A huge part of learning another language is learning how letters and letter combinations are pronounced. For those learning Spanish, the process is simple. Spanish pronunciation is straightforward, so learning the five vowel sounds and a few special consonants will ensure that as you learn how to speak Spanish, you’re also learning how to read and spell.
Get started with this guide full of helpful tips and audio that you can practice. Rosetta Stone’s TruAccent speech recognition engine also provides powerful feedback to make sure you’re speaking correctly from day one.
Table of Contents
Spanish vowels
Learning the five vowel sounds is the foundation for correct pronunciation in Spanish. Every syllable in Spanish has one of these sounds, so you can break apart new and unfamiliar vocabulary one vowel at a time.
Something to note about Spanish vowels is that they are pronounced purely, without the diphthong sounds that are common in English. Try saying Spanish vowels while keeping your mouth and lips in the same position, not changing your mouth shape at the end.
The sound of the vowel is also the name of the letter in Spanish.
- a
- e
- i
- o
- u
As you learn Spanish vocabulary, listen to each vowel and always pronounce it the same way.
| Spanish Vowel | Sounds Like | Spanish Example | English Meaning |
| a | “ah” like the “a” in father | amigo | friend (masculine) |
| e | “eh” like the “e” in café | hombre | man |
| i | “ee” like in tree | libro | book |
| o | “oh” like the o in toe | obra | work (of art/site) |
| u | “ooh” like in snooze | fútbol | soccer/football |
Silent u in Spanish
The letter u can be silent in Spanish, but only when it’s part of the letter groups “gue,” “gui,” “que,” or “qui.” It’s pronounced if it has a diérisis, an accent mark consisting of two dots over the u, as in pingüino (penguin) or vergüenza (shame/embarrassment).
| Spanish Letter U | English |
| cuatro (not silent) | four |
| fuego | fire |
| quince | fifteen |
| química | chemistry |
Basic Spanish consonants
Combining Spanish consonants with vowels is fairly straightforward as well. With a few exceptions, these Spanish consonants are pronounced consistently no matter what word or combination they are in.
A really helpful tip for beginners is to practice each of these consonant sounds in front of each of the vowels. Try saying ma, me, mi, mo, mu and ta, te, ti, to, tu. This is a great way to practice pronouncing anything you can read in Spanish.
These Spanish consonants are consistent throughout the language and can be learned without much trouble. Trickier consonants are discussed in separate sections below.
D/d
Letter name in Spanish:
- de
Pronunciation tips:
The Spanish d sound is softer than the English “d.” In the middle or at the end of words, d is pronounced with the tip of the tongue in the same position as the “th” in “father.”
| Spanish | English |
| dentro | inside |
| dice | he/she says |
| salud | health |
| vestido | dress |
F/f
Letter name in Spanish:
- efe
Pronunciation tips:
This is a similar pronunciation to English “f.” You may notice that there are no Spanish words with “ph,” so any time you would typically see an English word with “ph” to make the “f” sound, spell it with f in Spanish.
- foto (photo)
- teléfono (telephone)
- fenomenal (phenomenal)
| Spanish | English |
| frío | cold |
| café | coffee |
| golf | golf |
J/j
Letter name in Spanish:
- jota
Pronunciation tips:
If you’re familiar with Mexican food in Spanish, think of the correct pronunciation of “jalapeño pepper.” The Spanish j is produced by air passing through the back of the throat, slightly closed off, or similar to an English “h” sound, depending on the regional accent.
Laughter in Spanish is correctly written as ¡Ja, ja, ja! (Ha ha ha!).
If a word comes from another language, like the English word “jazz,” or the name “Jennifer,” the pronunciation of “j” in Spanish will be approximately the same as the English “j,” but when adapting to Spanish, these borrowed words will typically use y to preserve Spanish pronunciation, such as bluyín (blue jean).
| Spanish | English |
| jugo | juice |
| mujer | woman |
| reloj | clock/watch |
K/k
Letter name in Spanish:
- ka
Pronunciation tips:
The k is pronounced like the English “k.” The vast majority of words that use k in Spanish have come from other languages like kayak (kayak), bikini (bikini), and kimono (kimono), or names of places like Kuwait (Kuwait).
| Spanish | English |
| Kenia | Kenya |
| kilómetro | kilometer |
| Nueva York | New York |
M/m
Letter name in Spanish:
- eme
Pronunciation tips:
The pronunciation of m is very similar to the English sound. A point of interest is that Spanish generally doesn’t double the letter m, so English words with “imm-” often begin with inm- in Spanish, such as inmediatamente (immediately), inmaculado (immaculate) and inmigración (immigration).
