Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation
The Spanish language uses the Latin script and includes 27 letters. Here we will explore each letter, including its name in Spanish, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) notation, and a pronunciation guide.
Alphabet Table
| Letter | Spanish Name | IPA | Pronunciation Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| A a | a | /a/ | Similar to 'ah' in "father" |
| B b | be | /b/ | Similar to 'b' in "boy" |
| C c | ce | /k/, /s/ | 'k' before 'a', 'o', 'u'; 's' before 'e', 'i' |
| D d | de | /d/ | Similar to 'd' in "dog" |
| E e | e | /e/ | Similar to 'e' in "met" |
| F f | efe | /f/ | Similar to 'f' in "fine" |
| G g | ge | /g/, /x/ | 'g' before 'a', 'o', 'u'; 'h' sound before 'e', 'i' |
| H h | hache | Silent | Always silent |
| I i | i | /i/ | Similar to 'ee' in "see" |
| J j | jota | /x/ | Similar to 'h' in "loch" (Scottish) |
| K k | ka | /k/ | Similar to 'k' in "kite" |
| L l | ele | /l/ | Similar to 'l' in "lamp" |
| M m | eme | /m/ | Similar to 'm' in "man" |
| N n | ene | /n/ | Similar to 'n' in "nose" |
| Ñ ñ | eñe | /ɲ/ | Similar to 'ni' in "onion" |
| O o | o | /o/ | Similar to 'o' in "sort" |
| P p | pe | /p/ | Similar to 'p' in "spot" |
| Q q | cu | /k/ | Always used with 'u', as in "queue" |
| R r | erre | /r/, /ɾ/ | Trilled 'r' in "perro", tapped 'r' in "caro" |
| S s | ese | /s/ | Similar to 's' in "salsa" |
| T t | te | /t/ | Similar to 't' in "stop" |
| U u | u | /u/ | Similar to 'oo' in "loop" |
| V v | uve | /b/ | Pronounced like 'b' in "bat" |
| W w | uve doble | /w/ | Used in foreign words, similar to 'w' in "wow" |
| X x | equis | /ks/, /s/ | 'ks' in "examine", 's' in "Xilófono" |
| Y y | ye | /ʝ/, /i/ | Pronounced as 'y' in "yes" or 'ee' in "easy" |
| Z z | zeta | /θ/ | Like 'th' in "thin" (in Spain), like 's' in "sad" elsewhere |
Notes:
- C c: Before 'e' or 'i', it is pronounced like an English 's' in most Spanish-speaking regions — except for Spain, where it is pronounced like 'th' in "thin".
- Ch ch: Historically considered a separate letter, pronounced like 'ch' in "much".
- G g: Before 'e' or 'i', pronounced like the 'h' in "hat" or the 'ch' in "loch" (Scottish).
- H h: Always silent, no pronunciation (except in some loanwords).
- J j: A strong aspirated sound, much like the Scottish 'loch'.
- Ll ll: Historically considered a separate letter, pronounced like 'y' in "yes".
- R r:
- A single 'r' at the beginning of a word or after 'l', 'n', 's', or another 'r' is trilled (strongly vibrated).
- A single 'r' elsewhere is a single tap.
- Double 'rr' is always strongly trilled.
- U u: Silent when it follows a 'G' and precedes an 'e' or 'i', unless marked with a diaeresis (ü), such as in "güero".
- V v: Typically pronounced like 'b' as in "bat".
- X x: Typically 'ks', but can sound like 's' at the beginning of words.
- Z z: Pronounced like 'th' in thin in Spain; otherwise, pronounced like 's'.
- Accents: Acute accents (á, é, í, ó, ú) indicate stressed vowels.