Spanish Alphabet: Letters, Sounds and Pronunciation

Spanish Alphabet

The Spanish alphabet consists of 27 letters. *

Two consonant sounds, which do not have separate letters in the Spanish alphabet, are represented by the letter combinations ch and ll.

The names of the letters and their sound correspondences are as follows:

Letter	Name	Sound
A, a	a	[a]
В, b	be	[b] [β]
C, c	ce	[k] [θ]
D, d	de	[d]
E, e	e	[e]
F, f	efe	[f]
G, g	ge	[g] [h]
H, h	hache	-
I, i	i	[i] [j]
J, j	jota	[h]
K, k	ka	[k]
L, l	ele	[l]
M, m	eme	[m]
N, n	ene	[n]
Ñ, ñ	eñe	[ɲ]
O, o	o	[o]
P, p	pe	[p]
Q, q	cu	[k]
R, r	erre	[r]
S, s	ese	[s]
T, t	te	[t]
U, u	u	[u]
V, v	uve	[b] [β]
W, w	uve doble	[w]
X, x	equis	[ks] [s]
Y, y	ye (i griega)	[i] [j]
Z, z	zeta, zeda	[θ]

Out of the alphabet:

* Why are these letter combinations outside the alphabet? Because they consist of already existing letters of the Spanish alphabet (digraphs), while ñ is a separate symbol. In older textbooks, you might find alphabet variants ranging from 26 to 30 letters, but in 2010, the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) officially approved an alphabet of exactly 27 letters.

The pronunciation of sounds and some words in this self-study guide is given using simplified phonetic transcription in square brackets [...].

If Spanish sounds match English ones, their English equivalents are given or compared to. In other cases, additional symbols are introduced, such as [β], [θ], [l].

Pronunciation Rules

Vowels (Vocales)

There are five vowels in Spanish: a, е, i, о, u which are pronounced clearly and distinctly. In Spanish, unlike English, there is no reduction of unstressed vowels – all Spanish vowels are pronounced equally, both in stressed and unstressed syllables.

Therefore, you need to learn to pronounce the vowels very clearly, especially the unstressed a, o, e.

as ‘oo’ in the word ‘book’. However, in letter combinations: que, qui; gue, gui – ‘u’ is not pronounced, but if the same combinations include diaeresis (colon) – ü, then u is pronounced, for example:

The Spanish letter ‘y’ is similar to the letter ‘i’ and pronounced as [i] between two consonants, mainly when it is a conjunction, and as the sound [j] when in conjunction with vowels, for example:

In Spanish, vowels are considered either strong (a, e, o) or weak (i, u).

Diphthongs and triphthongs (diptongos у triptongos)

The combination of two vowel sounds (strong and weak, weak and strong or two weak sounds), and also the combination of three vowel sounds (weak, strong, weak), pronounced as one syllable with one stress, are called diphthongs and triphthongs.

In a diphthong with the vowel u, you need to pronounce every vowel, taking into account that in this letter combination the strong vowel is always under stress while the weak vowel u is pronounced briefly, for example: Europa [ewˈropa], auto [ˈawto], bueno [ˈbweno]. The letter combination is pronounced as one syllable: Eu-ropa, au-to, bue-no.

Thus:

For example:

The combination of two weak vowels, for example, iu, ui, are pronounced as [ju], [wi] so that the stress falls on the second vowel, for example:

The combination of vowels which has the graphic stress over a weak vowel do not form diphthongs or triphthongs, for example:

Consonants (consonantes)

Spanish consonants are pronounced clearly and distinctly. Unlike English, in Spanish, consonants are pronounced firmly. In transcription, the firm pronunciation of consonants is not always marked, but it is necessary to remember it and learn to pronounce them firmly.

b

The letters b and v are read equally. Each of them has two sound correspondences:

1. b and v are pronounced as the English [b] (as in „bob”, but less explosive), if they:
   • are used after pauses, such as at the beginning of a sentence or when a word is standing alone and begins with b or v, for example:
     

      

     boca

     [ˈboka]

     mouth

      

     bastante

     [basˈtante]

     enough

      

     vaca

     [ˈbaka]

     cow

      

     ventana

     [benˈtana]

     window

   • come after m and n, for example:
     

      

     cambiar

     [kamˈbjar]

     to change

      

     sombra

     [ˈsombra]

     shadow

      

     tranvía

     [tramˈbi-a]

     tram

      

     un vaso

     [umˈbaso]

     a glass

2. In addition to the above-mentioned combinations, b and v appear in other phonetic combinations and mean another sound, which does not exist in English. In transcription, it is denoted by the sign [β]. It’s a voiced bilabial fricative.

