Click on a Dakelh word to hear it spoken.
Here are words exemplifying the individual sounds.
| Sound | Example | Meaning of Example |
| ' | 'a | fog |
| a | a | yes |
| b | bat | mittens |
| ch | chunih | marten |
| ch' | ch'ekw | Sitka Mountain Ash |
| d | dune | man |
| dl | dlooncho | rat |
| dz | dzoot | coat |
| d̲z̲ | d̲z̲ulh | mountain |
| e | 'uke | foot |
| g | goh | rabbit |
| gh | ghabats'eh | thread |
| gw | gwuzeh | whiskey jack |
| h (initial) | hoonliz | skunk |
| h (final) | yoh | building |
| i | ti | road |
| j | jenyo | bull moose |
| k | kesgwut | moccasins |
| k' | k'a | rifle cartridge |
| kh | khoh | goose |
| kw | kwun | fire |
| kw' | kw'usul | beads |
| l | lusyet | plate |
| lh | lhulh | with each other |
| m | musdus | cow |
| m [syllabic] | mbat | your mittens |
| n | noostel | wolverine |
| n [syllabic before d] | ndek'a | your tobacco |
| n [syllabic before g] | ngan | your arm |
| o | jenyo | bull moose |
| oo | too | water |
| s | sa | sun |
| s̲ | s̲e | belt |
| sh | shas̲ | grizzly bear |
| t | talukw | salmon |
| t' | t'ugicho | mallard duck |
| tl | dutleh | it is soft |
| tl' | tl'o | grass |
| ts | tsa | beaver |
| ts' | ts'i | canoe |
| t̲s̲ | t̲s̲e | rock |
| t̲s̲' | t̲s̲'al | diaper moss |
| u | sus | black bear |
| w | wedloo | sandpiper |
| wh | whudzih | cariboo |
| y | ya | sky |
| z | gwuzeh | whiskey jack |
| z | buz̲ek | his/her mouth |
| Aspirated | Unaspirated | Glottalized | |||||
| netes | our knives | nedes | our lungs | net'es | our charcoal | ||
| stes | my knife | sdes | my lungs | st'es | my charcoal | ||
| butai | his uncle | buda | his lips | but'a | his wings | ||
| Lhtakoh | Fraser River | lhdesti | shortcut | Lht'at'en | Sekani person | ||
Here are examples of some potentially difficult contrasts. The pairs of words are chosen so that in most cases they differ only in one sound.
| Contrast | Word A | Word B | ||||
| 0/' (initial) | a | yes | 'a | quickly | ||
| '/h | 'uk'o' | hunchback | 'uk'oh | tracks, footprints | ||
| t/t' | dutai | it is thick | dut'ai | bird | ||
| kw/kw' | kwus | cold (disease) | kw'us | cloud | ||
| kh/h | khoh | goose | hoh | while | ||
| l/lh (final) | hodul'eh | he is learning | hodulh'eh | he is teaching | ||
| s/s | yus | wolf | yus̲ | snow | ||
| Without H | With H | |||
| 'a | fog | 'ah | fern | |
| duyo | it is shaggy | duyoh | her own building | |
| tl'o | grass | tl'oh | bay | |
| tejun | he is going to sing | tehjun | you (2+) are going to sing | |
| ujun | he is singing | uhjun | you (2+) are singing | |
| 'utet'ilh | he is going to work | 'uteht'ilh | are you (2+) going to work? | |
| 'uk'o | fat | 'uk'oh | tracks | |
Here are examples of some sequences of consonants that may seem difficult at first.
| Cluster | Example | ||
| stl' | stl'o | my grass | |
| lhch' | lhch'atsetselh | double-headed axe | |
| lhgh | lhghuhusduke | they (2) are married | |
| lhk' | lhk'utdunghi | eight | |
Revision of 2022-03-27.