One of the hardest things about learning a language can be trying to get your head (or rather your tongue) around the pronunciation. The key tip to keep in mind when speaking Spanish is that for the vast majority of the time, the letters will be pronounced just as they would be in English. Seriously! If you just say what you see, that will work for most words. However, there are a few letters that are pronounced differently, and with practice you’ll gain more confidence saying them.
In reality, the best way to get more confident when it comes to Spanish pronunciation is to listen, repeat and practise. So read on to learn the rules of pronunciation, listen to the sound files and repeat the letters and words. You’ll find it much easier after!
The rules in a nutshell…
- Pronounce V as bee
- Say LL as yuh
- Ñ is nyuh
- C can be th (soft) or kuh (hard)
- G can be ghuh (soft) or guh (hard)
- Pronounce J like a soft G (ghuh)
- Y on its own means ‘and‘. It is pronounced ee.
- Pronounce E as eh and you should say it out loud, even when on the end of a word
- H is silent except after C when it is ch
- U is usually silent after Q or between g and i or g and e
Read on for more explanations and to see and hear these letters in action…
Pronounce V as bee
It will usually sound like a stronger ‘bee’ when at the start of a sentence.
Wine = Vino (bee-noh)
Say LL as yuh
LL is an actual letter in the Spanish alphabet (they have a couple extra to us).
In some Spanish speaking countries they sometimes pronounce this more of a (jyuh)
I’m called (I call myself) = Me llamo (may yah-moh / may jyah-moh)
Ñ is nyuh
Ñ is an extra letter in the Spanish alphabet.
In some words if you mispronounce it, it’s not a big deal, but in others it can change the actual word.
The year = el año (an-yoh)
This is one to get right as ‘ano’ means something very different!
C can be th (soft) or kuh (hard)
‘Th’ is considered a soft C and I some Spanish speaking countries you are more likely to here this pronounced as a S (as in snake).
When we pronounce the C as a kuh it is called a hard C.
The one to choose depends on the vowel that follows the letter C.
C + e or i = soft C
The cinema = El cine (el thin-ey) (el si-ney)
C + a, o or u = hard C
My bed = Mi cama (mee kah-mah)
Don’t get bogged down with over thinking this rule. It’s no different to English. We have soft and hard C so just go with your gut (as though it were an English word)… I.e. circle (soft C) card (hard C) .
Save these rules for if you actually get tongue tied. Usually, you’ll be able to tell if you are using the wrong pronunciation because you’ll struggle to get the letters out fluidly.
G can also be hard (guh) or soft (ghuh)
Ghuh is considered a soft G:
Guh is considered a hard G:
We have soft and hard Gs in English so don’t let this boggle your brain.
The soft G (ghuh) sounds like you have something stuck in the back of your throat. It can be tricky to pronounce so if you struggle to pronounce the soft G just pronounce it as ‘huh’ as in ‘happy’.
I.e. My twin = Mi gemelo (mee heh-meh-loh)
As in English, the sound changes depending on the vowel that comes after the G.
G + i or e = soft G
The people = La gente (lah ghen-teh)
G + o, a or u = hard G
A rubber = Una goma (oon-ah goh-mah)
Note:
When G is followed by a consonant (few occasions anyway) it will always be hard. I.e. grande/globo/gnomo.
Finally, as with the notes on ‘C’, don’t overthink the ‘G’, but instead just go with your gut as though you were saying an English word. You’ll most likely get it right!
J is pronounced like ‘ghuh‘ / ‘huh‘ (Like a soft G)
J can be tricky to pronounce. It’s like the soft G. You say it from the back of your throat and it sounds like something is stuck.
If you struggle pronounce the ‘ghuh’ just use ‘huh’.
I.e.
The garden = El jardín (el ghar-deen / har-deen)
The box = La caja (lah cah-ghah / cah- hah)
Y as a word means ‘and’. It is pronounced ‘ee‘
Y is a word on its on and it means and. When you say this it is pronounced ‘ee’.
I.e.
And you? (Formal)= ¿Y usted? (ee oo-sted)
When Y is part of a word, it is pronounced the same as in English, like a ‘yuh’.
I.e.
A yacht = Un yate (oon yah-teh)
To help = Ayudar (ah-yoo-dar)
E is pronounced ‘eh‘ not ‘ee’
E is not over complex and when saying is at part of a word it generally is pronounced like English.
I.e.
The entrance = La entrada (lah en-trah-dah)
The only thing to keep in mind is that when it is the last letter in a sentence you still need to pronounce it out loud, which is not the same as in English.
I.e.
A cable = Un cable (oon cah-bleh)
Note: the only exception to the rule of pronouncing the ‘e’ at the end is if it is a borrowed word from another language or maybe a non Spanish name you might non pronounce it so that the original doesn’t change.
Silent letters
H is silent unless it is after a C. When after a C it is a ‘ch’ like in ‘much’ (mucho).
Example of when it is silent:
A hotel = Un hotel (oon oh-tel)
The alcohol =El alcohol (el al-co-ol)
U is normally pronounced ‘oo‘ (as in boo) but it is silent after a Q (i.e. que) or if it’s in between G and E (i.e. guerra) or (guía).
I.e.
I think that… = Pienso que… (pee-en-so keh)
Because = Porque (por-keh)
The war = La guerra (lah geh-rah)
The guidebook = La guía (lah gee-ah)
Be aware that Ü is not silent!
Now and again you will come across a Ü and when you see the Ü it means that you have to pronounce it. There are very few word like this is Spanish.
You may find Ü in between g and e (i.e. vergüenza = shame) :
You’ll might also find Ü in between g and i (i.e. lingüistico= linguistic).
Borrowed words with silent letters:
You will occasionally come across other words, with silent letters, that are borrowed from other languages. These work similarly to how they do in English.
I.e. Silent P
Psychology = Psicología (see-coh-loh-ghee-ah)
At the end of the day…
Practice makes perfect! The more you practise the more confident you will become and the better you pronunciation will be. If you’d like some tips on how to increase your opportunities to practise speaking Spanish, take a look at 7 ways to improve your confidence and accuracy in Spanish.
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