Sound-Spelling and Pronunciation in Spanish

Spanish spells the way it sounds

Spanish is far more regular than English. Once you know the sound each letter makes, you can read almost any Spanish word aloud, even one you have never seen. The five vowels each keep one clear sound in every word. A handful of consonants sound different from English, and there are simple rules for where the stress falls. This module covers those sounds, the stress rules, and the written accent. Get them right and your reading aloud, your listening and your spelling all improve together.

The sounds to know

Learn how these letters sound in Spanish. Each one behaves the same way in every word.

Match each letter to its Spanish sound

Vowels against tricky consonants

It helps to sort Spanish letters into the ones that are easy and steady and the ones that need care. Learn the second group and the rest follow.

How does the tilde letter sound?

The Spanish letter n with a tilde on top appears in words such as español. Which sound does it make?

• The ny sound in the middle of canyon
• The y sound in yes
• A strong h sound
• No sound at all

Where the stress falls

Spanish stress follows a clear rule. A word that ends in a vowel, in n or in s is stressed on the second-to-last syllable. A word ending in any other consonant is stressed on the last syllable. When a word breaks that rule, a written accent is placed over the vowel that should be stressed. So the accent is not decoration: it tells you exactly which syllable to say louder. Read the ending first, apply the rule, and let any accent override it.

Pick the true sound facts

Select every true statement about Spanish sounds.

• The letter h is silent
• Each vowel keeps the same sound in every word
• The letters ll sound like the y in yes
• The letter j sounds like the English j in jam
• Every letter in Spanish is silent

Order the steps to read a word aloud

Put the steps for reading an unfamiliar Spanish word aloud in the correct order.

• Break the word into syllables
• Give each vowel its single clear sound
• Sound each consonant using the Spanish rules
• Put the stress on the correct syllable
• Say the whole word smoothly

Complete the Spanish sound facts

The letter h in Spanish is _____. The letter j sounds like a strong _____. The letters ll sound like the _____ in yes. A written accent shows which syllable to _____.

Reading real words aloud

Take the word jamón. The j is a strong h, the vowels a and o are clear, and the written accent on the o tells you to stress the last syllable, so it sounds like ha-MON. Now take llave. The ll sounds like y, so it begins like ya, and with no accent the stress falls on the first syllable. And hola begins silently, because the h says nothing, so it sounds like O-la. Me gusta leer en español porque las letras siempre suenan igual. That is the reward of a regular system: learn the sounds once and you can read anything.

Tap the silent-h words

Tap the TWO words that begin with a silent h.

• hola
• hora
• sol
• gato

The sound-spelling run

Answer each one correctly to keep your lives. Choose the sound each letter makes.

Say each word correctly

You meet three Spanish words. Choose how each one should sound.

• You see the word hola. How does it begin?
• You see the word llave. How do the letters ll sound?
• You see the word jamón. How does the letter j sound?

Build a true Spanish sentence

Choose the word for each gap to complete a true Spanish sentence about sound-spelling.

Explain how Spanish is pronounced

A friend thinks Spanish spelling is unpredictable like English. Using what you have learned, explain how Spanish sound-spelling works.

• Explain that each Spanish letter almost always makes the same sound
• Explain how the letters h, j, ll and the tilde letter sound
• Explain how the vowels behave
• Explain how stress works and what the written accent shows