What is Keeshond?
Audio For Keeshond
Phonetics For Keeshond
KAYS:hondt
A Quick Overview Of Keeshond
How to Pronounce Keeshond in English and Dutch
The Keeshond is a Dutch dog breed with worldwide popularity. The name translates as 'Kees Dog', hond being the Dutch and Afrikaans Afrikaans word for 'dog'. Both of these are Germanic languages, so the German word for 'dog' which is Hund will come as no surprise. People don't realise that English is a Germanic language first and foremost, and the English word 'hound' reflects this.
The Dutch way of pronouncing Keeshond is very easy phonetically for English speakers. The 'Kees' part sounds like 'kays' (with a hard 's' at the end, not a 'z' sound). The 'o' in 'hond' is closest to the 'o' in hot, and the 'd' at the end is harder than we expect it to be in English - substitute it with a 't' to get it perfectly correct.
I'm in South Africa, and the Afrikaans pronunciation of Keeshond is a little different. The 'ee' sounds like the 'ee' in 'cheer' (without the 'r'), so you say it like kee[e]s:hondt
The German name for a Keeshond is a Spitz. I have included the German and anglicized pronunciation of 'Spitz' for reference purposes in the audio pronunciation