Spanish pronunciation is regular: once you know the sounds, you can read almost any word aloud. Learn five short vowels, a silent h, a tapped r and a rolled rr, and stress rules you can read from the spelling. In Spain, z and c before e or i sound like English th; Latin America says them as s.
- Vowel sounds
- Five: a, e, i, o, u
- Silent letter
- h (except in ch)
- c and z in central and northern Spain
- Like th in think (cocina, plaza)
- Seseo
- General in Latin America, the Canaries and part of Andalusia
- In the Contos A1 chapters
- About 6% of words contain a z or a c before e or i
How do Spanish letters sound?
Most Spanish letters have one sound, and most sounds have one spelling. That is why learners can read aloud long before they understand everything. The table covers the sounds English speakers most often get wrong, with examples from the free A1 chapters of the Contos Spanish library.
| Spelling | How to say it | Examples from A1 chapters |
|---|---|---|
| a, e, i, o, u | Short and pure, never sliding: a as in father, e as in bet, i as in machine, o as in hot (but rounder), u as in rule | casa, mesa, aquí, ojos, música |
| h | Silent | hay, hola, ahora, hombre |
| ch | As in English church | noche, mucho, ocho |
| j, and g before e or i | A rough sound from the back of the throat, like the ch in Scottish loch | joven, mujer, mensaje |
| ll, and y | Like English y in yes, for most speakers today | ella, llave, calle, yo |
| ñ | Like ny in canyon | mañana, pequeño, años |
| r between vowels | A single quick tap, like the tt in American better | cara, pero, para |
| rr, and r at the start of a word | A rolled trill | cierra, perros, rápido, responde |
| b and v | The same sound; no lip-biting v | bien, voz, vez, ventana |
| qu | Like k; the u is silent | que, aquí, quiere, pequeño |
Two of these are rules the Real Academia Española states outright. The h "no representa" any sound in standard Spanish today, and "no existe" any difference in pronunciation between b and v, so baca and vaca sound exactly alike.
Should you say c and z as th or s?
This is the most visible difference between Spain and Latin America. In the speech of central, northern and eastern Spain, z, and c before e or i, are said with the tongue between the teeth, like the th in think: cocina is "ko-THEE-na". The s stays an s. Keeping the two apart is called distinción.
Almost everywhere else, they are all said as s. The RAE calls this seseo and describes it as general throughout Latin America, in the Canary Islands and in part of Andalusia, and found in parts of Murcia and Badajoz. It is not a mistake: the RAE says southern Spanish and Latin American seseo are fully accepted in educated standard Spanish.
| Word | Central and northern Spain | Latin America, Canaries, part of Andalusia | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| dice | DEE-the | DEE-se | says |
| cocina | ko-THEE-na | ko-SEE-na | kitchen |
| plaza | PLA-tha | PLA-sa | square |
| voz | voth | vos | voice |
| cerca | THER-ka | SER-ka | near |
It matters often. In the free A1 chapters of the Contos Spanish library, about 6% of all words contain a z or a c before e or i. Dice (says) alone appears 58 times. Contos stories are written in Spain Spanish, but the spelling is the same everywhere, so pick one accent and use it consistently. The RAE also notes yeísmo, saying ll the same as y, as accepted and now practically general among young speakers, even in areas that used to keep them apart.
Which syllable do you stress in Spanish?
Spanish stress is predictable from the spelling, using the RAE's rules for the written accent:
- Ending in a vowel, n or s? Stress the second-to-last syllable: CA-sa, HA-blan, ZA-pa-tos.
- Ending in any other consonant? Stress the last syllable: ver-DAD, ha-BLAR, re-LOJ.
- Written accent? It breaks the rule and marks the stress: te-LÉ-fo-no, RÁ-pi-do, a-QUÍ, es-TÁ.
Accent marks are common. About 11% of words in the free A1 chapters carry one, led by está, qué, aquí and teléfono. Some accents also tell apart words that sound the same: qué (what) and que (that), tú (you) and tu (your). The first 100 words page lists the most frequent of them.
How do you practise Spanish pronunciation as a reader?
Contos is a reading app and has no audio, so treat it as the place to learn spellings and words, and get your sounds elsewhere.
- Read one paragraph aloud a day from the chapter you are reading. Slow is fine; clear vowels matter more than speed.
- Listen to the same accent you speak. If you use the Spain th sound, pick podcasts or series from Spain; if not, Latin American ones. (Torn between Spanish and Portuguese altogether? Read Spanish vs Portuguese.)
- Record yourself reading a paragraph once a week and compare it with a native recording of similar text.
- Drill the tap and the trill with pairs: pero (but) and perro (dog), caro (expensive) and carro (cart).
- Mark the stress on new words when you save them as flashcards.
For the wider picture of what makes Spanish easy or hard, see is Spanish hard to learn?
Open an A1 Spanish chapter and read the first paragraph aloud. Tap any word to check its meaning.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
Should I learn the Spain th sound or the Latin American s?
Either is correct; the RAE accepts both. Choose the one you will hear most: the th sound (distinción) for Spain, s (seseo) for Latin America, the Canaries and part of Andalusia. What matters is being consistent.
Is the Spanish h always silent?
In standard Spanish, yes, except in ch, which sounds like English ch. The RAE notes that a breathy h survives in some regional speech, and in some loanwords such as hámster, but beginners can treat h as silent.
How do I roll my r in Spanish?
Start from the single tap, which is close to the tt in American better. Then repeat it quickly with relaxed breath until it becomes a trill. Practise with pairs such as pero and perro.
Do b and v sound different in Spanish?
No. The RAE states there is no difference in pronunciation between b and v, so baca and vaca sound the same. Neither uses the English v with teeth on the lip.
Why do some Spanish words have accent marks?
The accent marks the stressed syllable when it breaks the normal rule, as in teléfono or está. Some accents also separate words that sound alike, such as qué (what) and que (that).