The Spanish Alphabet

A Comprehensive Guide to Spanish Letters, Sounds, and Speaking with Confidence

Mar 10, 2025

Tabla de Contenidos

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will understand the Spanish alphabet consisting of 27 letters, distinguish between vowels and consonants with special rules such as c and g, recognize the pronunciation differences between single 'r' and double 'rr', identify and mark the stressed syllables in words to improve pronunciation accuracy, and practice reading Spanish words aloud with correct pronunciation.

Introduction

The Spanish alphabet and pronunciation rules form the foundation for learning the language. Since Spanish is phonetic, understanding how letters sound will make reading and speaking much easier. Let’s explore the alphabet, pronunciation tips, and practical exercises to master these essentials.

The Spanish Alphabet:
El alfabeto

The Spanish alphabet consists of 27 letters. Unlike English, Spanish includes the letter ñ and has distinct pronunciations for some letters. Though ch and ll were historically considered separate letters, they are now treated as digraphs but remain essential in understanding Spanish pronunciation.

Letter	Name	Example Word	Pronunciation Guide
A	a	amigo	Like "a" in father.
B	be	bueno	Like "b" in boy.
C	ce	casa, cielo	k before a, o, u; s before e, i.
D	de	donde	Like d in dog, softer between vowels.
E	e	elefante	Like "e" in set.
F	efe	fruta	Like f in fun.
G	ge	gato, gente	Hard g before a, o, u; soft h before e, i.
H	hache	hola	Always silent.
I	i	iglesia	Like "ee" in see but shorter and more clipped.
J	jota	jamón	Like _h_ in _hat_.
K	ka	kilo	Like _k_ in _kite_.
L	ele	libro	Like _l_ in _light_.
M	eme	mano	Like _m_ in _man_.
N	ene	naranja	Like _n_ in _nice_.
Ñ	eñe	mañana	Like _ny_ in _canyon_
O	o	otro	Like "o" in _hope_.
P	pe	papá	Like _p_ in _pot_.
Q	cu	queso	Like _k_ in _key_, only in _que_ and _qui_.
R	ere	trabajo	Single tongue tap against roof of mouth; rolled at start of words or after n/l/s.
RR	erre	perro	A rolled sound, no English equivalent.
S	ese	sol	Like _s_ in _sun_.
T	te	taza	Like _t_ in _top_.
U	u	uno	Like "oo" in _moon_, but shorter and without gliding.
V	uve	vaca	Pronounced like _b_.
W	doble uve	whisky	Found in foreign words, pronounced like _w_.
X	equis	México	Like _ks_ in _fox_, or _h_ in some regional words.
Y	i griega	yo	Like _y_ in _yes_ or _ee_ when used as a vowel.
Z	zeta	zapato	Like _s_ in Latin America or _th_ in Spain.

Pronunciation Rules

Vowels:

Spanish vowels are short, crisp, and consistent.

a: like "a" in father.
e: like "e" in set.
i: like "ee" in see but shorter and more clipped..
o: like "o" in hope.
u: like "oo" in moon, but shorter and without gliding.

Consonants with Special Rules:

C: Pronounced as k before a, o, u (e.g., casa) and as th in Spain or s in Latin America before e, i (e.g., cielo).
G: Hard g before a, o, u (e.g., gato); soft h before e, i (e.g., gente).
R and RR: A single r is a tap (like the English tt in butter), while rr is rolled (e.g., perro).

Silent Letters:

H: Always silent (e.g., hola).
U: Silent in gue and gui unless marked with a diaeresis (e.g., vergüenza).

Stress and Accents:

Words ending in a vowel, n, or s are stressed on the second-to-last syllable (casa, amigo).
Other endings stress the last syllable (doctor, papel).
Written accents in Spanish show where the stress falls when it doesn’t follow the usual rules, as in teléfono and inglés.

Conclusion

Mastering the Spanish alphabet and pronunciation rules is your first step toward fluency. By understanding these basics, you’ll confidently tackle reading and speaking Spanish in no time. Keep practicing, and don’t hesitate to revisit these exercises for reinforcement.

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