, x/}} may be voiced to, respectively, {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|v}}, {{IPAplink|z}}, {{IPAplink|ʒ}}, {{IPAplink|ɣ}}]}} before voiced consonants; {{IPA|/n/}} may be bilabial {{IPAblink|m}} before [[bilabial consonant]]s. Also {{IPA|/b/}} may in some cases change into {{IPAblink|β}}, or even {{IPAblink|v}}; for example {{lang|fa|باز}} ('open') may be pronounced {{IPA|[bɒːz]}} as well as {{IPA|[βɒːz]}} or {{IPA|[vɒːz]}} and/or {{IPA|[vɒː]}}, colloquially.

===Dialectal variation===
The pronunciation of {{lang|fa|و}} {{IPAblink|w}} in Classical Persian shifted to {{IPAblink|v}} in Iranian Persian and Tajik, but is retained in Dari. In modern Persian {{IPA|[w]}} may be lost if preceded by a consonant and followed by a vowel in one whole syllable, e.g. {{lang|fa|خواب}} {{IPA|/xwɒb/ ~ [xɒb]}} 'sleep', as Persian has no syllable-initial consonant clusters ([[#Phonotactics|see below]]).

===Spelling and example words===
{| class="wikitable"
! [[Phoneme]]
! [[Persian alphabet]]
! [[Tajik alphabet]]
! colspan="4" | Example
|-
| {{IPAslink|p}} || {{lang|fa|پ}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|п}} || {{IPA|/pɪˈdar/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|پِدَر}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|падар}} || 'father'
|-
| {{IPAslink|b}} || {{lang|fa|ب}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|б}} || {{IPA|/baɾɑːˈdar/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|بَرادَر}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|бародар}} || 'brother'
|-
| {{IPAslink|t}} || {{lang|fa|ت, ط}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|т}} || {{IPA|/tɑː/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|تا}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|то}} || 'until'
|-
| {{IPAslink|d}} || {{lang|fa|د}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|д}} || {{IPA|/doːst/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|دوسْت}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|дӯст}} || 'friend'
|-
| {{IPAslink|k}} || {{lang|fa|ک}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|к}} || {{IPA|/kɪʃˈvar/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|کِشْوَر}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|кишвар}} || 'country'
|-
| {{IPAslink|ɡ}} || {{lang|fa|گ}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|г}} || {{IPA|/ɡʊˈɾoːh/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|گُروه}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|гурӯҳ}} || 'group'
|-
| {{IPAslink|ʔ}} || {{lang|fa|ع, ء}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ъ}} || {{IPA|/maʔˈnɑː/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|مَعْنا}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|маъно}} || 'meaning'
|-
| {{IPAslink|t͡ʃ}} || {{lang|fa|چ}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ч}} || {{IPA|/t͡ʃoːb/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|چوب}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|чӯб}} || 'wood'
|-
| {{IPAslink|d͡ʒ}} || {{lang|fa|ج}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ҷ}} || {{IPA|/d͡ʒaˈvɑːn/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|جَوان}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ҷавон}} || 'young'
|-
| {{IPAslink|f}} || {{lang|fa|ف}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ф}} || {{IPA|/fɪˈʃɑːr/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|فِشار}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|фишор}} || 'pressure'
|-
| {{IPAslink|v}} || {{lang|fa|و}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|в}} || {{IPA|/viːˈʒa/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|وِیژَه}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|вижа}} || 'special'
|-
| {{IPAslink|s}} || {{lang|fa|ث, س, ص}}|| {{lang|tg-Cyrl|с}} || {{IPA|/sɑːˈja/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|سایَه}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|соя}} || 'shadow'
|-
| {{IPAslink|z}} || {{lang|fa|ذ, ز, ض, ظ}}|| {{lang|tg-Cyrl|з}} || {{IPA|/ɑːˈzɑːd/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|آزاد}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|озод}} || 'free'
|-
| {{IPAslink|ʃ}} || {{lang|fa|ش}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ш}} || {{IPA|/ʃɑːh/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|شاه}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|шоҳ}} || 'king'
|-
| {{IPAslink|ʒ}} || {{lang|fa|ژ}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ж}} ||{{IPA|/ʒɑːˈla/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|ژالَه}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|жола}} || 'dew'
|-
| {{IPAslink|χ}} || {{lang|fa|خ}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|х}} || {{IPA|/χɑːˈna/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|خانَه}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|хона}} || 'house'
|-
| {{IPAslink|ʁ}} || {{lang|fa|غ}} ||  {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ғ}} || {{IPA|/ʁarb/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|غَرْب}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ғарб}} || 'west'
|-
| {{IPAslink|ɢ}} || {{lang|fa|ق}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|қ}} || {{IPA|/ɢaˈlam/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|قَلَم}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|қалам}} || 'pen'
|-
| {{IPAslink|h}} || {{lang|fa|ح, ه}}|| {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ҳ}} || {{IPA|/haft/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|هَفْت}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ҳафт}} || 'seven'
|-
| {{IPAslink|m}} || {{lang|fa|م}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|м}} || {{IPA|/mɑːˈdar/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|مادَر}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|модар}} || 'mother'
|-
| {{IPAslink|n}} || {{lang|fa|ن}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|н}} || {{IPA|/nɑːn/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|نان}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|нон}} || 'bread'
|-
| {{IPAslink|l}} || {{lang|fa|ل}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|л}} ||{{IPA|/lab/}} &nbsp;||{{lang|fa|لَب}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|лаб}} || 'lip'
|-
| {{IPAslink|ɾ}} || {{lang|fa|ر}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|р}} ||{{IPA|/eːˈɾɑːn/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|ایران}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|Эрон}} || 'Iran'
|-
| {{IPAslink|j}} || {{lang|fa|ی}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|й}} ||{{IPA|/jɑː/}} &nbsp;|| {{lang|fa|یا}} || {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ё}} || 'or'
|-
|}

