The Spanish Alphabet (AQA A-Level Spanish): Revision Notes

The Spanish Alphabet

Overview of the alphabet

The Spanish alphabet contains 27 letters: 5 vowels and 22 consonants. Nearly all letters appear in the English alphabet, with one key exception: the letter ñ (pronounced "eñe"). Spanish uses the Latin alphabet as its foundation, making it relatively familiar for English speakers.

Beyond individual letters, Spanish has three two-letter combinations called digraphs that function as single pronunciation units: ch, ll, and rr. Mastering these is essential for accurate pronunciation and spelling.

The 27 letters explained

Vowels (las vocales): A, E, I, O, U

Consonants (las consonantes): The remaining 22 letters are consonants. Many sound similar to their English equivalents, whilst others require dedicated practice to master.

Complete alphabet with pronunciation guide

Letter	Name	Phonetic sound	Example word	English meaning
A	a	ah	damos	we give
B	be	beh	bueno	good
C	ce	seh	claro	clear
CH	che	che	ocho	eight
D	de	deh	cuando	when
E	e	eh	vehemente	vehement
F	efe	efeh	falda	skirt
G	ge	heh	gato	cat
H	hache	acheh	hora	hour
I	i	ee	imponer	to impose
J	jota	hota	julio	July
K	ka	kah	kilogramo	kilogramme
L	ele	eleh	lograr	to achieve
LL	elle	eyeh	llover	to rain

Letter	Name	Phonetic sound	Example word	English meaning
M	eme	emeh	martes	Tuesday
N	ene	eneh	noche	night
Ñ	eñe	enyeh	niño	boy/child
O	o	oh	hablo	I speak
P	pe	peh	persona	person
Q	cu	cu	trueque	exchange
R	ere	erreh	rodeando	surrounding
S	ese	eseh	sonido	sound
T	te	teh	tomar	to take
U	u	uu	suponer	to suppose
V	uve	uveh	ver	to see
W	uve doble	doble-uu/uveh-doble	water	water
X	equis	equis	expresar	to express
Y	i griega	yeh	yegua	mare
Z	zeta	zetah	lace	shoelace

Pronunciation guidance by letter type

Vowels - always consistent

Spanish vowels maintain the same sound regardless of position, which makes pronunciation more predictable than English.

Key consonants requiring attention

The following consonants require special attention as they differ significantly from English pronunciation or have unique characteristics:

B and V - Both letters produce identical sounds in Spanish. There is no phonetic difference between them, unlike English.

C - Often sounds like English 'k' before the vowels 'a', 'o', or 'u'.

CH - Sounds like 'ch' in 'cheese'.

D - Often sounds like 'th' in 'this', especially when positioned between two vowels.

G - Like the 'h' in English, but slightly guttural. The hard 'g' sound matches English 'g' in 'gate'.

H - Always silent in Spanish, similar to the silent 'h' in English words like 'honest'.

J - Similar to the 'h' in English, but the Spanish 'j' is harsher and more guttural, coming from the back of the throat.

K - Used primarily in foreign words. Sounds like English 'k'.

L - Identical to English 'l'.

LL - Between the 'yuh' sound in 'you' and the 'shuh' sound (varies by region).

Ñ - Must be distinguished from regular 'n'. This is a unique Spanish letter with no English equivalent.

Q - Always produces the hard 'k' sound. Always followed by 'u', which remains silent.

R - Requires the tip of the tongue to touch the front part of the roof of the mouth. Produces a soft roll.

RR - A rolled or trilled 'r' sound, more pronounced than single 'r'.

S - Always the soft 's' in 'sound', never the 'z' sound in 'lands'.

X - Can be a hard consonant (as in English) or a soft 'c' or 's' sound, not a vibrating 'z'.

Y - The 'yuh' sound, very similar to English, sometimes with a soft 'sh' quality.

Z - The 'ss' sound in 'miss', never the 'z' sound in 'buzz'.

W - Used only for foreign words. Sounds like 'w' or 'v' in English.

Essential vocabulary for pronunciation practice

The following vocabulary demonstrates key pronunciation principles in context. Practice these words to develop muscle memory for Spanish sounds:

Spanish	English	Pronunciation note
feliz	happy	'z' sounds like 's'
tijeras	scissors	'j' sounds like harsh 'h'
perro	dog	'rr' is rolled
comer	to eat	soft 'r' at end
agua	water	'g' before 'ua' is hard
reloj	clock	'j' at end is harsh 'h'
zapato	shoe	'z' sounds like soft 's'
gato	cat	'g' before 'a' is hard
libro	book	'l' same as English
lápiz	pencil	accent shows stress

Practice sentences using vocabulary

Understanding stress patterns

Spanish words follow two regular stress patterns that determine which syllable receives emphasis. Understanding these patterns is essential for correct pronunciation and will help you sound more natural when speaking Spanish.

Pattern 1: Words ending in a vowel, -n, or -s

These words place stress on the second-to-last syllable (penultimate syllable). This pattern covers the majority of Spanish words.

Pattern 2: Words not ending in a vowel, -n, or -s

These words place stress on the final syllable.

Irregular stress patterns

Words that don't follow either regular pattern require an accent mark (tilde) written over the vowel of the stressed syllable.

The role of accent marks

Spanish uses written accent marks (tildes: á, é, í, ó, ú) for two distinct purposes. Understanding both functions is essential for proper Spanish writing and comprehension.

Purpose 1: Indicating stress

When a word breaks the two regular stress patterns, an accent mark indicates which syllable to emphasise.

Purpose 2: Distinguishing homonyms

Some words require accents to distinguish them from identically-spelled words with different meanings.

Spanish punctuation rules

Spanish punctuation includes unique features that don't exist in English. The most distinctive are the inverted punctuation marks used at the beginning of questions and exclamations.

Exclamation marks in Spanish

Spanish uses inverted exclamation marks (¡) at the beginning of exclamatory sentences, followed by a regular exclamation mark (!) at the end.

Format: ¡...!

Question marks in Spanish

Spanish uses inverted question marks (¿) at the beginning of questions, with the regular question mark (?) at the end.

Format: ¿...?

Question marks within sentences

The inverted question mark can appear in the middle of a sentence where the question actually begins, rather than at the start of the entire sentence.

Alphabet-related vocabulary

Understanding the vocabulary related to the alphabet itself will help you discuss Spanish pronunciation and spelling with teachers or language partners:

Spanish	English
el alfabeto	the alphabet
la letra	the letter
la vocal	the vowel
la consonante	the consonant
pronunciar	to pronounce
deletrear	to spell
el acento	the accent
la tilde	the accent mark/tilde
la mayúscula	capital letter
la minúscula	lowercase letter
el sonido	the sound
el dígrafo	the digraph
hablar	to speak
escribir	to write
leer	to read

Sentences using alphabet vocabulary

Common mistakes and tips

Learning Spanish pronunciation involves recognizing and avoiding common errors. Here are the most frequent mistakes English speakers make, along with guidance for correction:

Remember!