| Spanish | English |
| mes | month |
| familia | family |
| importante | important |
P/p
Letter name in Spanish:
- pe
Pronunciation tips:
Like the consonants d and b, pronounce the p in Spanish a bit softer than in English. Don’t force as much air through your closed lips as you might in English. With this correct pronunciation you can order lots of food in Spanish, like piña (pineapple) and pan (bread) and pronounce both por and para correctly.
| Spanish | English |
| parque | park |
| comprar | to buy |
| tipo | type/variety |
Q/q
Letter name in Spanish:
- cu
Pronunciation tips:
The letter “q” in Spanish is always part of the qu letter combination, like in English. This is pronounced like the hard “k” sound in “kayak.”
| Spanish | English |
| ¿qué? | What? |
| ¿quién? | Who? |
| pequeño | small (masculine) |
S/s
Letter name in Spanish:
- ese
Pronunciation tips:
The pronunciation of s is the same as in English. The s in Spanish is always pronounced, but you won’t find combinations like “sp” or “st” at the beginning of Spanish words. Instead, you’ll see esp- or or est- like in español (Spanish), España (Spain), estudiar (to study), and esfera (sphere).
| Spanish | English |
| sobre | about |
| casa | house |
| escuela | school |
T/t
Letter name in Spanish:
- te
Pronunciation tips:
The letter t in Spanish is pronounced in the same position of the tongue behind the teeth as in English, but without expressing air. You can even place your hand in front of your mouth to be sure you don’t feel a puff of air while you repeat these words.
| Spanish | English |
| tres | three |
| tú | you (informal singular) |
| cantar | to sing |
W/w
Letter name in Spanish:
- uve doble
Also called:
- doble ve
Pronunciation tips:
Most of the words that contain w in Spanish originated in other languages. In words that are similar to English, it sounds like the “w” in “winter.”
| Spanish | English |
| web | web (internet) |
| sándwich | sandwich |
X/x
Letter name in Spanish:
- equis
Pronunciation tips:
At the beginning of a word, such as xilófono, the Spanish x sounds like an “s” as in “seaweed.” In the middle of most words, it will sound like the “ks” in “backs.” In Mexico and Texas, the sound is more similar to the Spanish jota, because these words originated from indigenous words.
| Spanish | English |
| xilófono | xylophone |
| examen | test/exam |
| Mexicano | Mexican (masculine) |
| próximo | next |
| taxi | taxi |
| Texas | Texas |
Y/y
Letter name in Spanish:
- ye
- i griega
The shorter name ye was officially recognized in 2010 by the Real Academia Española, though both are used. In cases where i griega (Greek “i”) is used for y, use i latina (Latin “i”) to specify the letter i.
Pronunciation tips:
Unless you’re pronouncing the word y (the conjunction “and” in Spanish), which is pronounced like “ee” in “tree,” the y in Spanish pronunciation is produced like the “y” in “yes” as in these audio examples.
| Spanish | English |
| yo | I |
| ayer | yesterday |
| estoy | I am |
In some accents, the letter y at the beginning of a syllable is pronounced more like an English “j” as in jam. At the end of the syllable it’s always like the “y” at the end of the English word “boy.”
| Spanish | English |
| yo | I |
| ayer | yesterday |
| leyó | He/she read |
Spanish consonants with tricky pronunciation
While Spanish pronunciation in general is fairly straightforward, there are a few consonants and consonant combinations that can be a little tricky to pronounce at first.
Pronouncing the Spanish letters ‘b’ and ‘v’
People learning Spanish sometimes have a question about these two consonants, because they sound so similar and yet there is variation even among native speakers in what they sound like.
B/b
Letter name in Spanish:
- be
Pronunciation tips:
The Spanish b sounds like a softer English “b.” It can sound like a soft “v” depending on someone’s accent. Either way, don’t press your lips together as much as you would in English. The sound can be softer if it appears within a word, but the difference is subtle, and still comprehensible.
Most Spanish speakers pronounce b the same way as they pronounce v, though this pronunciation varies between Spanish speakers.
| Spanish | English |
| bien | well |
| bueno | good |
| hablar | to speak |
| saber | to know (fact/information) |
V/v
Letter name in Spanish:
- uve
Pronunciation tips:
The official description of the Real Academia Española is that there is no difference in pronunciation between b and v.
However, especially in regions where English is also common, bilingual speakers might pronounce v more like an English ‘v.’ These audio examples will also demonstrate a subtle difference when the v is in the middle of the word.
In either case, neither consonant is pronounced exactly as they are in English. Keep your lips softer and try to imitate what you hear.
| Spanish | English |
| vamos | we go/let’s go |
| verde | green |
| enviar | to send |
The bottom line is, use context to determine the difference between similar words like bello, which means “beautiful” in Spanish, and vello, which would refer to fuzzy hair. Most of the time the context makes it clear.