Before every initial vowel onset, a glottal stop {{IPAslink|ʔ}} is pronounced (e.g., {{lang|fa|ایران}} {{IPA|[ʔiˈɾɒn]}} {{gloss|Iran}}).

In standard Iranian Persian, the consonants {{IPAslink|ʁ}} and {{IPAslink|ɢ}} are pronounced identically.

Consonants, including {{IPAslink|ʔ}} and {{IPAslink|h}}, can be [[Gemination|geminated]], often in words from [[Arabic language|Arabic]].  This is represented in the IPA by doubling the consonant, {{lang|fa|سَیِّد}} {{lang|tg-Cyrl|саййид}} {{IPA|[sejˈjed]}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vrzić |first=Zvjezdana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A9k_u5vnX_8C&q=farsi+geminate&pg=PR23 |title=Farsi: A Complete Course for Beginners |publisher=Random House |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-4000-2347-9 |series=Living Language |page=xxiii}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hansen |first1=B. B. |last2=Myers |first2=S. |year=2017 |title=The consonant length contrast in Persian: Production and perception |journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association |volume=47 |issue=2 |pages=183–205 |doi=10.1017/S0025100316000244}}</ref>

==Phonotactics==

===Syllable structure===
[[Syllables]] may be structured as (C)(S)V(S)(C(C)).<ref name="mahootian1997" /><ref name="jahani2005" />

Persian [[Syllable#Structure|syllable structure]] consists of an optional syllable onset, consisting of one consonant; an obligatory syllable nucleus, consisting of a vowel optionally preceded by and/or followed by a [[semivowel]]; and an optional syllable coda, consisting of one or two consonants.  The following restrictions apply:
* Onset
** Consonant (C): Can be any consonant. (Onset is composed only of one consonant; consonant clusters are only found in loanwords, sometimes an epenthetic {{IPA|/æ/}} is inserted between consonants.)
* Nucleus
** Semivowel (S)
** Vowel (V)
** Semivowel (S)
* Coda
** First consonant (C): Can be any consonant.
** Second consonant (C): Can also be any consonant (mostly {{IPA|/d/}}, {{IPA|/k/}}, {{IPA|/s/}}, {{IPA|/t/}}, & {{IPA|/z/}}).

