SPANISH PRONUNCIATION RULES
Easy Guide to Spanish pronunciation
The purpose of this guide is to aid you pronounce Spanish words as correctly as possible so you can speak effectively. This is not intended to give a perfect pronunciation of Spanish, but to give a closely approximate pronunciation. You will have to listen to Spanish speakers for accurate pronunciation.
The system of transcription of Spanish sounds used here is English Letters in italics. The sounds are arranged alphabetically in transcription form for ease. The transcription letters are followed by the English words they represent. This is the easiest way to practice Spanish pronunciation. Remember that the transcription in italics serves only as a guide to pronouncing Spanish words.
Ee-zee Guide to Spanish Pronunciation | |||
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Approximate pronunciation | |||
SPANISH SPELLINGS | ENGLISH WORD | SPANISH WORD | TRANSCRIPTION SOUND |
a | mat | madre | mah-dray |
e | day | de | dhay |
i | see | si | see |
o | alto | poco | poh-koh |
u | too | tu | too |
ai/ay | hi | aire, hay | ah-ee-reh, ah-ee |
ca,co,cu,qu | keep | como, que | koh-moh, kay |
*ce,ci | see | celo, ciclo | seh-loh, see-kloh |
g a ,g o ,gu e ,gu a ,gu i | go | gato, guerra, agua | gah-toh, gehr-rah,ah-gwah |
h | hello | gente,ojo | hehn-teh, oh-hoh |
ll | yes | calle,million | kah-yay, mee-yee-ohn |
ñ | canyon | año | ah-nyoh |
r | ray | caro | kah-roh |
rr | burr | carro | kahr-roh |
*b | bag | bajo, vamos | bah-hoh, bah-mos |
s,z | sea | s i, zapato | see,sah-pah-toh |
ua | watch | cuarenta | kwah-rehn-tah |
ue | west | cue po | kwehr-poh |
y | yes | yo, llave | yoh, yah-bay |