Pronouncing the Spanish single and double ‘l’
Whether the “l” is doubled or not affects the letter’s name and pronunciation in Spanish. The letters l and ll are no longer considered separate letters of the alphabet in Spanish since 2010, so ll is now considered a digraph, and not part of the abecedario (Spanish alphabet). However, it’s pronounced differently and is still called by its historical name.
L/l
Letter name in Spanish:
- ele
Pronunciation tips:
This letter usually sounds like the English “l.” You’ll need to differentiate it from elle (ll), which has a separate pronunciation discussed below.
Some regional accents have a tendency to pronounce l sounds at the end of syllables like an r and vice-versa.
| Spanish | English |
| luna | moon |
| azul | blue |
| falda | skirt |
Ll/ll
Letter name in Spanish:
- elle
Pronunciation tips:
You will not hear the same sound as the English “l” or Spanish ele, but the sound you will hear depends on the speaker’s regional accent.
In these audio examples, you hear the common pronunciation of ll as the “y” in the English word “yes.”
| Spanish | English |
| llaves | keys |
| caballo | horse |
| ella | she |
There are also many regions where the ll will sound more like an English “j” as in “jump.”
- lluvia (rain)
In Argentina and surrounding areas, it comes across more like the “sh” in “shout.” What better reason to explore the Spanish-speaking world in person? Or, immerse yourself from home, even without a plane ticket.
Pronouncing the Spanish letters ‘n’ and ñ
These letters remain listed as two separate letters of the alphabet in Spanish, which has 27 letters. The letter ñ is the only additional letter as compared to the standard English alphabet.
N/n
Letter name in Spanish:
- ene
Pronunciation tips:
The pronunciation of n without a tilde (accent mark) over it is similar to the English “n” as in the word “canon.”
| Spanish | English |
| nuevo | new (masculine) |
| canoso | gray-haired |
| pan | bread |
Ñ/ñ
Letter name in Spanish:
- eñe
Pronunciation tips:
With the tilde, the Spanish letter ñ is pronounced like the “ny” in the English word “canyon.” It’s a letter and a symbol that Spanish is known for, though it appears in other languages around the world, including el gallego (Galician), and el vasco (Basque).
To really pinpoint the difference between these two similar letters, you can pay close attention to the words mañana and niña, in which both n and ñ appear.
| Spanish | English |
| años | years |
| mañana | morning/tomorrow |
| niña | girl |
Pronouncing the Spanish single and double ‘r’
These aren’t separate letters of the alphabet, but are often listed separately due to their pronunciation.
R/r vs. Rr/rr
Letter name in Spanish:
- erre
Pronunciation tips:
The Spanish rolled “r,” or “alveolar trill” is often mentioned as a tricky consonant to pronounce, and it can take a lot of practice to get it just right. If you’re a speaker of Scottish English, you might have a head start on making this sound, but most English speakers will need to practice a brand new sound.
With feedback from Rosetta Stone’s TruAccent speech recognition engine, learners can work toward differentiating the sounds of:
- a single r, more like a flip of the tongue, in the middle of a word like cara (face);
- a stronger rolled or trilled r at the beginning of a word like rojo;
- the rolled/trilled rr (double “r”), as in arroz (rice).
The pronunciation distinction can make a difference when you’re saying pero (but) vs. perro (dog), or caro (expensive) vs. carro (car).
| Spanish | English |
| rojo | red |
| carro | car |
| cero | zero |
Pronouncing the Spanish ‘h’ and ‘ch’
One of the only times you’ll hear “h” make a difference to pronunciation is when it’s part of the digraph ch in Spanish.
H/h
Letter name in Spanish:
- hache
Pronunciation tips:
Most of the time, this letter is silent. Words with the silent “h” are among the only ones where you’ll need to memorize the spelling of words that sound the same but have different meanings, like echo (I throw) vs. hecho (done) or ola (wave) vs. hola (hi/hello).
| Spanish | English |
| hola | hello/hi |
| hambre | hunger |
| anhelo | wish/desire/longing |
Ch/ch
Letter name in Spanish:
- che
Pronunciation tips:
Up until the changes in 2010, che was considered a separate letter of the alphabet, like ll. Now considered a digraph, it makes the sound “ch” as in “church.” Now you can order a leche chocolatada (chocolate milk) or a horchata (beverage made with tiger nuts or almonds, depending on where you are).
| Spanish | English |
| chocolate | chocolate |
| leche | milk |
| ocho | eight |
Pronouncing the Spanish letters ‘c,’ ‘g,’ and ‘z’
These are letters where the pronunciation varies depending on what vowel follows it. There are also some regional variations.
