Learning how to pronounce the unique Spanish letter ñ, why the pronunciation of ll means words like vaya and valla sound the same, and when you should and shouldn’t pronounce an h helps you feel confident speaking Spanish from the start. Many Spanish consonant and vowel sounds follow regular, easy-to-remember pronunciation rules, and when they don’t, we’re here to help! Rosetta Stone’s top-rated TruAccent speech recognition technology tells you how well you spoke each word or phrase right from the first lesson.
Table of Contents
Spanish vowels
The foundation for correct pronunciation in Spanish is to learn the five vowel sounds, which 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, without changing your mouth shape at the end.
Every syllable in Spanish has one of these sounds, so you can break apart new or unfamiliar words one vowel at a time.
| 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.” If it has a diérisis, an accent mark consisting of two dots over the u, you’ll pronounce it as in pingüino (penguin) or vergüenza (shame/embarrassment).
| Spanish Letter U | English |
| cuatro (not silent) | four |
| fuego | fire |
| quince | fifteen |
| química | chemistry |
The Spanish Ñ/ñ
The letter ñ is pronounced like the “ny” in the English word “canyon.” It’s the only additional letter the Spanish alphabet has compared to the standard English alphabet.
You can differentiate between the letters n and ñ by the tilde (the diacritic mark above the letter). Words like mañana (tomorrow) and niña (girl), which contain both the letters n and ñ, show how differently these two letters are pronounced.
| Spanish | English |
| años | years |
| mañana | morning/tomorrow |
| niña | girl |
While Spanish is known for the letter and symbol ñ, you’ll encounter it in other languages around the world, including el gallego (Galician) and el vasco (Basque).
Spanish digraph Ll/ll
The common pronunciation of ll is the same as “y” in the English word “yes,” which is known in Spanish as yeísmo.
While the letters l and ll are no longer separate letters of the alphabet in Spanish, they have a distinct pronunciation. The ll is now considered a digraph and not part of the abecedario (Spanish alphabet). However, it’s still often called by its historical name, elle.
| Spanish | English |
| llaves | keys |
| caballo | horse |
| ella | she |
You may encounter some regional variation in the pronunciation of the Spanish double ‘l.’ In many regions, 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.” It’s always a good idea to pay attention to the way locals pronounce words, particularly in the case of the ll, and follow their lead.
Letters ‘c’ and ‘z’ are pronounced differently depending on the region
The letters ‘c’ and ‘z’ sound different in the Latin American and Peninsular Spanish dialects. This is one of the main regional variations in Spanish pronunciation.
C/c
- C (Latin American Spanish)
- C (Peninsular Spanish)
In all Spanish dialects, the c is pronounced like a hard “k” sound as in “kayak” when it’s followed by a, o, or u.
| Spanish | English |
| casa | house |
| boca | mouth |
| come | he/she eats |
| comprar | to buy |
| cuando | when |
But when followed by an e or i, the c makes an “s” sound in Latin American Spanish and a “th” sound (as in “bath”) in Peninsular Spanish.
The ‘th’ sound of the Peninsular Spanish c is why some people, even Spanish speakers, often joke that people from Spain have a lisp. If you happen to be in Spain, remember to pronounce the ‘c’ in Barcelona as ‘th’ to sound like a local.
| Latin American Spanish | Peninsular Spanish | English |
| cero | cero | zero |
| encima | encima | on/on top |
Z/z
- Z (Latin American Spanish)
- Z (Peninsular Spanish)
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) |
Spanish letters ‘b’ and ‘v’ are pronounced the same
The Real Academia Española states that there is no difference in pronunciation between b and v. However, pronunciation varies among native speakers, so you might hear slightly different sounds depending on where you are and which dialect you’re learning.
B/b
The Spanish b sounds like a softer English “b.” It can also 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.
| Spanish | English |
| bien | well |
| bueno | good |
| hablar | to speak |
| saber | to know (fact/information) |
V/v
Most Spanish speakers pronounce v the same way they pronounce b, though this varies among Spanish speakers. In regions where English is also common, for example, bilingual speakers might pronounce v more like an English ‘v.’ There is also a subtle difference when the v is in the middle of the word.
| Spanish | English |
| vamos | we go/let’s go |
| verde | green |
| enviar | to send |
Neither b nor v is pronounced exactly as they are in English. Try to keep your lips softer and imitate what you hear.
The Spanish ‘h’ is silent, except in the digraph ‘ch’
One of the only times you’ll hear “h” in Spanish pronunciation is when it’s part of the digraph ch.
