The Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation
The Spanish alphabet is familiar to English speakers, but the pronunciation rules are different. Spanish spelling is more predictable than English, so once you learn the main sounds, reading aloud becomes much easier.
The Spanish alphabet
Spanish uses the same basic alphabet as English plus ñ, called eñe.
| Letter | Spanish name | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A | a | agua |
| B | be | barco |
| C | ce | casa |
| D | de | día |
| E | e | elefante |
| F | efe | familia |
| G | ge | gato |
| H | hache | hola |
| I | i | isla |
| J | jota | jugar |
| K | ka | kilo |
| L | ele | luna |
| M | eme | mano |
| N | ene | noche |
| Ñ | eñe | niño |
| O | o | ojo |
| P | pe | pan |
| Q | cu | queso |
| R | erre | rojo |
| S | ese | sol |
| T | te | tarde |
| U | u | uno |
| V | uve | vino |
| W | uve doble | web |
| X | equis | examen |
| Y | ye | yo |
| Z | zeta | zapato |
Note: this table avoids relying on English-style phonetic spellings, because English vowel spellings can mislead you. The most important rule is that Spanish vowels stay clean and consistent.
The five Spanish vowels
Spanish vowels are shorter and steadier than English vowels:
- a like the vowel in “father”
- e like a clean “eh”
- i like “ee”
- o like a clean “oh”
- u like “oo”
Do not turn them into English diphthongs. no should not sound like English “no” with a glide at the end.
Spanish sounds English speakers notice
- h is silent. hola starts with the vowel sound.
- j is a strong breathy sound. Think of jugar or José.
- ll and y vary by region. In many places they sound like English “y”; elsewhere they sound closer to “j” or “sh.”
- r can be tapped or rolled. pero and perro are different words.
- b and v are very close in Spanish. Do not force an English v sound.
Accent marks matter
Accent marks show stress and can distinguish words:
- si - if
- sí - yes
- tu - your
- tú - you
They are not decoration. They are part of spelling and meaning.
How to practice pronunciation through reading
Read short Spanish texts while listening to audio. Follow the words with your eyes and copy the rhythm quietly or out loud. This is better than memorizing letter names alone because you hear the letters inside real words.
Verbista gives you that loop: read Spanish at your level, tap words when needed, and listen while you read.
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