The sounds of Spanish

Spanish pronunciation is remarkably consistent. Once you learn the rules, you can pronounce any Spanish word correctly — even words you've never seen before. Unlike English with its chaotic spelling-to-sound relationships, Spanish is almost perfectly phonetic. This makes it one of the most learner-friendly languages for pronunciation.

The alphabet

Spanish uses the Latin alphabet with one additional letter: ñ (eñe), which represents the sound in "canyon". The letters k and w appear mainly in foreign loanwords. Most letters have predictable sounds, with just a few context-dependent variations to learn:

Letter	Name	Sound
🔊 A	a	like "a" in "father"
🔊 B	be	like English "b"
🔊 C	ce	"k" before a/o/u; "th" or "s" before e/i (see below)
🔊 D	de	like English "d", softer between vowels
🔊 E	e	like "e" in "bed"
🔊 F	efe	like English "f"
🔊 G	ge	"g" as in "go" before a/o/u; "h" sound before e/i
🔊 H	hache	always silent
🔊 I	i	like "ee" in "see"
🔊 J	jota	like "h" in "hot" (stronger in Spain)
🔊 K	ka	like English "k"
🔊 L	ele	like English "l"
🔊 M	eme	like English "m"
🔊 N	ene	like English "n"
🔊 Ñ	eñe	like "ny" in "canyon"
🔊 O	o	like "o" in "or"
🔊 P	pe	like English "p"
🔊 Q	cu	like "k" (always followed by "u")
🔊 R	ere	single tap or rolled (see below)
🔊 S	ese	like English "s"
🔊 T	te	like English "t"
🔊 U	u	like "oo" in "moon"
🔊 V	uve	same as Spanish "b"
🔊 W	doble u	like English "w"
🔊 X	equis	"ks" or "s" or "h" (varies)
🔊 Y	i griega	like "y" in "yes"; like "ee" when alone
🔊 Z	zeta	"th" in Spain, "s" in Latin America

Vowels

Spanish has only five pure vowel sounds — far fewer than English's 15 or so. Each vowel has one consistent pronunciation regardless of position or surrounding letters. This simplicity is a major advantage for learners. Master these five sounds and you've conquered Spanish vowels:

Spanish has only five pure vowel sounds, and they never change:

Vowel	Sound	Example
🔊 A	"ah"	🔊 casa (house)
🔊 E	"eh"	🔊 mesa (table)
🔊 I	"ee"	🔊 libro (book)
🔊 O	"oh"	🔊 como (how)
🔊 U	"oo"	🔊 uno (one)

Unlike English, Spanish vowels are:

• Short and crisp — No drawling or diphthongisation
• Consistent — Always the same sound regardless of position
• Clear — Even in unstressed syllables, vowels keep their full sound

Vowel combinations

When two vowels appear together:

Strong vowels (a, e, o) — Usually pronounced separately:

• 🔊 leo (I read) = le-o (two syllables)
• 🔊 caer (to fall) = ca-er (two syllables)

Weak vowels (i, u) — Combine with strong vowels into one syllable:

• 🔊 bien (well) = one syllable
• 🔊 cuatro (four) = cua-tro
• 🔊 ciudad (city) = ciu-dad

Consonants

B and V

In Spanish, B and V sound identical. Both are pronounced:

• Like English "b" at the start of a phrase or after m/n
• Like a soft "b" (lips almost touching) elsewhere

🔊 vaca (cow) and 🔊 baca (roof rack) sound exactly the same.

C, Z, and S

This is where Spain and Latin America differ:

In Spain:

• C before e/i = "th" as in "think"
• Z = "th" as in "think"
• S = "s"

In Latin America:

• C before e/i = "s"
• Z = "s"
• S = "s"

Word	Spain	Latin America
🔊 cinco (five)	"THEEN-ko"	"SEEN-ko"
🔊 zapato (shoe)	"tha-PA-to"	"sa-PA-to"
🔊 casa (house)	"KA-sa"	"KA-sa"

G and J

G before a, o, u = hard "g" as in "go"

• 🔊 gato (cat) = "GA-to"

G before e, i = "h" sound (like English "h" but stronger)

• 🔊 gente (people) = "HEN-te"

J = always the "h" sound

• 🔊 jardín (garden) = "har-DEEN"

To get a hard "g" sound before e or i, add a silent "u":

• 🔊 guerra (war) = "GE-ra" (hard g)
• 🔊 guitarra (guitar) = "gi-TA-ra" (hard g)

H

H is always silent in Spanish:

• 🔊 hola (hello) = "O-la"
• 🔊 hora (hour) = "O-ra"
• 🔊 hospital = "os-pi-TAL"

LL and Y

Traditionally different, these now sound the same in most dialects:

• Both sound like "y" in "yes" in most regions
• In Argentina/Uruguay, both sound like "sh" or "zh"

Ñ

This represents the "ny" sound:

• 🔊 año (year) = "A-nyo"
• 🔊 España (Spain) = "es-PA-nya"
• 🔊 mañana (tomorrow/morning) = "ma-NYA-na"

R and RR

Single R:

• Beginning of a word = rolled (trilled)
• Elsewhere = single tap (like the "tt" in American "butter")

Double RR:

• Always rolled (trilled)

Word	Pronunciation
🔊 pero (but)	single tap
🔊 perro (dog)	rolled
🔊 rosa (rose)	rolled (word-initial)
🔊 caro (expensive)	single tap
🔊 carro (car)	rolled

To roll your R, place your tongue behind your upper teeth and let it vibrate with airflow.

X

The pronunciation of X varies:

• Usually "ks": 🔊 examen = "ek-SA-men"
• Sometimes "s": 🔊 explicar = "es-pli-KAR"
• In Mexican place names, often "h": 🔊 México = "ME-hi-ko"

Stress and accents

Natural stress rules

1. Words ending in a vowel, n, or s: stress the second-to-last syllable

   • 🔊 casa = CA-sa
   • 🔊 hablan = HA-blan
   • 🔊 estudiantes = es-tu-DIAN-tes

2. Words ending in any other consonant: stress the last syllable

   • 🔊 ciudad = ciu-DAD
   • 🔊 español = es-pa-ÑOL
   • 🔊 comer = co-MER

Accent marks

An accent mark (´) overrides these rules:

• 🔊 mamá = ma-MA (not MA-ma)
• 🔊 fácil = FA-cil (not fa-CIL)
• 🔊 teléfono = te-LE-fo-no

Accent marks also distinguish words:

• 🔊 si = if; 🔊 sí = yes
• 🔊 tu = your; 🔊 tú = you
• 🔊 el = the; 🔊 él = he/him

Practice words

Spanish	English	Phonetic hint
🔊 Hola	Hello	O-la
🔊 Gracias	Thank you	GRA-syas (or GRA-thyas)
🔊 Por favor	Please	por fa-VOR
🔊 Buenos días	Good morning	BWE-nos DEE-as
🔊 Adiós	Goodbye	a-DYOS
🔊 Perdón	Sorry/Excuse me	per-DON
🔊 Sí	Yes	see
🔊 No	No	no

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