H/h
Most of the time, this letter is silent. You’ll often have to memorize the spelling of words with a silent “h” to distinguish between 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
Up until the Spanish orthographic 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.” Pronouncing ch correctly means you can order a leche chocolatada (chocolate milk) or a horchata (beverage made with tiger nuts or almonds, depending on where you are) with confidence.
| Spanish | English |
| chocolate | chocolate |
| leche | milk |
| ocho | eight |
Pronouncing the single R/r and the double Rr/rr
There’s more than one way to pronounce the Spanish letter r . Depending on whether it’s a single or double r, or where the r is located in the word, you’ll need to differentiate between the sounds of a:
- single r, more like a flip of the tongue, in the middle of a word like cara (face)
- stronger rolled or trilled r at the beginning of a word, like rojo
- rolled/trilled rr (double “r”), as in arroz (rice)
The Spanish rolled “r,” or alveolar trill, is often labeled a tricky consonant for English speakers to pronounce. With practice, you’ll get it right! Certain words, like pero (but) vs. perro (dog) or caro (expensive) vs. carro (car), rely on you correctly pronouncing the r and rr sounds. Otherwise, you might be misunderstood for saying “but” when you meant “dog” if you don’t master the rr sound.
| Spanish | English |
| barata | sale |
| caro | expensive |
| carro | car |
| pero | but/however |
| perro | dog |
| rojo | red |
| sonrían | smile |
Two ways to pronounce G/g
This letter has two sounds depending on the vowel it follows. 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 the vowels e or i, the pronunciation of g changes to a sound like the Spanish j.
| Spanish | English |
| Egipto | Egypt |
| elige | choose |
Basic Spanish consonants
With a few exceptions, these Spanish consonants are pronounced consistently no matter the word or letter combination.
A helpful tip for beginners is to practice the sounds of these consonants 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.
D/d
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
The Spanish f has 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
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. This is why you’ll see Spanish speakers writing laughter 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
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 |
L/l
The Spanish l usually sounds like the English “l.” In some regional accents, there’s 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 |
Keep in mind that the double ‘l,’ as in pollo (chicken), is pronounced differently from the singular ‘l.’ It’s known as the Spanish digraph ll, which sounds like the “y” in “yes.”
M/m
You’ll pronounce the Spanish m much the same as you do in English. 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 |
N/n
The pronunciation of n is similar to the English “n,” as in the word “canon.” Remember that ñ, with a tilde (accent mark), is a separate letter with a different pronunciation.
| Spanish | English |
| nuevo | new (masculine) |
| canoso | gray-haired |
| pan | bread |
P/p
Like the consonants d and b, pronounce the p in Spanish a bit softer than in English. For p words, like piña (pineapple) and pan (bread), don’t force as much air through your closed lips as you might in English.
| Spanish | English |
| parque | park |
| comprar | to buy |
| tipo | type/variety |
Q/q
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
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 est-, as in the words español (Spanish), España (Spain), estudiar (to study), and esfera (sphere).
| Spanish | English |
| sobre | about |
| casa | house |
| escuela | school |
T/t
The letter t in Spanish is pronounced by placing the tongue behind the teeth, as you would 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 or
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
At the beginning of a word, such as xilófono, the Spanish x sounds like the “s” of “seaweed.” In the middle of most words, it will sound like the “ks” sound in “backs.” In Mexico and Texas, the sound is more similar to the Spanish j, 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
Unless you’re pronouncing the word y (the conjunction “and” in Spanish), which sounds like the “ee” in “tree,” you’ll pronounce the Spanish letter y like the “y” in “yes.”
| 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 a syllable, it’s always like the “y” in the English word “boy.”
| Spanish | English |
| yo | I |
| ayer | yesterday |
| leyó | He/she read |
How accent marks affect Spanish pronunciation
Besides letters and letter combinations, Spanish accent marks will also affect how you pronounce a word. They’ll tell you which syllable to emphasize when a word doesn’t follow standard Spanish emphasis rules.
Typically, Spanish speakers will emphasize syllables according to these two simple rules:
1. Emphasize the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable if the word ends in a vowel, n, or s.
- viaje (trip)
- trabajan (they work)
- hablamos (we speak)
2. 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 verb endings for different tenses.
- comí (I ate)
- haré (I will do)
- fútbol (soccer/football)
- tiburón (shark)
- cortés (courteous)
How the diéresis affects pronunciation
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 you 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 generally follows consistent rules, and now you’re ready to use them. Immerse yourself in Spanish conversation practice, so you can improve your pronunciation, get feedback on your accent, and get exposure to native-level diction and speaking speeds. If you don’t have anyone to practice with, Rosetta Stone Tutoring is a fun and flexible way to improve your Spanish and work on what matters to you with a dedicated native Spanish instructor.
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