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SPANISH ALPHABET SOUNDS

SPANISH ALPHABET SOUNDS

The below chart tells you how to pronounce letters in Spanish. As you’ll learn, not only can
a letter like ‘a’ sound a bit different, letters like ‘j’, ‘h’, ‘e’, and ‘i’ are completely different
from English to Spanish. And then there are the double letter sounds, such as the well-
known ‘rr’ and ‘ll’, but also the lesser-known sounds, ‘ga’, ‘ge’, ‘gi’, ‘go’, & ‘gü’.

How to Pronounce Spanish Letters and Sounds

Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Acaba (Just)
Adelante (Ahead/Come in)
Amistad (Friendship)
Alumno (Student)
Avión (Airplane)
a AH (It's a soft "ah" like in "aha!)
Azul (Blue)

El Alumno se fue de vieja en un Avión

Azul (The student travels in a blue
airplane)

Bueno (Ok)
Bacan (Great)
Biblioteca (Library)
Bote (Boat)
b BEH (like the ‘b’ in ‘bay’)

Leer es bueno. (Reading is good)

La biblioteca esté cerca. (The library is
good)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Bailar (To dance)

Ballena (Whale)
ba BAH
A Maria le gusta bailar. (Maria likes to
dance)

Beso (Kiss)
Belleza (Beauty)
be BEH
Ellos se dan un beso al saludarse. (They
kiss when greeting each other)

Bienvenida (Welcome)
Bigote (Mustache)
bi BE
Mi papa tiene el bigote largo. (My dad has
a long mustache)

Bonita (Pretty)
Botella (Bottle)
bo BOW

La botella esta vacia. (The bottle is empty)

Buscar (To look for)

Burro (Donkey)
bu BOO
Fui a buscar a mi mamá. (I went looking
for my mom)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

CEH (Like the ‘sa’ in ‘say’)

Carcajada (Loud laugh)
(Like the ‘th’ in ‘thay’ in Spain)
Carro (Car)
This letter has exceptions with Ce
Criminal (Criminal)
and Ci
Celular (Cell Phone)
Cielo (Sky)
c (When is followed by “e” or “i”, it
is pronounced either as “th” in
El carro esta estacionado. (The car is
“think” or as “s” in “son”. )
parked)
El celular debe estar apagado. (The cell
In all other cases it is pronounced
phone must be turned off)
as “k” in ‘key’

Cama (Bed)
Calamidad (Calamity)
ca KAH

Me voy a mi cama. (I go to my bed)

Cena (Dinner)
Cerebro (Brain)
ce CEH
El cerebro es una órgano. (The brain is an
organ)

Cilantro (Cilantro)
Ciudad (City)
ci SEE
La ciudad que nunca duerme. (The city
that never sleeps)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Coco (Coconut)
Compromiso (Commitment)
co COH

El helado de coco es mi favorito.

Cuerpo (Body)
Cupido (Cupid)
cu KOO

Me duele el cuerpo. (My body hurts)

Chocolate (Chocolate)
Chao (Bye)
ch CHE (Like the ‘ch’ in chair)
Chao! Nos vemos mañana. (Bye! See you
tomorrow)

Dios (God)
Decisión (Decision)
DEE (Like the ‘da’ in ‘day’) Dado (Dice)
Sounds similar to the d in english Dedo (Finger)
but the thought should be against Dormir (Sleep)
d
your upper teeth instead of the
roof of your mouth when El matrimonio es una decisión importante.
pronouncing it. (Marriage is an important decision)
Anoche me dormi tarde (Last night i went
to sleep late)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Elefante (Elephant)
Educación (Education)
Economy (Economia)
Eliminar (Delete)
Ejercicio (Exercise)
EH (Pronounced like the ‘e’ in
e
‘bet’)
No me gusta hacer ejercicio. (I don’t like
to exercise)
La economía se ve afectada por la
cuarentena. (The economy is affected by
quarantine.)

Fuerza (Force/Strength)
Firma (Firm/Signature)
Fuerte (Strong)
Fantasma (Ghost)
EFE (EH-fay phonetical) (In
Ferreteria (Hardware store)
f words it’s similar to the english f,
like ‘f’ in ‘fox’)
Unidos somos más fuerte. (United we are
stronger)
Necesito una buena firma. (I need a good
signature)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Gracias (Thanks)
HEH (The pronunciation depends Gritar (Scream)
on its position in the word. This Globos (Balloons)
letter usually sounds much like an Gramatica (Grammar)
English g.) Gigante (Giant)
g

(Before e or i, it sounds like a Muchas gracias por la ayuda. (Thank you

harsh English h. It's very similar very much for the help.)
to the j in Spanish.) Compre globos morados (I bought purple
balloons.)

