A Guide to Spanish Pronunciation
Today we’re going to offer a guide to the pronunciation of Spanish vowels, diphthongs (two adjacent vowel sounds occurring within the same syllable), and consonants. Each sound will includes an approximate English equivalent and an example in Spanish. Make sure you check the end of the guide for some important notes on regional differences and others anomalies of Spanish pronunciation.
Vowels
| Spanish Sound | Approximate English Sound | Spanish Example |
| a | father | España |
| e | ace (but cut off sharply) | señor |
| i | fee | día |
| o | note | hotel |
| u | rule | mucho |
| y | feet | y* |
Diphthongs
| Spanish Sound | Approximate English Sound | Spanish Example |
| ai/ay | aisle | Bailar, hay |
| au | now | auto |
| ei | may | peine |
| ia | yarn | gracias |
| ie | yet | siempre |
| io | yodel | adios |
| iu | you | Ciudad, oigo |
| oi/oy | oy | Oigo, estoy |
| ua | wand | cuando |
| ue | wet | bueno |
| ui/uy | sweet | Cuidado, muy |
Consonants**
| Spanish Sound | Approximate English Sound | Spanish Example |
| b/d/l/m/n/p/s/t | functionally equivalent | N/A |
| c* (before e/i) | s (certain) | cena |
| c (before a/o/u) | k (catch) | como |
| cc | cks (accent) | lección |
| ch | ch (church) | mucho |
| g (before a/o/u) | hard g (go) | ganar |
| g (before a/i) | hard h (he) | gente |
| h | silent | hasta |
| j | hard h (he) | jefe |
| ll | Latin America: y (yet) , Spain: lli (million) | polo |
| ñ | ny (canyon) | caña |
| qu | k (kite) | que |
| r | single trill in middle of word (throw) | pero |
| r | double trill at middle of word | rosa |
| rr | double trill | carro |
| v | v (vote) [softer, almost like b] | viernes |
| x | cks (rocks) | taxi |
| z* | s | zona |
Notes:
*Y is only considered a vowel when it stands alone.
**The letters k and w appear in Spanish in foreign words. The k is spelled with the Spanish equivalent qu in some countries. The Spanish w sounds like an English v.
*** Z (as well as c before e or i) is pronounced like the English th in some parts of Spain. Examples: zona, cera, and cinco.
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