==Word accent==
The Persian word-accent has been described as a [[Stress (linguistics)|stress accent]] by some,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Windfuhr |first=Gernot L. |chapter-url=http://www.linguisticsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/Windfuhr-Chapter33-Persian-Phonology1.pdf |title=Phonologies of Asia and Africa (including the Caucasus), I-II |publisher=Eisenbrauns |year=1997 |editor-last=Kaye |editor-first=Alan S. |location=Winona Lake |pages=675–689 |chapter=Persian Phonology |editor-last2=Daniels |editor-first2=Peter T. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305154638/http://www.linguisticsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/Windfuhr-Chapter33-Persian-Phonology1.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-05 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> and as a [[pitch accent]] by others.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Abolhasanizadeh |first1=Vahideh |last2=Bijankhan |first2=Mahmood |last3=Gussenhoven |first3=Carlos |year=2012 |title=The Persian pitch accent and its retention after the focus |url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024384112001271 |journal=Lingua |volume=122 |issue=13 |page=13|doi=10.1016/j.lingua.2012.06.002 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> In fact, the accented syllables in Persian are generally pronounced with a raised pitch as well as stress; but in certain contexts words may become deaccented and lose their high pitch.<ref name="IntGram">{{Cite thesis |last=Sadat-Tehrani |first=Nima |title=The Intonational Grammar of Persian |degree=Ph.D. dissertation |publisher=University of Manitoba |pages=3, 22, 46-47, 51 |year=2007 |hdl=1993/2839}}</ref><ref name="Hosseini">{{Cite thesis |last=Hosseini |first=Seyed Ayat |title=The Phonology and Phonetics of Prosodic Prominence in Persian |degree=Ph.D. dissertation |publisher=University of Tokyo |url=http://roa.rutgers.edu/content/article/files/1314_hosseini_1.pdf |year=2014}} p.22f for a review of the literature; also p.35.</ref>

From an intonational point of view, Persian words (or accentual phrases) usually have the intonation (L +) H* (where L is low and H* is a high-toned stressed syllable), e.g. {{lang|fa|کِتاب}} {{IPA|/keˈtɒ́b/}} 'book'; unless there is a suffix, in which case the intonation is (L +) H* + L, e.g. {{lang|fa|کتابم}} {{IPA|/keˈtɒ́bæm/}} 'my book'. The last accent of a sentence is usually accompanied by a low [[boundary tone]], which produces a falling pitch on the last accented syllable, e.g. {{lang|fa|کِتاب بُود}} {{IPA|/keˈtɒ̂b buːd/}} 'it was a book'.<ref name="IntGram" /><ref name="Hosseini" />

When two words are joined in an {{lang|fa|اِضافَه}} ''[[ezafe]]'' construction, they can either be pronounced accentually as two separate words, e.g. {{lang|fa|مَرْدُمِ اِینْجا}} {{IPA|/mærˈdóme inˈd͡ʒɒ́/}} 'the people (of) here', or else the first word loses its high tone and the two words are pronounced as a single accentual phrase: {{IPA|/mærˈdome inˈd͡ʒɒ́/}}. Words also become deaccented following a [[Focus (linguistics)|focused]] word; for example, in the sentence {{lang|fa|نامَهٔ مامانَم بُود رُو میز}} {{IPA|/nɒˈmeje <u>mɒˈmɒn</u>æm bud ru miz/}} 'it was my <u>mom's</u> letter on the table' all the syllables following the word {{lang|fa|مامان}} {{IPA|/mɒˈmɒn/}} 'mom' are pronounced with a low pitch.<ref name="IntGram" />

Knowing the rules for the correct placement of the accent is essential for proper pronunciation.<ref name="mace2003">{{Cite book |last=Mace |first=John |title=Persian Grammar: For reference and revision |publisher=RoutledgeCurzon |year=2003 |isbn=0-7007-1695-5 |location=London}}</ref>

