Spanish Alphabet Pronunciation
The Spanish alphabet is currently made up of the following 27 letters: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, ñ, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z.
How do you pronounce the Spanish alphabet?
I have published a video that shows you how to pronounce each of the letters of the Spanish alphabet with both, a European and American Spanish accent.
But if you prefer to read, here are the letter names of the Spanish alphabet and some pronunciation tips!
Interesting Fact: The letters of the Spanish Alphabet are feminine: la a, la be, la ce, la de…
| letter | letter name | English pronunciation tips |
| A | a | like the "a" in "father" |
| B | be | like the "b" in "about" |
| C | ce | before e and i, like the "c" in "cent" in Latin America, or like the "th" in "think" in some regions of Spain |
| C | before a, o, u, like the "c" in "car" | |
| D | de | like the "d" in "today" |
| E | e | like the "e" in "vet" |
| F | efe | like the "f" in "face" |
| G | ge | like the "h" in "hot" before e, i |
| G | like the "g" in "again" before a, o, u | |
| H | hache | always silent |
| I | i | like the "ee" in "see" |
| J | jota | like the "h" in "hot" |
| K | ka | like the "c" in "car" |
| L | ele | like the "l" in "leg" |
| M | eme | like the "m" in "mother" |
| N | ene | like the "n" in "need" |
| Ñ | eñe | like the "ny" in "canyon" |
| O | o | like the "o" in "more" |
| P | pe | like the "p" in "spouse" |
| Q | cu | like the "c" in "car" |
| R | erre | strongly trilled at the beginning of a word, after n, s or l, and when there is a double r in the middle of a word |
| R | otherwise, r makes a softer sound | |
| S | ese | like the "s" in "sack" |
| T | te | like the "t" in "stand" |
| U | u | like the "oo" in "food" |
| V | uve | like the "b" in "about" |
| W | uve doble | like the "w" in "web" |
| X | equis | like the "x" in "taxy" when it appears between vowels or at the end of a word |
| X | like the "s" in "sack" at the beginning of a word or before a consonant | |
| Y | ye | like the "y" in "yes" |
| Z | zeta | like the "s" in "sack" in Latin America, or like the "th" in "think" in some regions of Spain |
The orthography used in the Spanish language also includes the following 5 digraphs: ch, ll, rr, gu, qu.
A digraph is a combination of two letters that represents one sound. For example, the digraph “ch” represents the sound /tʃ/, as in “chip.”
| digraph | English approximation |
| ch | like the "ch" in "chocolate" |
| ll | like the "y" in "yes" |
| rr | strongly trilled |
| gu | like the "g" in "guitar" |
| qu | like the "c" in "car" |
Digraphs continue to be used in the Spanish language. The novelty here is that they are not considered letters of the Spanish alphabet anymore. Before 1994, the digraphs “ch” and “ll” were part of it.
Spanish Alphabet Audio
To listen to the pronunciation of the Spanish Alphabet, click on the play button below.
| Uppercase | Lowercase | Name |
| A | a | a |
| B | b | be |
| C | c | ce |
| D | d | de |
| E | e | e |
| F | f | efe |
| G | g | ge |
| H | h | hache |
| I | i | i |
| J | j | jota |
| K | k | ka |
| L | l | ele |
| M | m | eme |
| N | n | ene |
| Ñ | ñ | eñe |
| O | o | o |
| P | p | pe |
| Q | q | cu |
| R | r | erre |
| S | s | ese |
| T | t | te |
| U | u | u |
| V | v | uve |
| W | w | uve doble |
| X | x | equis |
| Y | y | ye |
| Z | z | zeta |
Other Letter Names
The following letters of the Spanish alphabet have more than one valid name in areas where Spanish is spoken: b, v, w, y, i.
In a congress held in 1994, the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language decided to promote the use of one unique name for each letter of the Spanish alphabet.
| Letter | Name After 1994 | Other Names |
| b | be | be larga be grande be alta |
| i | i | i latina |
| y | ye | i griega |
| v | uve | ve ve corta ve chica o chiquita ve pequeña ve baja |
| w | uve doble | ve doble doble ve doble u doble uve |
Bibliography:
Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española. (2012). Uso de las letras, pages 1 – 32. In Ortografía básica de la lengua española. book.
Exclusión de “ch” y “ll” del abecedario. Real Academia Española. (n.d.). https://www.rae.es/espanol-al-dia/exclusion-de-ch-y-ll-del-abecedario.
Un solo nombre para cada letra. Real Academia Española. (n.d.). https://www.rae.es/espanol-al-dia/un-solo-nombre-para-cada-letra.
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