How to Spell in Spanish

While we are used to speaking in English now, there is no doubt that there is a lot of ambiguity when it comes to English pronunciations. English is one of the most difficult languages in the sense that pronunciations are largely variable. But these problems will most certainly not arise when you are learning languages like French and Spanish. In the Spanish language the pronunciation of each letter is largely fixed. The changes in pronunciation is largely based on different regions and dialects followed by people in different parts of Spain. But the spelling and pronunciation remain largely the same. Let me start with the Spanish alphabet and the pronunciations of each letter in the alphabet, with an example.

Spanish Phonetics

The Spanish alphabet has 29 alphabets i.e. Spanish has 3 more alphabets than English. The letters, the names of the letters and the pronunciations are given in the following table.

Alphabet	Alphabet Name	Alphabet Pronunciation
A	Aa	Like 'aa' in bar
B	Be	Like 'B' in barber
C	Ce	Like 'S' in Sea, when followed by 'I' and 'e' Like 'K' in kite, when followed by 'a', 'o', 'u'
Ch	Che	Like 'ch' in nacho
D	De	Like 'th' in father
E	E	Like 'e' in egg
F	Efe	Like 'f' in fabric
G	Ge	Like 'g' in gate when followed by 'a','o' and 'u' like 'h' in hate, when followed by 'e' and 'I'
H	Hache	'H' is never pronounced
I	I	Like 'I' in miss
J	Jota	Like 'h' in house
K	Ka	Like 'k' in kilometer
L	ele	Like 'l' in like
LL	Elle	Like 'y' in yam
M	Eme	Like 'm' in mouse
N	Ene	Like 'n' in nice
ñ	Eñe	Like 'ny' in canyon
O	O	Like 'o' in note
P	Pe	Like 'p' in pay
Q	Cu	Like 'k' in karate
R	Ere	Like 'r' in rat
S	Ese	Like 's' in silk
T	Te	Like 't' in tin
U	U	Like 'u' in fruit
V	Uve	Like 'b' in beat
W	Uve Doble	Like 'w' in water
X	Equis	Like 'x' in Mexico
Y	I Griega	Like 'y' in yawn
Z	Zeta	Like 's' in surprise

Spell Names in Spanish

Let us take some common Spanish names and learn how to pronounce them

• Jose ~ Hose
• David ~ Daaveed
• Rafael ~ Raafaael
• Juan ~ Hooaan
• Paolo ~ Paaolo
• Monica ~ Moneeka
• Alejandra ~ Aalehandraa
• Juanita ~ Huaaneetaa

Spell Numbers in Spanish

Using the pronunciations which you have learned, try pronouncing the following the numbers from one to ten

• One ~ Uno
• Two ~ Dos
• Three ~ Tres
• Four ~ Cuatro
• Five ~ Cinco
• Six ~ Seis
• Seven ~ Siete
• Eight ~ Ocho
• Nine ~ Nueve
• Ten ~ Diez

Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world. So if you're planning a trip to Spain or South America, equip yourself with these Spanish lessons!