# Accent is heard on the last stem-syllable of most words.
# Accent is heard on the first syllable of [[interjection]]s, [[Conjunction (grammar)|conjunctions]] and [[vocatives]]. E.g. {{lang|fa|بله}} {{IPA|/ˈbæle/}} ('yes'), {{lang|fa|نَخَیْر}} {{IPA|/ˈnæxeir/}} ('no, indeed'), {{lang|fa|وَلِی}} {{IPA|/ˈvæli/}} ('but'), {{lang|fa|چِرا}} {{IPA|/ˈtʃerɒ/}} ('why'), {{lang|fa|اَگَر}} {{IPA|/ˈæɡær/}} ('if'), {{lang|fa|مِرْسِی}} {{IPA|/ˈmersi/}} ('thanks'), {{lang|fa|خانُم}} {{IPA|/ˈxɒnom/}} ('Ma'am'), {{lang|fa|آقا}} {{IPA|/ˈɒɢɒ/}} ('Sir'); cf. '''4-4''' below.
# Never accented are:
## personal suffixes on verbs ({{IPA|/-æm/}} ('I do..'), {{IPA|/-i/}} ('you do..'), .., {{IPA|/-ænd/}} ('they do..') (with two exceptions, cf. '''4-1''' and '''5''' below);
## the possessive and pronoun-object suffixes, {{IPA|/-æm/}}, {{IPA|/-et/}}, {{IPA|/-eʃ/}}, &c.
## a small set of very common noun [[enclitic]]s:  the {{IPA|/ezɒfe/}} {{lang|fa|اضافه}} ({{IPA|/-e/}}, {{IPA|/-je}}) ('of'), {{IPA|/-rɒ/}} a definite direct object marker, {{IPA|/-i/}} ('a'), {{IPA|/-o/}} ('and');
# Always accented are:
## the personal suffixes on the positive future auxiliary verb (exception to '''3-1''' above);
## the negative verb prefix {{IPA|/næ-/}}, {{IPA|/ne-/}};
## if {{IPA|/næ-/}}, {{IPA|/ne-/}} is not present, then the first non-negative verb prefix (e.g. {{IPA|/mi-/}} ('-ing'), {{IPA|/be-/}} ('do!') or the prefix noun in compound verbs (e.g. {{lang|fa|کار}} {{IPA|/kɒr/}} in {{lang|fa|کار می‌کَرْدَم}} {{IPA|/ˈkɒr mi-kærdæm/}});
## the last syllable of all other words, including the infinitive ending {{IPA|/-æn/}} and the participial ending {{IPA|/-te/}}, {{IPA|/-de/}} in verbal derivatives, noun suffixes like {{IPA|/-i/}} ('-ish') and {{IPA|/-eɡi/}}, all plural suffixes ({{IPA|/-hɒ/}}, {{IPA|/-ɒn/}}), adjective comparative suffixes ({{IPA|/-tær/}}, {{IPA|/-tærin/}}), and ordinal-number suffixes ({{IPA|/-om/}}).  Nouns not in the vocative are stressed on the final syllable: {{lang|fa|خانُم}} {{IPA|/xɒˈnom/}} ('lady'), {{lang|fa|آقا}} {{IPA|/ɒˈɢɒ/}} ('gentleman'); cf. '''2''' above.
# In the informal language, the present perfect tense is pronounced like the simple past tense. Only the word-accent distinguishes between these tenses: the accented personal suffix indicates the present perfect and the unstressed one the simple past tense (exception to '''3-1''' above):

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! Formal
! Informal
! Meaning
|-
|{{IPA|/diːˈde.æm/}} {{lang|fa|دِیدَه‌اَم}} 
| {{IPA|/diːˈdæm/}}
| 'I have seen'
|-
| {{IPA|/ˈdiːdæm/}} {{lang|fa|دِیدَم}}
| {{IPA|/ˈdiːdæm/}}
| 'I saw'
|}