   When pronouncing this sound, the lips are slightly thrown out equally, almost as in the pronunciation of [b], as if we are trying to put out a candle. Your lips should barely touch (or not even touch at all) right before moving on to the next sound of the word. This way the air jet flows out, and by creating friction, the sound [β] is produced, for example:

    

   la vaca

   [laˈβaka]

   the cow

    

   abuela

   [aˈβwela]

   grandmother

    

   la boca

   [laˈβoka]

   the mouth

    

   ave

   [ˈaβe]

   bird

   Don’t forget that the English sound [v] doesn’t exist in standard Spanish.

   The difference between [β] and the Spanish [b] consists of the following:

   • There should be a gap between your lips when you pronounce [β]; your lips are together when you pronounce [b].
   • The sound [b] ends as soon as you separate your lips; [β] ends as soon as you run out of air :)

c

The consonant c before vowels е, i, and the consonant z always are pronounced as the voiceless sound in English denoted by the letter combination th in the word truth. In transcription, it is denoted by the sign [θ].

For the voiceless sound, we exhale without voice and pronounce: azucena [aθuθena] – lily; for the voiced one – with voice (as in the English word this), for example: juzgar [huθgar] – to judge.

In some provinces of Spain, for example, in Andalusia, and in most Latin American countries, this sound is pronounced as [s].

The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) recognizes both variants of pronunciation (with interdental [θ] and with regular [s] – the so-called seseo) as correct literary norms.

is pronounced as [k], for example:

ch

as in English (e.g. chips), is pronounced as [ʧ], for example:
muchacho [muˈʧaʧo] boy.

d

is pronounced similarly to the English [d] (but not exactly), for example:

is pronounced as the English sound [ð] in the letter combination th (e.g. this). This not only slightly weakens the sound but also prevents the softening of the consonant d before i, for example:

Note that in our transcription, this sound is denoted as [ð]. This sound is a cross between a hard [d] and [ð]. Pay attention to this later when listening to Spanish speech.

Depending on the region, the letter d at the end of a word or sentence is pronounced differently (ð, θ, t, r) or even almost disappears. [ð] is considered as the correct one while a silent d is common in colloquial speech.

f

is pronounced more clearly than the English [f].
Before the vowel i, lower your jaw slightly so that the edges of your upper teeth touch the edge of your lower lip. This prevents the softening of the consonant f.

g

is pronounced as the Russian sound [х] or you can just pronounce it like a strong English h, as they do in the south of Spain or in Latin America. However, if you are going to pronounce it as [х], lift your tongue a little bit, just as if you were going to pronounce the letter k, for example:

is pronounced as [g], for example:

Note: between vowels, g sounds weakened – the tongue does not completely close with the palate, and the result is a soft, ‘blurred’ sound (in transcription, it is denoted as [ɣ]). For example: lago [ˈlaɣo] – lake, amigo [aˈmiɣo] – friend. This is an analog of the weakening of b/v → [β] and d → [ð] between vowels.

h

is not pronounced and does not denote any sound, for example:

hijo [ˈiho] son

k

similar to [k] in English.

