Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation Guide: Consonants


As you go through these you will notice that there are a few consonants that do not change in pronunciation in Spanish. They are skipped for this guide for that reason.

"b" AND "v"


The Spanish "b" and "v" are pronounced identically. Sometimes they have a HARD sound, as in the Spanish word "viejo", and sometimes they have a SOFT sound, as in the Spanish word "haber". The "b" and "v" are always pronounced with both lips touching and not with the top teeth touching the bottom lip like the English "v". Compare the hard and soft "b" and "v".

The Hard "b" AND "v" Sample Words
1. ambos - both
2. invitar - to invite
3. investigar - to investigate
4. invitación - invitation
5. ambiente - atmosphere
6. símbolo - symbol 		7. ver - to see
8. vacío - empty; void
9. venir - to come
10. vender - to sell
11. viajar - to travel
12. barco - boat

The Soft "b" AND "v" Sample Words
1. pavo - turkey
2. polvo - dust
3. mover - to move
4. joven - young; youth
5. jabón - soap 		6. urbano - urban
7. fabuloso - fabulous
8. cubierto - covered
9. lubricar - to lubricate
10. subir - to go up 		11. privado - private
12. árbol - tree
13. cubrir - to cover
14. cobrar - to charge
15. obediente - obedient

"c" AND "q"

Unlike English, the "c" in Spanish is pronounced without a puff of air. Compare the "c" in the following English and Spanish words.

Sample Words
(ca, co, cu)
1. comprar - to buy
2. comer - to eat
3. cama - bed
4. común - common
5. conocer - to be acquainted with
6. cuarenta - forty
7. caballo - horse 		(ci)
12. circo - circus
13. cine - cinema; theatre
14. cisne - swan
15. cierto - certain
16. cívico - civic 		(ce)
8. celoso - jealous
9. certeza - certainty
10. centro - city center
11. cerdo - pig 		(que, qui)
17. ¿Qué? - What?
18. ¿Quién? - Who?
19. queso - cheese
20. tranquilo - calm

"d"

In Spanish, the "d" can be pronounced HARD, as in the Spanish word "andando", or SOFT, as in the Spanish word "nada". The hard Spanish "d" is pronounced in a similar manner to the English "d" except that the tongue makes contact with the teeth instead of the roof of the mouth.

The Hard "d" Sample Words
"nd"
1. andar - to walk
2. indio - Indian
3. indicar - to indicate
4. un día - one day
5. mandar - to send
6. independiente - independent
7. indecente - indecent 		"ld"
8. Aldo - Aldo
9. caldo - broth
10. sueldo - wage
11. el dulce - the candy
12. el dolor - the pain
13. el dólar - the dollar
14. el dinero - the money


THE SOFT "d"
The soft "d" is pronounced like the "th" in the English word "these".

Soft "d" Sample Words
1. nadar - to swim
2. pedir - to ask for
3. poder - to be able to
4. nido - nest
5. contenido - content
6. ruido - noise
7. red - net
8. medio - half
9. cuidado - care; caution
10. universidad - university
11. ciudad - city
12. ídolo - idol

"g"

Generally the Spanish "g" is pronounced like the English "g"; however, if the "g" follows a vowel, it is pronounced a little bit softer. For example, listen to the word "agua".

Sample Words
(ga, go, gu)
1. aguja - needle
2. ganar - to win
3. gato - cat
4. agua - water
5. pago - payment
6. pongo - I put; I place
7. hago - I make
8. lograr - to achieve 		(ge, gi)
9. general - general
10. generación - generation
11. urgente - urgent
12. recoger - to pick up
13. girar - to spin
14. gemelos - twins
15. angel - angel
16. gigante - giant
(gue, gui)
21. águila - eagle
22. Guillermo - William
23. guerra - war
24. guía - guide 		(gua, guo)
17. ambiguo - ambiguous
18. antiguo - ancient
19. agua - water
20. Guatemala - Guatemala 		(güe, güi)
25. desagüe - drain
26. pingüino - penguin
27. lingüista - linguist
28. güero - blond

"h"

The Spanish consonant "h" is always silent.

Sample Words
1. haber - to have
2. hacer - to do or make
3. hablar - to speak or talk
4. hijo - son
5. harina - flour
6. hielo - ice 		7. hay - there is; there are
8. habitación - habitation; room
9. helado - ice cream
10. herencia - inheritance
11. herramienta - tool
12. héroe - hero 		13. rehabilitar - rehabilitate
14. hombre - man
15. hambre - hunger
16. ahogar - to drown
17. ahora - now
18. ahorrar - to save

"j"

The Spanish consonant "j" is produced with the back of the tongue, just below the roof of the mouth, with air pushing between the tongue and the roof of the mouth creating some friction. This sound is often confused with the English "h".

Sample Words
1. jamón - ham
2. mujer - woman
3. jardín - garden
4. viejo - old
5. juntos - together 		6. Alejandro - "Alex"
7. ajedrez - chess
8. jota - "j"
9. jefe - boss
10. jarro - pitcher; ontainer 		11. juez - judge
12. jugo - juice
13. jugar - to play
14. juego - game
15. japonés - Japanese

"ll"

The "ll" is a letter in the Spanish alphabet that does not exist in English. In South America, especially in Argentina and Uruguay, the "ll" generally is pronounced like the English "j" except a little softer. However, in Mexico the "ll" is sometimes pronounced like the English "y" and sometimes like the English "j". [This is where having our course materials or a few natives available would help.]

