Abc In Spanish

Front 1

a

Back 1

ah
Close to "ah." This sound does not exist exactly in English, but a close approximation can be found by saying "my" omitting the last "ee" sound.

Front 2

b

Back 2

beh
After a pause or the letters l, m, or n, it sounds much like an English b. However, in all other cases, the lips do not even touch, producing a more whisper like sound almost close to the pronunciation of the letter v.

Front 3

c

Back 3

ceh
Sounds like k in most cases. Before e or i, it sounds like an s (or th (thick) in many parts of Spain).

Front 4

ch

Back 4

cheh
Sounds like the ch in "cheese" in English.

Front 5

d

Back 5

deh
After a pause or the letters l, m, or n, it sounds much like an English d except you should place your tongue to your upper teeth instead of the roof of your mouth. However, in all other cases, the tongue touches nothing, creating a whispery th sound like "the".

Front 6

e

Back 6

eh
Close to "eh." This sound does not exist exactly in English, but sounds much like the a in mate.

Front 7

f

Back 7

effe
Sounds like the f in English.

Front 8

g

Back 8

ge
After a pause, or the letters l, m, or n, it sounds much like an English g. Before e or i, it sounds like a harsh h (much like the Spanish j).

Front 9

h

Back 9

hache
In general, this sound is silent. However, words with foreign spelling and no Spanish equivalent, the breathy aspiration is maintained: Hawái, Hollywood, etc.
* Many newly introduced words are written in italics to highlight their foreign origin (hámster, hip-hop, etc.).

Front 10

i

Back 10

i
Close to "ee", but short. Before vowels a, e, and o, it forms a y sound.

Front 11

j

Back 11

jota
Close to the English h sound, but it varies from country to country. In some places, the sound is very harsh in the back of the throat (like you are trying to spit something up). It never sounds like the English J.

Front 12

k

Back 12

kah
Uncommon in Spanish, but sounds much like the English k with less breath.

Front 13

l

Back 13

ele
Close to the English l, but with the tongue raised closer to the roof of the mouth rather than dipped down

Front 14

ll

Back 14

elle
While this is not considered a letter anymore by the RAE, it has a distinct y sound (like in use) in most countries. In other countries it can sound like the g in genre.

Front 15

m

Back 15

eme
Just like the English m.

Front 16

n

Back 16

ene
Just like the English n.

Front 17

ñ

Back 17

eñe
A completely separate letter from the n, it sounds much like the ni combination in onion or the ny combination in canyon.

Front 18

o

Back 18

oh
Close to "oh" as in so, but shorter.

Front 19

p

Back 19

peh
Close to the English, but with less breath aspirated

Front 20

q

Back 20

koo
Always followed by the letter u, it makes the same sound as the letter k

Front 21

r

Back 21

ere
Similar to the d sound in caddy in most cases. When following a pause or the letters l, n, or s or in the combination rr, it has a trilled sound.
* To trill the rr, try to say brr, but instead of using your lips, use your tongue. When you exhale, the tongue should be raised and widened so it touches the upper teeth.

Front 22

s

Back 22

ese
Just like the English s.

Front 23

t

Back 23

- te
Softer than the English t, the tongue touches the teeth and there is no explosion of breath after moving the tongue away.

Front 24

u

Back 24

u
Close to the "oo" in food, but shorter.

Front 25

v

Back 25

veh
Much like the Spanish b where the lips do not touch and there is less aspiration.

Front 26

w

Back 26

doble veh
Not native to Spanish, but with the same pronunciation as the English w.

Front 27

x

Back 27

equis
Between vowels and at the end of a word, it sounds like the English ks. At the beginning of a word, it sounds like the letter s.
* Not too long ago, the x sounded more like the letter j which can still be seen in words such as Mexico and Oaxaca.

Front 28

y

Back 28

y griega
Most of the time, it sounds like the English y in yes. At the end of a word, it functions as a vowel and sounds like the letter i.
* Many books in Spain will say the sound is different from the ll, but the difference is small and you will be understood pronouncing both as y

Front 29

z

Back 29

zeta
Mostly pronounced like the English s, but can sound like the th in thin in many parts of Spain.