Good news: the Spanish alphabet, or abecedario, is almost identical to the English one. It uses the same Roman letters, so you already know what they look like. The main difference is in the pronunciation and the addition of one special letter: Ñ.

Once you learn the sound for each letter, you can pronounce almost any Spanish word correctly. Spanish is a very phonetic language, which means words are pronounced just as they are spelled. This consistency is a huge advantage for learners.

Here’s a look at all the letters and their Spanish names.

The secret to Spanish pronunciation lies with the vowels. There are only five vowel sounds, and they never change. Unlike in English, where 'a' can sound different in 'cat,' 'car,' and 'cake,' the Spanish 'a' always sounds the same. Master these five sounds, and you're halfway there.

Most consonants sound similar to their English counterparts, but a few have special rules or unique sounds. Let's walk through the important ones.

G: This one is also tricky. Before 'a', 'o', or 'u', it's a hard 'g' like in 'go' (gato, gusto). Before 'e' or 'i', it makes a sound like the 'h' in 'hello' (gente, girar).

J: The 'j' sound is similar to the English 'h', but a bit stronger, made from the back of your throat. Think of the sound in 'loch'. Examples: jardín, ojo.

And now for our special letter.

Q: In Spanish, 'q' is always followed by a 'u', and together they make a 'k' sound. The 'u' is silent. For example, ¿qué? (what?) is pronounced 'keh'.

Z: The 'z' is pronounced like an 's' in Latin America. For example, zapato (shoe) sounds like 'sa-pa-to'.

Now let's practice what you've learned.

Ready to test your knowledge?

Getting these sounds right is the first major step toward speaking Spanish with confidence. Keep practicing, and listen to native speakers whenever you can.