The Alphabet in Spanish – Lesson 3

The Spanish alphabet: el abecedario

In this lesson we go over the Spanish alphabet, called el abecedario (or el alfabeto). You’ll learn the name of every letter, how to pronounce it, and an example word for each one.

This is a grammar lesson, the purple lessons in the course. Quick overview of the colors: green lessons are the fundamentals, blue lessons are vocabulary, purple lessons are grammar, and later we’ll also have yellow lessons about verbs.

Why learn the alphabet? Because it teaches you how to pronounce Spanish letters, and pronunciation is a huge part of speaking the language. Even if you already know the alphabet, go over it again: repeating things you already know strengthens them in your brain, and the more you practice pronunciation, the better.

How many letters are in the Spanish alphabet?

The Spanish alphabet has 27 letters. It has the same 26 letters as the English alphabet, plus one extra: the ñ (eñe). That’s the only letter that’s different.

You might see older lists with 29 or 30 letters. That’s because ch and ll used to count as separate letters. Since 2010, the Real Academia Española (the official authority on the Spanish language) no longer counts them as letters of their own, so today it’s 27. The rr (double r) is also not a separate letter: it’s just two r’s.

The Spanish alphabet with pronunciation

Here’s every letter with its Spanish name and an example word. Say each one out loud as you go: that’s the best way to practice!

Letter	Name	Example
A a	a	azul (blue)
B b	be	bebé (baby)
C c	ce	clase / canción (class / song)
D d	de	día (day)
E e	e	elefante (elephant)
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■

+ 22 more letters

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Don’t worry about learning the example words. You don’t need to put them on flashcards: they’re only there to show you how each letter sounds.

Spanish letters that sound different from English

Most letters sound (almost) the same as in English. These are the ones to pay attention to.

The vowels: a, e, i, o, u

Spanish vowels are short and clean, and each vowel always has the same sound:

A common mistake: pronouncing elefante like the English “elephant”. In Spanish it’s “eh-leh-fan-teh”, with a short, clear e every time. We’ll look at the vowels in more detail in the next lesson.

The letter C: two sounds

The c has a hard sound and a soft sound:

• Hard c (like a k) before a, o, u or a consonant: clase (class), the first c in canción (song).
• Soft c before e or i: the second c in canción. In most of Spain it sounds like the “th” in “think”. In Latin America it sounds like an “s”.

The Spanish “th” sound is tricky for non-native speakers (I’m still not perfect at it either!). Act like you’re about to bite your tongue, and let the air slip through.

The letter G: soft or strong

The sound of the g depends on the vowel that comes after it:

• Before a, o, u, it’s a normal g: gato (cat).
• Before e or i, it’s a much stronger, rough sound, like the Spanish j: gigante (giant), gente (people).

The letter H: always silent

The h is called hache, and as you learned in lesson 1, it’s always silent. Hombre (man) sounds like “ombre”. When you speak, act like the h doesn’t exist. But when you write, don’t forget it!

The letter J: the jota

The j is called jota, and it’s not pronounced like the English j. It’s a rough sound from the back of your throat, almost like a strong h or a hard g: ejercicio (exercise), jamón (ham), naranja (orange), ojo (eye).

Double L: sounds like Y

The l on its own (ele) sounds like in English. But a double l (ll) sounds like a “y”: calle (street) sounds like “ka-yeh”, and zapatillas (sneakers) like “za-pa-ti-yas”. You already saw this with me llamo in lesson 2.

The Ñ: the extra Spanish letter

The ñ (eñe) sounds like the “ny” in “canyon”: niños (children), año (year), sueño (dream). You’ll see it a lot, so it’s worth getting right. And be careful: año with ñ means “year”, but without the ñ it means something very different!

The R: rolled

The r (erre) is one of the hardest letters for non-native speakers, because you roll your tongue: reloj (watch). At the start of a word, or with a double rr, you roll it even stronger.

The W: only in foreign words

The w is called uve doble (“double v”). Originally it wasn’t part of the Spanish alphabet at all. That’s why words with a w usually come from other languages, like Halloween or wifi.

The X and double letters

The x is called equis. In a word like conexión (connection) it sounds like “ks”. Notice the spelling too: English writes “connection” with a double n, Spanish writes “conexión” with one. Spanish almost never uses double consonants, because each vowel only has one sound. You’ll mostly see them in foreign words.

Accents show where the stress goes

Some words have an accent on a letter, like bebé (baby) or máquina (machine). The accent tells you where to put the stress: “be-BÉ“, “MÁ-qui-na”. There’s a separate lesson about accents later in the course.

How to spell your name in Spanish

Now that you know the letters, you can spell anything. Try spelling your own name out loud! For example, Wes:

Useful when someone asks ¿Cómo se escribe? (How do you spell it?), for example at a hotel or a doctor’s office.

Practice: say it out loud

Try to answer out loud first, then check your answer.

1. How many letters does the Spanish alphabet have?

27: the same 26 as English, plus the ñ.

2. What’s the name of the letter J in Spanish?

Jota.

3. How do you pronounce the double L in calle?

Like a “y”: “ka-yeh”.

4. Which letter is always silent in Spanish?

The h (hache). Hombre sounds like “ombre”.

5. Spell “Wes” in Spanish.

Uve doble – e – ese.

Quiz: test your Spanish alphabet

Ready? Answer the questions to see how much you remember.

Frequently asked questions about the Spanish alphabet

How many letters are in the Spanish alphabet?

27 letters: the 26 letters of the English alphabet, plus the ñ.

How do you say “alphabet” in Spanish?

El abecedario or el alfabeto. Both are correct.

Are CH and LL letters in Spanish?

Not anymore. They used to be separate letters, but since 2010 the Real Academia Española counts them as combinations of two letters. They still have their own sound, though: ll sounds like “y”, and ch like in “chocolate”.

What letter is silent in Spanish?

The h. You write it, but you never pronounce it.

Does the V sound different from the B?

In most of the Spanish-speaking world, b and v sound (almost) the same. That’s why Spanish speakers sometimes say “be larga” and “uve” to make clear which one they mean when spelling.

Before you go to lesson 4

I know the alphabet isn’t the most exciting lesson, but it’s one of the fundamentals of the language. Not sure yet how to pronounce certain letters? Watch the video again, practice out loud, and take your time before you move on.

In the next lesson we’ll look at the Spanish vowels in more detail. Until then: ¡adiós!, ¡hasta luego!, ¡hasta mañana! or a new one: ¡hasta la próxima! (until next time!)