The important thing to remember about Spanish pronunciation is that it is phonetic. Every letter (or letter combination) makes a specific sound and one sound only. This makes Spanish much easier than English (think of all of the ways to make the "f" sound: "f, ff, gh, ph, pf, etc.) but still a challenge as we adjust from our pronunciation to theirs.
Follow these steps to begin a strong foundation of Spanish pronunciation:
Read along with the visual below as you hear the names of letters and a sample word for each letter. You may wish to repeat this several times.
Remember the following suggestions for improving your pronunciation:
Vowels: The vowels are the most difficult to get correct, because they are the simplest (only one sound, right?)
A (like father)
E (like let or café)
I (like ski)
O (like go)
U (like June or boot)
multi-letter combinations:
ch = pronounced like English, only softer - chile
gue = pronounced as a hard "g" (the u is silent) - gay; guerra
gui = pronounced like a hard "g" (the u is silent) - guitarra
ll = pronounced like an English "y" - llama
que = pronounced like the English "k" (the u is silent) - kay; queso
qui = pronounced like the English "k" (the u is silent) - key; quito
rr = rolled (remember the motorboat sound?) - burro
Consonants which are not similar to English:
The spelling chart:
English sound
o
a
u
i
e
"g" (hard)
go
ga
gu
gui
gue
"h"
jo
ja
ju
gi
ge
"k"
co
ca
cu
qui
que
"s" (soft in Spain)
zo
za
zu
ci
ce
c = makes a "k" sound if followed by a, o, u or a consonant- casa, conejo, culebra
c = makes an "s" sound if followed by e or i - césped, círculo
g = makes a hard "g" sound if followed by a, o, u or a consonant - garaje, amigo, gusto
g = makes an English "h" sound if followed by e or i - gelatina, gimnasio
h = always silent - hola
j = makes the English "h" sound - fajita
ñ = makes a sound similar to the ny in canyon (cañon)
r = Rolled (rr) at the beginning of a word. In the middle of a word, it is similar to the "tt" sound in "butter" - almost a light "d" sound.
b / v = identical. Like a hard "b" sound if at the beginning of the word. In the middle of the word, it is very soft with no teeth. Lips almost touch, but not quite.
w = just like English (not really used in Spanish)
x = similar to English except in words of Aztec origin, such as "México" in which it can be pronounced as an hard "h" sound.
y = just like the Spanish "i" if used alone or at the end of the word. More like an English "y" in other positions.
z = just like an "s" (no buzz)
Now, go back and listen to the sample file
again. Repeat the words after the speaker.
