Urhobo has a rather reduced system of sound inventory compared to proto-Edoid. The inventory of Urhobo consists of seven vowels; which form two harmonic sets[1], /i e a o u/ and /i ɛ a ɔ u/.[2]
It has a conservative consonant inventory for an Edoid language. It maintains three nasals, and only five oral consonants, /ɺ, l, ʋ, j, w/, have nasal allophones before nasal vowels.
| Labial | Labiodental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labio-velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ||||
| Plosive | p b | t d | c ɟ | k ɡ | k͡p ɡ͡b | ||
| Fricative | ɸ | f v | s z | ɕ ʑ | ɣ | h | |
| Trill | r̝ | ||||||
| Flap | ɺ [ɾ̃] | ||||||
| Approximant | ʋ [ʋ̃] | l [n] | j [ɲ] | w [ŋʷ] |