Spanish has one of the easiest alphabets to learn and pronounce. The spelling is very simple to master and understand. Remember that spelling advice that never helped in English? "Sound it out?" Well, that advice works great with Spanish. Let's learn the alphabet, my friends. Pronunciations of the letter names are used with Spanish phonics.
Aa
Name of letter: Ah
Pronunciation: a as in father
Bb
Name of letter: Beh
Pronunciation: Just like the English b
Cc
Name of letter: seh
Pronunciation: this letter sounds like c as in cat, but before i or e it sounds like c as in receive.
Ch ch
Name of letter: Che
Pronunciation: ch as in cheese
Dd
Name of letter: deh
Pronunciation: Like the English d, except you press your tongue against the backs of your front teeth instead of the roof of your mouth.
Ee
Name of Letter: eh
Pronunciation: like the e in net
Ff
Name of letter: efe
Pronunciation: like the English f.
Gg
Name of letter: geh
Pronunciation: In most cases, like g as in go, but before i or e, a harsh English j. If you can't pronounce it, you can get by with pronouncing it g as in gentle.
Hh
Name of letter: hache (pronounced "ah-chay")
Pronunciation: This letter is silent in every case except for foreign words and names.
Ii
Name of letter: ee
Pronunciation: Like the i in pronunciation.
Jj
Name of letter: jota (pronounced "hoe-tuh")
Pronunciation: Like the English h.
Kk
Name of letter: ca (pronounced "ka")
Pronunciation: This is not a common Spanish letter, but it sounds like the English K.
Ll
Name of letter: ele
Pronunciation: Like the English L.
Ll ll
Name of letter: elle
Pronunciation: Like the Ll in tortilla
Mm
Name of letter: eme
Pronunciation: Like the English m.
Nn
Name of letter: ene
Pronunciation: Like the English n, except you push your tongue against your two front teeth instead of the roof of your mouth.
Ññ
Name of letter: eñe
Pronunciation: Like the ny in canyon or the ñ in piñata.
Oo
Name of letter: o
Pronunciation: Sounds like o as in go, but shorter.
Pp
Name of letter: peh
Pronunciation: like the English p.
Qq
Name of letter: cu
Pronunciation: Always followed by u and sounds like the English k.
Rr
Name of letter: ere
Pronunciation: Like a slightly rolled English r.
Rr rr
Name of letter: erre
Pronunciation: Like a heavily rolled English r. If you can't pronounce it, you're not alone, and you'll still be understood.
Ss
Name of letter: ese
Pronunciation: Like the English s.
Tt
Name of letter: teh
Pronunciation: Like the English t, except you press your tongue to the backs of your teeth except the roof of your mouth.
Uu
Name of letter: oo
Pronunciation: Like the u in sue.
Vv
Name of letter: veh
Pronunciation: Like the v in violet.
Ww
Name of letter: doble ve (doe-bley-veh)
Pronunciation: like the English W.
Xx
Name of letter: equis (eh-keys)
Pronunciation: like the English x, although some people from Spain pronounce it as a raspy English h.
Yy
Name of letter: ee-griega (ee-gree-ay-guh)
Pronunciation: Alone, this letter will sound like "ee" and mean "and", but in other cases, it sounds like the English y.
Zz
Name of letter: zeta (say-tuh)
Pronunciation: In Spain, it is pronounced "th" as in thin, but in Latin America it sounds like the English s.
YOU ARE READING
Language Bites, Volume I: Spanish ✔
Non-FictionEver wanted to learn Spanish? Are you stuck on past tense preterite, are you tired of stupid teaching methods, or needed to practice your vocabulary? What about strengthening your conversational skills through interacting online with real people who...
