Spanish Pronunciation Guide

Learn the basic sounds of Spanish and how to pronounce words correctly.

Vowels

Spanish has five pure vowel sounds. Unlike English, each vowel has a single, consistent pronunciation.

a pronounced like the a in father (IPA /a/). Example: casa (house).
e a midfront vowel, similar to the e in bet (IPA /e/). Example: mesa (table).
i a close front vowel, like the ee in see (IPA /i/). Example: vino (wine).
o a closemid back vowel, comparable to the o in go but shorter (IPA /o/). Example: solo (alone).
u a close back vowel, like the oo in food (IPA /u/). Example: luna (moon).

When vowels appear together, they can form diphthongs or hiatuses; the rules for those are covered later.

Consonants

Stops

p, t, k pronounced as in English, but without aspiration. Example: papa (potato).
b, d, g become fricatives between vowels (a soft, breathy sound). Example: abierto (open).

Fricatives

f same as English f. Example: fuego (fire).
s always a voiceless s like in see. Example: casa.
x usually pronounced /ks/ as in examen, but in some words it sounds like /h/ (e.g., Mxico).
j a guttural h sound, similar to the ch in the German Bach (IPA /x/). Example: jugar (to play).

Nasals

m, n same as English. Example: mano, noche.
a palatal nasal like ny in canyon (IPA //). Example: nio (child).

Liquids

l clear l as in light. Example: luna.
r tapped r (single flap) between vowels, as in pero. At the beginning of a word or when doubled (rr), it is a trilled r (alveolar trill). Example: ropa, perro.

Other special sounds

c before a, o, u it sounds /k/. Before e, i it sounds // in Spain (like th in think) or /s/ in Latin America. Example: casa, cena.
g before a, o, u it is /g/. Before e, i it is the same guttural /x/ as j. Example: garra, gente.
z // in Spain, /s/ in Latin America. Example: zapato.

Diphthongs and Hiatus

A diphthong is the glide of two vowel sounds within the same syllable. Spanish diphthongs are formed with a strong vowel (a, e, o) and a weak vowel (i, u) or two weak vowels.

Strong + Weak: tierra (ti-er-ra), pausa (pau-sa).
Weak + Strong: cuidado (cui-da-do), ciudad (ciu-dad).
Weak + Weak: viuda (viu-da), cauto (cau-to).

A hiatus occurs when two strong vowels appear together or a weak vowel bears a stress and is next to another vowel, causing them to be pronounced in separate syllables.

Strong + Strong: poeta (po-e-ta), raz (ra-z).
Stressed weak vowel + any vowel: da (d-a), bal (ba-l).

Stress and Accent Marks

Spanish words are normally stressed on the penultimate (secondtolast) syllable. An acute accent () indicates an exception.

Ends in a vowel, n, or s stress on the penultimate syllable (e.g., casa, cantar).
Ends in any other consonant stress on the last syllable (e.g., ciudad, hotel).
Accent mark forces stress on the marked syllable, regardless of the rule (e.g., caf, rbol).

Pronunciation tip

When you see an accent on a weak vowel (i or u) in a diphthong, it breaks the diphthong and creates a hiatus, so both vowels are pronounced separately.

Example: pas (pa-s) vs. paisaje (pai-sa-je).

Common Pitfalls for English Speakers

Silent h never pronounced, but it can affect the stress of the following syllable (e.g., hablar).
b and v indistinguishable in most dialects; both are usually a soft bilabial fricative between vowels.
ll and y in many regions they sound the same (a y sound), but in parts of Argentina they are pronounced as a voiced palatal fricative //.
r at the end of a syllable often softened, sounding almost like an English r but shorter.
s before a vowel or at the end of a word rarely aspirated; keep it crisp.