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Foundations & BasicsbeginnerCEFR A1

Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation

📋Overview🏗️Structure💡Examples⚠️Common Mistakes🧠Quiz📚Useful Resources

What You'll Learn

  • A1 Essential: Recognise all 27 Spanish letters and their names
  • Pronounce the 5 Spanish vowels (a, e, i, o, u) with clear, consistent sounds
  • Master unique Spanish sounds: ñ (like canyon), ll (like yes), rr (rolled r)
  • Understand that h is always silent and j sounds like English h
  • Read simple Spanish words with correct pronunciation
  • Distinguish Spanish sounds from similar-looking English letters

Overview / Usage

The Spanish alphabet has 27 letters - the same 26 as English plus the special letter ñ. The good news? Spanish pronunciation is much more consistent than English - each letter usually makes the same sound every time!

🎯 A1 Focus: The 5 Most Important Differences from English

  1. H is always silent - hola sounds like "ola"
  2. J sounds like English H - jamón sounds like "hamon"
  3. Ñ is a new sound - like "ny" in canyon
  4. LL sounds like Y - calle sounds like "caye"
  5. RR is rolled - a trilled sound that doesn't exist in English

Master these 5 differences and you'll avoid 90% of pronunciation mistakes!

💡 Why Spanish is Easier Than English

In English, the letter 'a' can sound different in "cat", "cake", "father", and "about". In Spanish, 'a' always sounds like "ah" (as in "father"). This consistency makes Spanish much easier to read aloud!

Structure & Formation

📝 The Spanish Alphabet Organization

The Spanish alphabet is organised as follows:

Vowels (5 letters)

A, E, I, O, U

Always pronounced clearly and consistently

Consonants (22 letters)

B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, Ñ, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z

Most have consistent pronunciation rules

🔤 Complete Spanish Alphabet

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N Ñ O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Total: 27 letters (including Ñ)

A (a)
ah (as in "father")
B (be)
beh
C (ce)
seh ("k" before a/o/u; "th/s" before e/i)
D (de)
deh
E (e)
eh (short "e" like in "bet")
F (efe)
EH-feh
G (ge)
heh ("g" as in "go" before a/o/u; like "ch" in "loch" before e/i)
H (hache)
AH-che (always silent)
I (i)
ee (as in "see")
J (jota)
HOH-tah (like Scottish "loch" or German "Bach")
K (ka)
kah
L (ele)
EH-leh
M (eme)
EH-meh
N (ene)
EH-neh
Ñ (eñe)
EN-yeh (like "ny" in canyon)
O (o)
oh (pure "o" sound)
P (pe)
peh
Q (cu)
koo (always followed by "ue" or "ui")
R (erre)
EH-rreh (tapped/flipped)
S (ese)
EH-seh
T (te)
teh
U (u)
oo (as in "food")
V (uve)
oo-beh (sounds like soft "b")
W (uve doble)
oo-beh DOH-bleh (rare, in foreign words)
X (equis)
EH-kees (like "ks" or "h" in some words)
Y (i griega)
ee GREE-eh-gah ("ee" or consonant "y")
Z (zeta)
SEH-tah ("th" in Spain, "s" in Latin America)

💡 Tip: Spanish letter names are pronounced consistently - this helps with spelling!

🔤 Interactive Spanish Alphabet

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Click any letter to jump to its pronunciation, or use the play button to hear the complete alphabet.

📄 Download Study Guide

Get a comprehensive PDF study guide with all alphabet information, pronunciation guides, and practice exercises.

⭐ Special Letters

Ñ (eñe): Unique to Spanish, pronounced like 'ny' in 'canyon'  
LL (elle): Traditionally pronounced like 'y' in 'yes' in most regions  
RR (erre): Rolled 'r' sound, stronger than single 'r'  