Sample Words
1. llamar - to call
2. Guillermo - William
3. billete - bill
4. maullar - to meow
5. ballena - whale 		6. huella - footprint
7. ellas - they/them (f)
8. orilla - shore
9. toalla - towel
10. allí - there 		11. llegar - to arrive
12. llave - key
13. llorar - to cry
14. lluvia - rain
15. llama - llama

"ñ"

The "ñ" is a letter in the Spanish alphabet that does not exist in English. The Spanish "ñ" sounds like the "ny" in the English word "barnyard".

Sample Words
1. el niño - the child
2. piña - pineapple
3. tamaño - size
4. pañal - diaper 		5. compañía - company
6. mañana - morning; tomorrow
7. compañero - partner; colleague
8. riñón - kidney 		9. piñata - piñata
10. baño - bathroom
11. señora - a lady; Mrs.
12. pañuelo - handkerchief

The Trilled "rr" / "r"

The Spanish consonant "rr" is always trilled (multiple vibrations of the tongue against the roof of the mouth). If an "r" or an "rr" should be trilled and they are not, the word can take on a completely different meaning; for example, the word "perro" means "dog," but the word "pero," with a single trill, means "but".

"rr" Sample Words
1. párrafo - paragraph
2. perro - dog
3. carro - car
4. correr - to run 		5. jarro - pitcher; container
6. barro - mud
7. ferrocarril - railway; train
8. tierra - earth 		9. terreno - land
10. terror - terror
11. horrible - horrible
12. cigarro - cigar

Beginning of a word:
1. rojo - red
2. rico - rich
3. rana - frog
4. río - river
5. romper - to break
6. reparar - to repair
7. restaurante - restaurant
8. rubio - blond
9. redondo - round
After "n" or "l":
10. Enrique - Henry
11. sonreír - to smile
12. enroscar - to coil or wind
13. alrededor - around
14. Enredar - to tangle

"rr" Substitute

For people who are physically unable to pronounce the Spanish "rr", there is an alternative.

1. corriendo - running
2. gorra - hat 		3. zorro - fox
4. burro - donkey 		5. guerra - war
6. Enrique - Henry

The Tripped "r"

The tripped "r" is pronounced as a single trill (one flip of the tongue against the roof of the mouth).

Sound Differences
"rr"
parra
perro
carro
Rosa 		"r"
para
pero
caro
Margarita

The single "r" or tripped "r" is pronounced almost like the English "d" or "der".

Sample Words
1. para - for; in order to
2. pero - but
3. comer - to eat
4. gracias - thank you
5. carta - letter
6. cara - face 		7. cero - zero
8. truco - trick
9. mero - mere; pure
10. terco - stubborn
11. claridad - clarity
12. caridad - charity 		13. ¡Claro! - Of course!
14. oportunidad - opportunity
15. saber - to know (info)
16. tercero - third
17. Perú - Peru

"z"

The Spanish "z" always has an "s" sound except in parts of Spain where it sounds like a "th".

Sample Words
1. taza - cup
2. zoológico - zoo
3. zapato - shoe
4. zanahoria - carrot
5. zumbar - to buzz 		6. mozo - waiter
7. pozo - well
8. zona - zone
9. zorro - fox
10. zonzo - fool 		11. azúcar - sugar
12. empezar - to begin
13. escasez - scarcity
14. plaza - plaza
15. manzana - apple

The Remaining Spanish Sounds

This section covers the remaining Spanish sounds that are different from English pronunciation.

The "No Puff" Letters
Just like the Spanish "c" (pg. 14), the Spanish "p" and "t" are pronounced without a puff of air.

"ch"

The "ch" is considered a letter in the Spanish alphabet; it does not exist as a single letter in the English alphabet. The Spanish "ch" is pronounced the same as the English "ch".

Sample Words
1. chocolate - chocolate
2. chico - boy
3. mucho - much; a lot


"p"

The Spanish "p" is pronounced without a puff of air.

Sample Words
1. pedir - to ask for
2. preparar - to prepare
3. parece - it appears; seems 		4. pagar - to pay
5. pensar - to think
6. poner - to put or place 		7. practicar - to practice
8. preguntar - to ask
9. preferir - to prefer

"t"

The Spanish "t" is pronounced without a puff of air; it is produced with the tongue on the teeth and not on the roof of the mouth.

Sample Words
1. todo - all
2. taco - taco
3. tener - to have
 4. teléfono - telephone
5. alto - tall
6. terminar - to finish 		7. tomar - to take; to drink
8. tirar - to throw
9. tocar - to touch or play

"x"

Generally, the Spanish "x" is pronounced the same as the English "x".

Sample Words
1. explicar - to explain
2. experimentar - to experience 		3. exigir - to demand
4. experiencia - experience 		5. extra - extra
6. excelente - excellent

The Spanish "x" in very few cases is pronounced like the Spanish "g" or the Spanish "j".

Sample Words
1. México
2. Oaxaca
3. Mexicano
4. Texas
5. Xavier


"y"

Like the "ll" in some Hispanic countries, the Spanish "y" has a "j" sound.

Sample Words
1. apoyar - to support
2. ayer - yesterday 		3. yerno - son-in-law
4. payaso - clown 		5. construye - he builds
6. oye - she hears


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