C/c
Letter name in Spanish:
- ce (Latin American Spanish)
- ce (Peninsular Spanish)
Pronunciation tips:
In all Spanish dialects, the ce is pronounced like a hard “k” sound as in “kayak” when it’s followed by a, o, or u.
| Spanish | English |
| boca | mouth |
| come | he/she eats |
| cuando | when |
In front of e or i, the variation increases. Latin American dialects pronounce the “c” like an “s” as in “sale,” and speakers of Peninsular Spanish put their tongue between their teeth for more of the “th” sound in “bath.”
This is why some people, even Spanish speakers, say that people from Spain have a lisp, but that’s really not an accurate description. Now you can refer to Barcelona correctly and you’ll know why it’s pronounced that way.
| Latin American Spanish | Peninsular Spanish | English |
| cero | cero | zero |
| encima | encima | on/on top |
G/g
Letter name in Spanish:
- ge
Pronunciation tips:
This letter also has two versions depending on the vowel that follows it. The letter g is pronounced like a hard “g” sound as in “golf” when it’s followed by a, o, u, or ue.
| Spanish | English |
| ganar | to win |
| gota | droplet |
| gusta | like/taste |
| sigue | continue |
In front of e or i, the pronunciation changes to a sound similar to jota.
| Spanish | English |
| Egipto | Egypt |
| elige | choose |
Z/z
Letter name in Spanish:
- zeta (Latin American Spanish)
- zeta (Peninsular Spanish)
Pronunciation tips:
Pronunciation of z in Spanish can range from sounding like an “s” to a “th” depending on the regional dialect.
| Latin American Spanish | Peninsular Spanish | English |
| zapato | zapato | shoe |
| manzana | manzana | apple |
| pez | pez | fish (alive) |
Consonants with more than one pronunciation in Spanish
As you have seen, most letters make the same sound consistently, with very few exceptions. The three exceptions in Spanish are the consonants c, g, and r. These consonants change according to the vowel that follows.
The letter c makes a “k” sound when followed by a, o, or u. But when followed by an e or i, the c makes an “s” sound in Latin American Spanish and a “th” sound (as in “thin”) in Peninsular Spanish.
| Spanish Letter C | English |
| casa | house |
| cerrado | closed |
| comprar | to buy |
| cuarenta | forty |
| el cielo | the sky |
The letter “g” makes a hard “g” sound as in “gravity” before a, o, and u, but an “h” sound as in “hear” before e and i.
| Spanish Letter G | English |
| agente | agent |
| egipto | Egypt |
| ganar | to win/earn |
| gota | droplet |
| gusta | to like/taste |
The Spanish letter r is rolled or trilled when at the beginning of a word, when it’s a double rr, or after “l,” “n,” and prefixes like “des” “pos” o “tras.” Otherwise, it’s pronounced as a softer “d” sound, just one tap of the tongue.
| Spanish Letter R | English |
| barata | sale |
| caro | expensive |
| carro | car |
| pero | but/however |
| perro | dog |
| sonrían | smile |
How accent marks affect Spanish pronunciation
Now that you can pronounce any letter and letter combination in Spanish, be sure you’re putting the emphasis on the correct syllable so that you’re sure to impress native speakers as you strike up a conversation in a café or ask your questions in a shop. Spanish speakers will emphasize syllables according to the following two simple rules:
- Emphasize the penultimate syllable (second-to-last) if the word ends in a vowel, n, or s.
- viaje (trip)
- trabajan (they work)
- hablamos (we speak)
- Emphasize the last syllable if the word ends in any other consonant.
- reloj (clock/watch)
If any word breaks these rules, it will carry an accent mark on the syllable that is meant to be emphasized. Spanish accent marks are common in the endings for different verb tenses.
- comí (I ate)
- haré (I will do)
- fútbol (soccer/football)
- tiburón (shark)
- cortés (courteous)
There are just a few cases where the diéresis, an accent made of two dots, is placed over the letter u in Spanish. This indicates that you should pronounce both the ü and the following letter.
- pingüino (penguin)
- vergüenza (shame)
- bilingüe (bilingual)
You will likely encounter other words that have accent marks. Sometimes this helps to differentiate two words that are pronounced identically, like tú (you) vs. tu (your) and él (he) vs. el (the), and to identify Spanish question words.
Get Spanish pronunciation right every time
Spanish pronunciation is straightforward and the rules are very consistent. Even so, the variation of Spanish accents, exceptions for borrowed words from other languages, and the speed with which native speakers communicate mean that learners need lots of quality exposure to Spanish.
Rosetta Stone offers proven tools within the Dynamic Immersion method so that you can quickly learn to pronounce the most interesting and beautiful Spanish words including those that are made of many syllables.
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