Gato (Cat)
Galleta (Cookies)
ga GAH

El gato es negro. (The cat is black)

Gente (People)
Gelatina (Jelly)
ge HEH

Me gusta la gelatina. (I like jelly)

Gigante (Giant)
Girasol (Sunflower)
gi HE
El girasol esta en el jardin. (The sunflower
is in the garden)

Gordo (Fat)
Gorila (Gorilla)
go GOH

El hombre es gordo. (The man is fat.)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Guapo (Handsome/Gorgeous)
Guante (Glove)
gu GOO
Juan se quitó el guante. (Juan took his
glove)

Guerra (War)(war)
Guepardo (Cheetah)
gue GEH

Nadie gano a guerra (No one won the war.)

Guitarra (Guitar)
Guión (Script)
gui GHEE
Quiero aprender a tocar la guitarra. (II
want to learn to play the guitar.)

AAH-cheh (but in words it is Hola (Hello)

silent, like in “honour” in Hornilla (Burner)
English.) Hechizo (Spell)
Huevo (Egg)
h
(However, in words from other Hada (Fairy)
languages, the breathy aspiration
is maintained. For example Huevos revueltos. (Scrambled eggs)
Hawaii) Las hadas existen (Fairies are real)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Iguana (Iguana)
Iglesia (Church)
Isla (Island)
Invierno (Winter)
Impuesto (Tax)
i EE (Like ‘ee’ in ‘see’ but shorter)

La iglesia esté cerrada. (The church is

close)
Los impuestos se paga el final del año.
(The taxes are paid at the end of the year.)

Joven (Young)
Jirafa (Giraffe)
Joya (Jewel)
Jugo (Juice)
HOTA (Sounds close to the Juguete (Toy)
j
English h sound)
El joven toma jugo de manzana. (The
young man drinks apple juice.)
Las jirafas viven en África. (Giraffes live in
Africa.)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Kiwi (Kiwi)
Kayak (Kayak)
Koala (Koala)
Kiosko (Kiosk)
KAH (is an uncommon letter in Kimono (Kimono)
k Spanish, but sounds much like the
English k. Like the ‘k’ in ‘ask’) El koala es muy tierno. (The koala is very
tender.)
Los kiwis son una excelente fuente de
vitamina C. (Kiwis are an excellent source
of vitamin C.)

ELE Phonetically EH-leh (In Lago (Lake)

words like “l” in “line” but Limon (Lemon)
shorter.) Leche (Milk)
Láminas (Sheets)
l Lingote (Ingot)
(Instead of the tongue touching
the roof of the mouth behind the La vaca da leche. (The cow gives milk
teeth, it should touch the tip of Las láminas son cobre. (The sheets are
the teeth themselves.) copper.)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Llave (key)
Me llamo (My name is...)
ELLE (in most places, pronounced
Lluvia (rain)
as Y. In certain dialects,
Llama (Llama)
pronounced as S sound in English
Pollo (Chicken)
ll word "vision")

Se me han perdido las llaves. (I’ve lost the

(It’s not considered a letter
keys)
anymore by the RAE)
Quiero comer pollo. (I want to eat
chicken.)

Madre (Mother)
Milagro (Miracle)
EME Phonetically EH-may Mapa (Map)
Montaña (Mountain)
(Like “m” in “mine”.) Mano (Hand)
m

(In words sounds similar to the Las montañas son altas. (The mountains
english M) are tall)
Mi madre cree en los milagros. (Mi mother
believes in miracles.)

Nachos (Nachos)
Nombre (Name)
ENE Phonetically EH-neh
Naranja (Orange)
Niño (Kid)
(Like “n” in “now”.)
n Nube (Cloud)

(In words sounds similar to the

Mi nombre es Diego. (My name s Diego)
english M)
El niño es muy amable. (The kid is very
kind).

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Ñame (Yam)
Piñata (Piñata)
ENYE Phonetic EH-nyay Mañana (Morning/Tomorrow)
Español (Spanish)
(Like “gn” in the Italian word Ñandú (Rhea - animal)
ñ
“gnocchi” or in english this letter
sounds much like the ni in onion El ñandú es una ave sudamérica. (The
or the ny in canyon.) rhea is a South American bird)
En España se habla español. (Spanish is
spoken in Spain)

Oso (Bear)
Oscuridad (Darkness)
OH Organizar (Organize)
Orgullo (Pride)
(Close to “aw” in “saw”.) Ojo (Eye)
o

(This letter sounds close to the o Ella tiene los ojos cerrados. (She had the
in so, but shorter.) eyes closed.)
No me gusta la oscuridad. (I don’t like
darkness.)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Papa (Potato)
Publicidad (Advertising)
PE Pera (Pear)
Pez (Fish)
(Like “p” in “park”.) Payaso (Clown)
p

(This letter sounds close to the Las papas crecen en el suelo. (Potatoes
English p, but with less breath.) grow in the soil.)
El pez nada en el océano. (The fish swims
in the ocean)

KOO
This letter must be with an ¨u¨
q (sounds like English k when used
To create a word.
in a word.)

