Spanish spelling is refreshingly consistent: once you learn how each letter sounds, you can read almost any word out loud correctly — even ones you've never seen. The alphabet has 27 letters, one more than English: ñ.
| Letter | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | "ah" as in father | casa |
| e | "eh" as in bed | mesa |
| i | "ee" as in see | libro |
| o | "oh" as in go | ojo |
| u | "oo" as in food | uno |
Unlike English, Spanish vowels never change sound depending on the word — that's what makes pronunciation so predictable once you know them.
| Letter(s) | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|
| h | silent — never pronounced | hola → "OH-la" |
| ñ | "ny" as in canyon | año → "AH-nyo" |
| ll | "y" as in yes | calle → "CA-ye" |
| j | a strong "h" sound | jamón → "ha-MOHN" |
| c (+ e/i) | "s" sound | cielo → "SYE-lo" |
| c (+ a/o/u) | "k" sound | casa → "KA-sa" |
| g (+ e/i) | a strong "h" sound | gente → "HEN-te" |
| rr | rolled / trilled r | perro → "PE-rro" |
Every Spanish word has one stressed syllable. Three simple rules tell you which one, without needing to guess:
Quick trick: if you see an accent mark, just stress that syllable — no need to think about the rules at all. The rules only matter for words without a written accent.
1.Choose the correct fact: the letter H in Spanish…
2.Which letter makes the "ny" sound, as in "año"?
3.True or false: in "cielo", the C sounds like a "k".
4."Hablan" has no written accent and ends in -n. Where does the stress fall?
5.Which letters together sound like the "y" in "yes"?
6.True or false: G before e or i sounds like a strong "h".
7."Café" has a written accent, so the stress falls on the ___ syllable.
8.True or false: "j" sounds like the English "j" in "jump".
Book a class with Ángel and put this lesson into a real conversation.