Examples

🅰️ Letter Pronunciation Examples

Vowels
A - like 'a' in 'father'
casa, mapa
/KAH-sah/, /MAH-pah/
E - like 'e' in 'bed'
mesa, verde
/MEH-sah/, /BEHR-deh/
I - like 'ee' in 'see'
libro, fin
/LEE-broh/, /feen/
O - like 'o' in 'go'
hola, dos
/OH-lah/, /dohs/
U - like 'oo' in 'moon'
luna, uno
/LOO-nah/, /OO-noh/
Key Consonants
J - like 'h' in 'huge'
jamón, trabajo
/hah-MOHN/, /trah-BAH-hoh/
H - always silent
hola, hora
/OH-lah/, /OH-rah/
Ñ - like 'ny' in 'canyon'
niño, año
/NEE-nyoh/, /AH-nyoh/
LL - like 'y' in 'yes'
llave, calle
/YAH-veh/, /KAH-yeh/
RR - rolled 'r'
perro, carro
/PEH-rroh/ (rolled r), /KAH-rroh/

📝 Common Words for Practice

Hola(hello)
/OH-lah/ - Notice the silent 'h'
Niño(child)
/NEE-nyoh/ - Practice the 'ñ' sound
Perro(dog)
/PEH-rroh/ - Roll the 'rr'
Jamón(ham)
/hah-MOHN/ - 'j' sounds like 'h'
Calle(street)
/KAH-yeh/ - 'll' sounds like 'y'

Gotchas / Common Mistakes

⚠️ Common Pronunciation Mistakes

❌ English Pronunciation
  • Pronouncing 'h' like English 'h' (it's silent)
  • Pronouncing 'j' like English 'j' (it's like 'h')
  • Not rolling 'r' sounds
  • Pronouncing 'll' like English 'll'
  • Not distinguishing between 'ñ' and 'n'
✅ Correct Spanish Pronunciation
  • Always silent 'h' (hola = ola)
  • 'j' like 'h' in 'huge' (jamón)
  • Rolled 'r' for 'rr' and 'r' at start
  • 'll' like 'y' in 'yes' (calle = caye)
  • 'ñ' like 'ny' in 'canyon' (niño)

▶🌍 Advanced Note: Regional Variations(Optional - A1 learners can skip this)

While learning standard Spanish pronunciation is perfect for A1, be aware that pronunciation can vary by region:

Spain: 'z' and 'c' (before 'e'/'i') pronounced like 'th' in 'think'
Latin America: 'z' and 'c' (before 'e'/'i') pronounced like 's'
Argentina/Uruguay: 'll' and 'y' pronounced like 'sh' in 'ship'

A1 Tip: Don't worry about these variations yet. Focus on standard pronunciation first!

▶💡 Did You Know? The Spanish Alphabet Used to Have 29 Letters!(Click to learn more)

Until 2010, the Spanish alphabet had 29 letters! The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) officially removed CH, LL, and RR as separate letters, reducing the alphabet to 27 letters.

What this means for learners:
  • CH is now alphabetized under C (like "chocolate" comes after "casa")
  • LL is now alphabetized under L (like "llave" comes after "libro")
  • RR was never used at the start of words anyway
  • These combinations still exist and sound the same - they're just not separate letters

Why does this matter? If you're using older Spanish textbooks or dictionaries (pre-2010), you might see words with CH and LL listed in separate sections. Modern materials follow the current 27-letter system.

📍 What About Accented Letters?

You might see letters like á, é, í, ó, ú in Spanish words. These are not separate letters - they're the same vowels with accent marks to show stress and syllable emphasis.

Examples:
  • café (coffee) - accent on final E
  • teléfono (telephone) - accent on second E
  • música (music) - accent on first U
  • matemáticas (mathematics) - accent on A

These accent marks (called tildes) are crucial for proper pronunciation and meaning. They tell you which syllable to stress when speaking.

Ready to master Spanish stress and syllables?
Learn when and how to use accent marks with our comprehensive guide

Quick Test / Mini Quiz

📝 Spanish Alphabet Quiz

Test your knowledge of Spanish pronunciation!

1

How do you pronounce the letter 'ñ' in Spanish?

2

Which letter is pronounced like the 'h' in 'hello'?

3

How do you pronounce 'll' in most Spanish-speaking countries?

4

Which letters are pronounced like the 'th' in 'think' in Spain?

5

How many letters are in the Spanish alphabet?

6

In Spanish, which letter is ALWAYS silent?

7

How is the letter 'J' pronounced in Spanish?

8

Which Spanish vowel sounds like 'oo' in 'food'?