Persian is normally written without its three short vowels (a, e, o) and without the ezafe -e that links words, so you have to learn to see them. This free trainer shows you real unvowelled words and phrases, lets you guess how they sound, then reveals the vowel marks (fatha, kasra, zamma) so you learn to read Persian the way Iranians write it.
Pick a pattern. Words built on the same pattern share their vowels, so one pattern unlocks dozens of words.
Some spellings stand for two or more words that differ only in their short vowels. Only the context tells you which one is meant. Read the phrase and choose the reading of the highlighted word.
Show all homographs in this trainer
Tap every word that is followed by a spoken -e or -ye (the ezafe). Some phrases have none. Then press Check.
No Persian voice was found on this device, so audio is off. The transliteration shows the pronunciation instead.
How to use the short vowel trainer
- Guess the word. You see a common Persian word exactly as it is printed in books, signs and on phones: no short vowels. Four readings differ only in a, e and o. Pick one (tap, or press 1 to 4), then study the fully vowelled form and the meaning. Press Enter for the next word.
- Vowel patterns. Learn the shapes behind hundreds of words, such as مَفْعول (maf’ul) or تَفْعیل (taf’il), then drill ten words of that pattern.
- Homographs. Practise spellings like گل (gol, flower / gel, mud) where only context decides the vowels.
- Hidden ezafe. Tap the words that carry the unwritten -e that links a noun to its adjective or owner.
- Fading reader. Read a short text with every vowel marked, then drag the slider to remove the marks bit by bit. Read aloud, press Check my reading and compare with the transliteration.
Every word you miss goes to Review misses. Your score, best streak and misses are saved in this browser only.
Why Persian leaves out short vowels
The Persian alphabet writes the long vowels â (ا), i (ی) and u (و), but the short vowels a, e and o are small marks above or below the letter: fatha ـَ (a), kasra ـِ (e) and zamma ـُ (o). A small circle, the sukun ـْ, means “no vowel here”. Children’s books and dictionaries use these marks; newspapers, websites and most adult books do not. So کتاب is ketâb, but nothing in the spelling says the first vowel is e. Fluent readers know the word, so they don’t need the marks. That is why learners should practise with real, unvowelled spelling from the start, as Arabic learners do with harakat, and fade the marks out step by step.
Clues for reading without vowels
You can’t always predict a short vowel, but the letters give strong hints. Use these clues before you guess.
| Letter | Can be read as | How to tell | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| و | v / u / o / ow | At the start of a word and before a vowel it is v. Between consonants it is usually u. At the end of short words it can be o. After خ before ا it is silent. | وقت vaght, روز ruz, تو to, روشن rowshan, خواهر khâhar |
| ی | y / i / ey | At the start of a word and before a vowel it is y. Between consonants and at the end it is usually i. After a short a/e sound it makes the diphthong ey (written ei on this site). | یک yek, سیب sib, خیلی kheili |
| ه at the end | e / h | A final ه after a consonant is usually the vowel e (the ه is silent). After ا or و, and in a few short words, it is a real h. | خانه khâne, هفته hafte, ماه mâh, کوه kuh, ده deh |
| ا at the start | a / e / o (or i, u with ی, و) | A word can’t start with a bare vowel sound in writing, so ا carries it. آ is always â. Arabic patterns help: اِفْتِعال and اِسْتِفْعال words start with e. | اسب asb, اسم esm, اتاق otâgh, ایران irân, او u |
| ع | ‘ / vowel carrier | At the start of a word it just carries the vowel. In the middle it is a light catch in the voice (‘). | عسل asal, ساعت sâ’at |
| endings | -an, -esh, -estân | Infinitives always end in -an (دن / تن), nouns in ش are usually -esh, place words in ستان are -estân. | رفتن raftan, ورزش varzesh, تابستان tâbestân |
The hidden ezafe
The ezafe is the -e that joins a noun to what describes or owns it: کتاب من is ketâb-e man (my book), دوست خوب is dust-e khub (a good friend). After a consonant it is never written. After ا or و it becomes -ye and a ی appears (دانشجوی ایرانی, dâneshju-ye irâni). After a silent ه it is -ye, and many writers still write nothing (شماره تلفن, shomâre-ye telefon). There is no ezafe after این / آن, numbers, before و (and), or between a subject and its verb. If a phrase is “noun + adjective” or “thing + owner”, expect an ezafe. Read more in our ezafe guide.
Learn the whole script in a week. Read and Write Persian in 7 Days is a step-by-step workbook that takes you from the letters to reading real unvowelled words, with exercises for every letter shape and vowel.
See the workbookRelated tools and lessons
- Farsi vowels lesson
- Ezafe in Persian: rules and spelling
- Persian alphabet: all 32 letters
- Persian alphabet game
- Persian reader: easy stories with vowels
- Persian word roots explorer
- Persian dictation practice
- Persian flashcards
- Finglish to Persian converter
- Persian-English dictionary
FAQ
Why doesn’t Persian write short vowels?
The Persian script comes from the Arabic script, which marks short vowels with optional signs above and below the letters. Native readers recognise words by their shape and context, so the signs are only used in children’s books, the Quran, poetry editions and dictionaries, or to avoid confusion.
What are fatha, kasra and zamma called in Persian?
In Persian they are usually called zebar (fathe, a), zir (kasre, e) and pish (zamme, o). The sukun (sokun) shows that a letter has no vowel, and the tashdid ( ّ ) doubles a consonant.
How can I guess the vowels of a word I have never seen?
Use the clues: word patterns (مفعول = maf’ul, تفعیل = taf’il), endings (-an, -esh, -estân), the letters و and ی, a final ه, and what the sentence needs. When you still can’t tell, look the word up once in a dictionary that shows the vowels; next time you will recognise it.
How do I know where the ezafe goes?
Look for a noun followed by an adjective, an owner or another noun that describes it. Each link in such a chain gets -e (or -ye after a vowel): دوست خوب من, dust-e khub-e man. Numbers, این and آن, و and verbs don’t take it.
Is it e or i, o or u?
The short vowels are a, e, o. The long vowels â, i, u are always written with ا, ی and و. If you hear a clear i or u, look for the letter; if there is no letter, the vowel is a short e or o.
Free Persian Starter Pack: Alphabet + 100 Core Words
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