Haitian Creole Reading, Lesson 06
Common Haitian Creole Spelling Traps
The fastest spelling wins come from fixing G, J/DJ, R/W, Y/I, and X.
6
pwoblèm, problem
1. Sound & pronunciation #
Read g as hard G, j like the sound in measure, and w before many o-type sounds where French may tempt an R.
Pronunciation guide: /pwoblèm/ – pwo-blem; starts with pw, not pr.
2. Spelling rule #
Write pwoblèm, not problème; marye, not marie; eksplikasyon, not explikasyon. Haitian Creole normally avoids X and uses ks or gz instead.
3. Vocabulary building blocks #
Show the correct form next to the learner’s likely mistake.
| Creole word or phrase | English sounds-like guide | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Pwoblèm | Pwoh-blehm | Problem |
| Pwofesè | Pwoh-feh-seh | Teacher |
| Djaz | Djaz | Jazz |
| Marye | Mah-ryeh | Married |
| Eksplikasyon | Eks-plee-kah-syon | Explanation |