Queso (Cheese)
Quemar (To burn)
que KEH

El queso esté caliente (The cheese is hot.)

Quito (The capital of Ecuador)

Quieto (Still)
qui KEY
Es mejor quedarse quito. (It’s better to
stay still.)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

ERE (pronounced as a shortened

eh reh) Primo (Cousin)
Caminar (Walk)
This letter has two different Gris (Grey)
sounds, this depends on its Caro (Expensive)
r position Jugar (Play)
Rosa (Rose), if it’s at beginning
sounds like rr with a strong El rinoceronte es gris (The rhino is very
sound. gray)
Caro (Expensive), if it’s in the Voy a jugar (I will play)
middle of word sounds softer

Carro (Car)
ERRE Phonetically eh reh (This is
Rueda (Wheel)
a very unique sound to spanish.
Radio (Radio)
The key is practice. Practice tip:
Rey (King)
you can practice it by saying the
Tierra (Earth/dirt/land)
rr tt sound in butter over and over.)

El rey se sienta en su trono (The king sits

Trilled R sound. Trills can also
on his throne)
occur at the beginning of words
La tierra de las maravillas. (The land of
that start with R.
wonders.)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Sopa (Soup)
Sabiduria (Wisdom)
Sandia (Watermelon)
ESE Phonetically EH-seh Silla (Silla)
Sol (Sun)
s
(It sounds like the English letter
"S") El sol esta brillando hoy (The sun is
shining today)
La silla es de madera. (The chair is of
wood.)

Tomate (Tomato)
Taza (Cup)
Teléfono (Phone)
Tiger (Tiger)
TEH or TAY (It’s softer in sound Tenedor (Fork)
t
to the english T. Like ‘t’ in ‘table’)
Mañana te llamaré por teléfono.
(Tomorrow I will call you over the phone.)
La taza de té esté caliente. (The tea cup is
hot)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Uva (Grape)
Uña (Nail)
Unicornio (Unicorn)
Universo (Universe)
Util (Useful)
u OOH (Like ‘oo’ in ‘food’)

La uva está en el viñedo. (The grape is in

the vineyard)
El universo se sigue expandiendo (The
universe continues to expand)

Vaso (Glass)
Vaca (Cow)
Ventana (Window)
OOH-bay (This letter sounds Viento (Wind)
much like the Spanish b. The lips Vino (Wine)
v
do not touch and there is less
aspiration.) Quiero un vaso con agua. (I want a glass of
water)
El viento sopla fuerte (The wind blows
strong)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Whisky (Whisky)
Wi-fi (Wi-fi)
DOH-blay OOH-bay (This letter is Waffle (Waffle)
not native to Spanish most of the Web (Web)
words with this letter come from Watt (Watt)
w
different languages.)
La web es muy grande. (The web is very
(sounds similar to English ‘w’.) big.)
Quiero la clave del wi-fi. (I want the wi-fi
password.)

Xilofonista (A person who plays the

EH-kees (This letter is xylophone)
x pronounced like the ‘ks’ in
‘socks’.) El xilofonista es muy talentoso. (The
xylophone player is very talented.)

Yate (Yacht)
Yeso (Cast)
YAY (or ‘i griega’ in spanish)
Yegua (Mare)
Yema (Egg yolk)
(Most of the time, this letter
Yelmo (Helmet)
y sounds like the ‘y’ in English
‘yes’. At the end of a word, it
El yelmo estaba en el suelo (The helmet
sounds like the letter i in
was on the floor)
spanish.)
Me compre un yate lujoso. (I bought a
luxurious yacht.)

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Pronunciation in English & Tips Words in Spanish w/ this Sound

Letter
for Pronouncing (translation in English)

Zebra (Zebra)
Zapato (Shoe)
Zanahoria (Carrot)
ZETA (Sounds just like s, but can
Zorro (Fox)
z sound like the th in English in
Zurdo (Left handed)
parts of Spain.)

Migue es zurdo. (Miguel is left handed)

¿Donde esté el zorro? (Where is the fox?)

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