==Colloquial Iranian Persian==
When spoken formally, Iranian Persian is pronounced as written. But colloquial pronunciation as used by all classes makes a number of very common substitutions.  Note that Iranians can interchange colloquial and formal [[sociolect]]s in conversational speech. They include:<ref name="mace2003" /><ref name="thackston1993_colloquial">{{Cite book |last=Thackston |first=W. M. |url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontope00thac/page/205 |title=An Introduction to Persian |date=1993-05-01 |publisher=Ibex Publishers |isbn=0-936347-29-5 |edition=3rd Rev |pages=[https://archive.org/details/introductiontope00thac/page/205 205–214] |chapter=Colloquial Transformations |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontope00thac |chapter-url-access=registration}}</ref>
* In the Tehran accent and also most of the accents in Central and Southern Iran, the sequence {{IPA|/ɒn/}} in the colloquial language is nearly always pronounced {{IPA|[un]}}.   The only common exceptions are high prestige words, such as {{lang|fa|ایران}} {{IPA|[ʔiˈɾɒn]}} ('[[Iran]]'), and foreign nouns (both common and proper), like the Spanish surname {{lang|fa|بِلْتْران}} ''Beltran'' {{IPA|[belˈtrɒn]}}, which are pronounced as written. A few words written as {{IPA|/ɒm/}} are pronounced {{IPA|[um]}}, especially forms of the verb {{lang|fa|آمَدَن}} {{IPA|/ɒmæˈdæn/}} ('to come').
* In the Tehran accent, the unstressed direct object suffix marker {{lang|fa|را}} {{IPA|/ɾɒ/}} is pronounced {{IPA|/ɾo/}} after a vowel, and {{IPA|/o/}} after a consonant.
* /h/ can be deleted in syllable-final position; e.g. {{lang|fa|کوه}} {{IPA|/kuːh/}} ('mountain') -> {{IPA|[kuː]}}.
* Some consonant clusters, especially {{IPA|/st/}}, can be simplified in syllable-final position; e.g. {{lang|fa|دَسْت}} {{IPA|/dæst/}} ('hand') -> {{IPA|[dæːs]}}.
* The 2nd and 3rd person plural [[Persian grammar#Verbs|verb subject suffixes]], written {{IPA|/-id/}} and {{IPA|/-ænd/}} respectively, are pronounced {{IPA|[-in]}} and {{IPA|[-æn]}}.
* The stems of many frequently-occurring verbs have a short colloquial form, especially {{lang|fa|اَسْت}} {{IPA|/æst/}} ('he/she is'), which is colloquially shortened to {{IPA|/e/}} after a consonant or {{IPA|/s/}} after a vowel. Also, the stems of verbs which end in {{IPA|/h/}}, {{IPA|/v/}} or a vowel are shortened; e.g. {{lang|fa|می‌خواهَم}} {{IPA|/ˈmixɒːhæm/}} ('I want') → {{IPA|[ˈmixɒːm]}}, and {{lang|fa|می‌رَوَم}} {{IPA|/ˈmirævæm/}} ('I go' → {{IPA|[ˈmiræm]}}).

==Example==
{|
! rowspan="2" | [[Persian alphabet|Persian script]] !! rowspan="2" | [[Cyrillic script]] !! rowspan="2" | Gloss
! colspan="3" |[[Help:IPA/Persian|IPA]] Transcription 
|-
!Iranian Persian
!Dari
!Tajik
|-
|| {{lang|fa|یک روز باد شمال و خورشید با هم دعوا می‌کردند که کدام یک قویتر است}}|| {{lang|tg-Cyrl|Як рӯз боди шимолу хуршед бо ҳам даъво мекарданд ки кадом як қавитар аст.}} ||One day [[the North Wind and the Sun]] were disputing which was the stronger.
|{{IPA|/jek ˈruːz ˈbɒːde ʃoˈmɒːlo xoɾˈʃiːd bɒː hæm dæːvɒː ˈmiːkæɾdænd ke koˈdɒːm jek ɢæviˈːtæɾ æst/}}<ref name="ipa_handbook" /> 
|/jak ɾoːz bɑːd ʃʊˈmɑːlʊ xʊɾˈʃeːd bɑːham daʔˈwɑː ˈmeːkaɾdand kɪ kʊˈdɑːm jak qawiːˈtaɾ ast/
|/jak ɾɵz bɔd ʃuˈmɔlu xuɾˈʃed bɔ ham daʔˈvɔ ˈmekaɾdand ki kuˈdɔm jak qaviˈtaɾ ast/
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name="eastern"|''Eastern Persian'' refers to the [[Dari]] and [[Tajik language]]s or dialects, especially when contrasted with "[[Western Persian]]", i.e "Iranian Persian"}}
}}

==References==
<references />

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |title=The Handbook of Persian Dialects and Dialectology |date=2025 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-981-99-8150-2 |editor-last=Korangy |editor-first=Alireza |editor-link=Alireza Korangy |location=Singapore |editor-last2=Mahmoodi-Bakhtiari |editor-first2=Behrooz |doi=10.1007/978-981-99-8151-9 }}

==External links==
* [http://www.vajje.com/ Persian to Persian dictionary with IPA pronunciation]
{{Commons category|Persian pronunciation}}
<!--this isn't free. apparently not even free samples. should it be here?
* [http://www.elda.org/catalogue/en/speech/S0112.html Farsdat&nbsp;– Persian speech database]-->
* [http://www.choone.com/perkey.html Virtual Persian Keyboard]

{{Persian language}}
{{Language phonologies}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Persian Phonology}}
[[Category:Persian language]]
[[Category:Persian phonology]]