About the IJ

The 'IJ' combination in Dutch is a digraph, meaning it consists of two letters – i and j – that together represent a single sound, distinct from either letter alone.

In Dutch, ‘ij’ usually produces a sound similar to the ‘i’ in the English word ‘hi’, pronounced as [ɛi], and is found in many common words.

Alphabet and Spelling

It is not officially considered a single letter in the modern Dutch alphabet, which means it does not have its own separate place in the alphabetic order and is not treated as a single letter for sorting in dictionaries.

However, in some contexts – such as handwriting, certain word games, and in older educational materials – the ‘IJ’ has been taught and perceived as a single letter, and some people still treat it as such.

When capitalizing, both ‘I’ and ‘J’ are capitalized at the beginning of words, which is unique compared to other digraphs.

Despite this, the Dutch Language Union and most modern references treat ‘IJ’ as two letters, not one.

Pronunciation and Similarities

The ‘ij’ is pronounced the same as another Dutch vowel combination, ‘ei’, and both are commonly referred to as ‘de lange ij’ and ‘de korte ei’, respectively.

Their identical pronunciation can cause confusion for learners, but the spelling distinguishes the words. The ‘ij’ is different from the letter ‘y’, which is only used in Dutch for loanwords or proper names and is called ‘Griekse ij’ (Greek y) when clarity is needed.

Usage in Writing and Fonts

In handwriting, ‘ij’ can sometimes look quite similar to ‘y’, particularly when written quickly or in cursive.

In typesetting and digital fonts, there is no need for a special single character for ‘ij’ – the two letters together are perfectly acceptable.

However, in vertical text or logo design, a special ligature might be used for stylistic reasons.