Pronunciation

VOWELS

Letter in Spanish Corresponding Sound in English
a sofa, America
e best, bed
i machine, routine, did
o tomorrow, Portland
u rune, loot


DIPHTONGS

Letter in Spanish Corresponding Sound in English
ai, ay eye
ei, ey hey
oi, oy toy
ui, uy gooey
ia yah
ie yeh
io Radio But clipped
iu ew
ou ouch
eu NO EQUIVALENT Try saying the first part of the word “Beowulf”
ua wah
ue weh
uo woah


CONSONANTS

Letter in Spanish Corresponding Sound in English Practical Rules and Notes
b boat, beer
c kite, cap, cut before a, o, u and consonants other than h
center, cylinder Latin America, before e, i and consonants other than h
theory Spain, before e, i
d dog, diamond
f fun, father
g guns, gum, gold before a, o, u
him, her Before e, i
h NO SOUND H is silent; do not pronounce unless preceded by C or S
j have, loch
k kite, cap, cut Same sound as c
l lead
m man
n nothing
ñ onion In phonetic transcription, you’ll find it as /ɲ/
p paper, print
q kin, kimono, Kerry Before ue, ui. In native Spanish words, it never precedes a, e, i, o
water, enter In any part of the word other than the beginning, it is soft
s soap, serve
t total, tip
v boat, beer In Spanish, there is no distinction between the b and v sounds
w whisky, Hawaii
x existence, Mexico Can have wither of these three sounds. Which sound to use has to be memorized, for there is no rule to follow.
Shawn, show
silver, Sion
y yes
z Andalusia, silence In Latin American Spanish, this sounds like s
theory In Spain, this has the th sound


DOUBLE CONSONANTS

Letter in Spanish Corresponding Sound in English Practical Rules and Notes
ch chair, chimney
rr NO EQUIVALENT rolled r
ll yes
sh insurance, shame