Spanish Language Basics
Spanish Alphabet
The Spanish Alphabet
The Spanish alphabet, or abecedario, is your first step toward speaking and reading the language. The great news? It's almost identical to the English alphabet, and the pronunciation is much more consistent. Once you learn the sound for each letter, you can confidently pronounce almost any word you see. In Spanish, what you see is what you get.
Spanish pronunciation is consistent: once you learn the sounds, you’ll understand and be understood more easily.
The official Spanish alphabet has 27 letters. Let's look at each one, its Spanish name, and a simple guide to its sound.
| Letter | Name | Basic Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| A, a | a | 'ah' as in apple |
| B, b | be | 'b' as in boy |
| C, c | ce | 'k' as in cat or 's' as in city (more on this later) |
| D, d | de | 'd' as in dog |
| E, e | e | 'eh' as in met |
| F, f | efe | 'f' as in fan |
| G, g | ge | 'g' as in goat or 'h' as in hello (more on this later) |
| H, h | hache | Always silent |
| I, i | i | 'ee' as in see |
| J, j | jota | 'h' as in hello |
| K, k | ka | 'k' as in kite (rarely used) |
| L, l | ele | 'l' as in love |
| M, m | eme | 'm' as in mom |
| N, n | ene | 'n' as in nose |
| Ñ, ñ | eñe | 'ny' as in canyon |
| O, o | o | 'oh' as in go |
| P, p | pe | 'p' as in pet |
| Q, q | cu | 'k' as in quick (always followed by 'u') |
| R, r | ere | A soft, tapped 'r' |
| S, s | ese | 's' as in sun |
| T, t | te | 't' as in top |
| U, u | u | 'oo' as in food |
| V, v | ve | 'b' as in boy |
| W, w | uve doble | 'w' as in water (rarely used) |
| X, x | equis | 'x' as in exit or sometimes like 'h' |
| Y, y | i griega | 'y' as in yes |
| Z, z | zeta | 's' as in sun |
The Five Simple Vowels
One of the best things about Spanish pronunciation is its vowels. There are only five, and they each have one, and only one, sound. This is very different from English, where a letter like 'a' can sound completely different in 'cat,' 'car,' and 'cake.'
Master these five sounds, and you're halfway there.
| Vowel | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A | 'ah' | papá (father) |
| E | 'eh' | bebé (baby) |
| I | 'ee' | vivir (to live) |
| O | 'oh' | todo (all) |
| U | 'oo' | único (unique) |
Unique Consonants
While most consonants sound similar to their English counterparts, a few require special attention. These letters and letter combinations give Spanish its unique character.
ñ
other
Pronounced 'enye'. This letter makes a 'ny' sound, like the middle of the word 'canyon'.
The letter H (hache) is always silent. You see it, but you don't say it. The word hola (hello) is pronounced 'oh-la'.
The letter J (jota) always makes a sound like the 'h' in 'hello'. For example, jardín (garden) is pronounced 'har-deen'.
Some consonants change their sound depending on the vowel that follows them. The letters C and G are the main ones to watch.
For C: Before 'a', 'o', or 'u', it sounds like a 'k' (casa, color). Before 'e' or 'i', it sounds like an 's' (cero, cine).
For G: Before 'a', 'o', or 'u', it sounds like the 'g' in 'go' (gato, gusto). Before 'e' or 'i', it sounds like the Spanish J, an 'h' sound (gente, gigante).
Finally, we have the double letters. You may see words with LL (elle) and RR (erre). Historically, these were considered separate letters of the alphabet, but they aren't anymore.
LL is pronounced like the 'y' in 'yes'. So, llamar (to call) sounds like 'ya-mar'.
RR represents a strongly rolled or trilled 'r'. This is a sound that takes practice for many English speakers. It's a much stronger vibration than the single 'r'. Compare pero (but) with its soft 'r', to perro (dog) with its strong, rolled 'rr'.
Let's review these new letters and sounds.
Ready to test your knowledge?
How many letters are in the official Spanish alphabet?
How would you pronounce the Spanish word 'jugar' (to play)?
Learning these foundational sounds is the most important step you can take. With a little practice, you'll be able to read and pronounce Spanish words with confidence.