The Spanish Alphabet With Teacher Michael

The Spanish alphabet has 27 letters: the 26 English letters plus ñ. Most sound close to English, but the h is silent, the j sounds like a strong h, ll and y sound like the y in “yes” in most of Latin America, and rr is rolled.

Introduction to the Spanish Alphabet

Welcome to our blog about the Spanish alphabet! If you’re an English speaker looking to learn Spanish, understanding the alphabet is a great starting point. While many letters are familiar, some have unique pronunciations and additional characters. Let’s dive in!

A: A (ah)

First, the first letter is pronounced like the “a” in “father.” It’s an open sound, used frequently in Spanish words.

B: Be (beh)

In Spanish, the letter “B” can sound like the English “b” or sometimes softer, especially between vowels. Examples include “bueno” (good) and “abeja” (bee).

C: Ce (seh)

The pronunciation of “C” depends on the following vowel. Before “e” or “i,” it sounds like “th” in “think” (in Spain) or “s” in Latin America. In other cases, it’s pronounced like “k.” Examples: “cielo” (sky) and “casa” (house).

D: De (deh)

The letter “D” is pronounced like the English “d,” but softer, especially at the end of words. Examples: “día” (day) and “dedo” (finger).

E: E (eh)

This letter is pronounced like the “e” in “met.” It’s a simple, straightforward sound. Examples: “es” (is) and “elefante” (elephant).

F: Efe (eh-feh)

The “F” is pronounced similarly to English, as in “fuego” (fire) or “familia” (family).

G: Ge (heh)

“G” can be tricky! Before “e” or “i,” it sounds like the “h” in “hello.” In other cases, it sounds like “g” in “go.” Examples: “gato” (cat) and “gente” (people).

H: Hache (ah-cheh)

The “H” is silent in Spanish, so words like “hola” (hello) and “hombre” (man) won’t sound like they start with an “h.”

I: I (ee)

Pronounced like the “ee” in “see,” this vowel is clear and consistent. Examples: “isla” (island) and “niño” (boy).

J: Jota (ho-tah)

The “J” has a strong, guttural sound, like the “h” in “house” but more pronounced. Example: “jugar” (to play).

K: Ka (kah)

“K” is used mainly in foreign words. It’s pronounced like in English. Example: “kilómetro” (kilometer).

L: Ele (eh-leh)

Similar to the English “l.” Examples: “luna” (moon) and “libro” (book).

M: Eme (eh-meh)

Pronounced just like the English “m.” Examples: “madre” (mother) and “mesa” (table).

N: Ene (eh-neh)

“N” sounds like in English

Ñ: (eñe)

Like “n” but a little different. Pronounced “ny” as in “canyon.” Example: “niña” (girl).

O: O (oh)

This vowel sounds like the “o” in “more,” but without the “r” sound at the end. Examples: “oro” (gold) and “olla” (pot).

P: Pe (peh)

The “P” is similar to English but often softer. Examples: “pueblo” (town) and “papá” (dad).

Q: Cu (koo)

The “Q” is always followed by a “u” and sounds like “k.” Example: “queso” (cheese).

R: Erre (eh-rreh)

The “R” is rolled or trilled, especially at the beginning of words. Example: “ratón” (mouse). A single “r” between vowels is softer, like in “pero” (but).

S: Ese (eh-seh)

Pronounced like the English “s.” Examples: “sol” (sun) and “silla” (chair).

T: Te (teh)

Similar to the English “t,” but with a softer touch. Example: “tigre” (tiger).

U: U (oo)

Sounds like “oo” in “food.” Examples: “uno” (one) and “luz” (light).

V: Ve (beh)

The “V” can sound similar to “b” in some regions, making it softer. Example: “viento” (wind).

W: Doble ve (doh-bleh beh)

This letter is not native to Spanish and is used mainly in foreign words. Example: “wáter” (toilet).

X: Equis (eh-kees)

Pronounced like the English “x” as in “box.” Example: “texto” (text).

Y: I griega (ee gree-eh-gah)

This letter sounds like “ee” or “y” depending on the context. Example: “yogur” (yogurt).

Z: Zeta (seh-tah)

In Spain, “Z” sounds like “th” in “think,” while in Latin America, it’s pronounced like “s.” Example: “zapato” (shoe).

Listen to professor Michael and practice your alphabet Spanish pronunciation

Video transcript

Hola, amigos, Michael here with Speak Better Spanish again. And today we are going to talk about the alphabet. Now, unlike in English, Spanish is a very phonetic language, which means that studying how to say the letters is going to go far when it comes to pronouncing them. So, with that being said, here is the Spanish alphabet, or el abecedario. Let's go ahead and hear how the letters are pronounced. 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. Okay, very good.

So, a couple of things to note here. You might have heard or noticed that both B and V are pronounced the same. That means, for us English speakers, B and V. Now, to differentiate between those two, we have a few options. So, with our letter B, you could say B grande, B larga, or you could just give an example when you were spelling a word. And you could say something as in B de burro, or B as in donkey. So, or B as in burro. Same goes with V. As you see here written, it is sometimes pronounced uve, or called uve, I should say.

And we can also call it be corta, be pequeña, be chica. And we can also use an example just like with B when we're spelling it. So, we can say something like be de vaca, or V as in cow. Okay, something else you might have noticed, if you have been learning Spanish for a while, is that we no longer have, according to the Royal Academy of Spanish, the letters CH, or che, or the double L, elle, or a distinction between ere and erre in the alphabet. Now, that doesn't mean that those sounds have gone away, they're just no longer included in el abecedario.

So, just wanted to say that in case you either learned the alphabet more than 15 years ago, or if you come across an older dictionary or something that might have CH, che, or elle as their own letter entry in the dictionary. Okay, so that's going to be it for today. If you have any questions, you can go ahead and put them in the comments, or if you have any other creative ways for differentiating between how we spell with the letters B and V, you can also go ahead and put those in the comments. If you would like to take a class with me on pronunciation or grammar or anything else Spanish related, you can with us at Speak Better Spanish.

We can also get you set up with a free consultation with Hannah, and that will get you kind of set up, and we can explain how our process is and talk with you about what your learning goals are. Thank you very much. Hasta luego.

More Resources on the Spanish Alphabet and Learning Spanish

Learning the Spanish alphabet is a crucial first step in mastering the language. Each letter has its own unique sound, and understanding these will help you with pronunciation and spelling. Happy learning, and stay tuned for more tips on your Spanish journey!

If you like this blog post, learn more about Michael and his teaching style here or view another video he made about the verbal stress on Spanish words!

If you want to practice this out loud with a coach, book a free Spanish Roadmap Session or see Spanish coaching for adult beginners.

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