Spanish Pronunciation Guide

Essential guide to Spanish pronunciation, accent rules, and common challenges for English speakers.

Vowels (Always Pure)

Spanish has 5 vowel sounds that never change:

A - like "a" in "father": casa, mañana E - like "e" in "bet": mesa, leche I - like "ee" in "see": sí, niño O - like "o" in "hope" (but shorter): como, loco U - like "oo" in "food": uno, tú

No diphthongs like English "make" (may-eek). Spanish se is one pure sound.

Challenging Consonants

R (single) - soft tap (tongue touches roof of mouth once): pero, caro, tres

RR (double/initial R) - strong trill: perro, rosa, carro

J/G (before e/i) - like strong "h" in "hat": jardín, gente, gitano

Ñ - like "ny" in "canyon": mañana, niño, España

LL - varies by region (often like English "y"): llamar, calle, lluvia

H - always silent: hola, hacer, ahora

V - same as B (lips together, not teeth): vino, vaca (sounds like bino, baca)

Accent Rules

Words ending in vowel, N, or S: Stress second-to-last syllable: hablan, casas, come

Words ending in consonant (except N/S): Stress last syllable: hablar, comer, verdad

Accents break these rules: café, médico, canción, mamá

Question words always have accents: ¿qué?, ¿cómo?, ¿dónde?

Regional Variations

Spain (Castilian):

• C/Z before e/i → "th" sound: gracias (gra-thee-as)
• LL often distinct from Y

Latin America:

• C/Z → "s" sound: gracias (gra-see-as)
• LL → Y sound: llamar = yamar

Argentina/Uruguay:

• LL/Y → "sh/zh" sound: yo (sho), calle (ca-she)

Common Mistakes (English Speakers)

❌ España (es-PAN-ya) → ✓ (es-PA-ña) ❌ Silent vowels → ✓ Pronounce every vowel ❌ "Jell-OH" → ✓ hola (OH-la) - H is silent ❌ Diphthongs in vowels → ✓ Pure vowel sounds

Linking (Enlace)

Spanish links words smoothly:

¿Cómo estás? sounds like: ¿Có-moes-tás? Mi amigo sounds like: Mia-mi-go

Practice Tips

• Exaggerate pure vowels at first
• Practice R/RR distinction daily
• Listen to native speakers and mimic
• Record yourself and compare
• Don't be afraid to sound "different"

Practice