In Spanish, k is used only for words of foreign origin.

l

similar to [l] in English, however, in Spanish, when pronouncing l, the tip of the tongue slightly touches the alveoli (it's always 'clear', never 'dark' like in the English word 'full'). In transcription, the sound l is denoted by the sign [l].

ll

similar to the English sound [j] in the word ‘onion’ ['ʌnjən]. It’s [ʝ] in our transcription, for example:

[ʝ] is the most common pronunciation. There is also another variant: similar to [ʤ], like in the English word ‘jet’. In the past, ll was very often pronounced as a palatal lateral [ʎ] (like the 'lli' in 'million'), but there was a loss of this sound; the process of this loss is called Yeísmo.

m

as English [m], for example:

is like the English sound [ŋ] in the word ‘long’, for example:

n

as English [n], for example:

is pronounced as the consonant m at the end of a word [ŋ], for example:

nunca [ˈnuŋka] never

is pronounced as m [m], for example:

tranvía [tramˈbi-a] tram

ñ

This sound doesn’t exist in English, but it’s not difficult to pronounce. It’s as if you add the letter ‘y’ after ‘n’. Try to say ‘n’ and then ‘yah’. You may hear it in the English word ‘canyon’. It’s [ɲ] in the transcription. For example, the Spanish word niño we read as: [ˈniɲo].

p

close to the English p [p]:

papá [paˈpa] dad

q

like English q and k [k]. u after q is not pronounced.

r, rr

English [r] and Spanish [r] are not the same. Please keep that in mind all the time. There could also be two [rr] at the same time. Let’s listen to the examples:

In Spanish, there are two variants of the [r] sound, and the meaning of the word can depend on it.

Short tapped [ɾ] – one quick tap of the tongue. This is how a single r is read between vowels (pero), at the end of a syllable (hablar), and after a consonant in the same syllable (tres, frío).

Rolling [rr] – the tongue vibrates several times. This is how it is read:

• double rr between vowels: perro, tierra;
• single r at the beginning of a word: rosa, Roma;
• single r after n, l, s: Enrique, alrededor.

Compare: pero (but) – perro (dog), caro (expensive) – carro (car).

It’s difficult to explain this sound, but try substituting the English letter ‘d’ for a single r. For example: Pero (Spanish) = Pedo (English). If you say it quickly, it begins to take on the character of the Spanish r. I learned this from a friend from Colombia whose name was Miriam. She hated the swallowed ‘r’ that Americans make when they say her name, so she suggested that they call her Medium. Said quickly, that was much closer to the Spanish pronunciation of Miriam.

s

almost like English s [s].

like a soft English z [z]:

mismo [ˈmizmo] same

Before the vowel i, s is pronounced firmly, for example:

sino [ˈsino] but; except

Although it is denoted here as [s], it doesn't always sound exactly like it. The sound [s] in Peninsular Spanish is not as whistling as the English [s] and not as hissing as [sh]. During its articulation, the tip of the tongue is raised to the alveoli.

t

like t [t] in English, but not aspirated. This means that you don’t hear the puff of air, like in top and ten. Softening of t before the vowel i in Spanish is unacceptable.

v

Compare: b = v (see ‘b’ above)

x

can be either [ks] or [s] (no specific rule here), for example:

usually it's pronounced as [ks] (not [gz], as the sound [z] does not exist in Spanish), for example:

examen [ekˈsamen] exam

z

Compare: c before е, i (see ‘c’ above)

Stress

Spanish words ending with a vowel usually have the penultimate syllable stressed, for example: mesa [ˈmesa], ventana [benˈtana].

Words ending with a consonant, except for n, s, have the last syllable stressed, for example: hablar [aˈβlar], color [koˈlor] – colour.

In all other cases, there is an accent mark over a vowel, which shows that the vowel is stressed, for example:

Note:

The same goes for the plural form of nouns. For example: lápiz (pencil) and lápices (pencils) both have the accent mark because they are both pronounced not according to the general rule; while here: salón, salones only salón has the accent mark because it ends with n but has the last syllable stressed (salones has the penultimate syllable stressed because the word ends with s).

In order to differentiate some of the monosyllabic (one syllable) words that have different meanings but the same spelling, the accent mark is placed above them, for example:

The accent mark is also placed in three-syllable (esdrújulo) words if the stress falls on the antepenultimate (third from the end) syllable, for example: máquina [ˈmakina], música [ˈmusika].

The stress in diphthongs and triphthongs was discussed in the section on vowels.

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