Pronunciation of "Bast" and "Netjer"

The word "Bast" is the combination of the ancient Egyptian word "bas-" and the feminine ending "-t". Using phonetic shorthand, "bas-" is spelled "b3s-", with the "3" standing for an "ah" sound. The end result (in the English language) is "B3s.t", which, while spelled like "last", sounds more like "lost" or, more accurately, "lahst". [1]

Next we look at the word "Netjer". Phonetically, the word is spelled "ntr". The underlined "t" stands for a "tj" sound, thus the spelling "Netjer" (and the mispronounced as well as misspelled "neter"). [2]

Because the ancient Egyptians (as in modern-day Arabic) didn't spell their vowels, we will probably never know with complete accuracy how all but some of the words really sounded. Research in the field of linguistics has revealed a possible pronunciation of the word "Bast" by the pre-New Kingdom Egyptians as Ubastyya(t) ("Oo-bahst-ee-yah" or "Oo-bahst-ee-yaht"). [3]