The Alphabet

Question 1

A

Answer 1

A: Ah, as in “bar.”

Question 2

B

Answer 2

B:Beh, as in “ball.”

Question 3

C

Answer 3

C: Seh. It’s pronounced like the C in “race” when it precedes I or E. However, it has a hard pronunciation that resembles more the K pronunciation when it precedes A, U, or O (as in “car”).

Question 4

CH

Answer 4

CH: Cheh, as in “cheese.” This letter is not always present in the Spanish alphabet.

Question 5

D

Answer 5

D: Deh, as in “doll.”

Question 6

E

Answer 6

E: Eh, as in “get.”

Question 7

F

Answer 7

F: Eh-feh, as in “fall.”

Question 8

G

Answer 8

G: Heh, and it has a soft pronunciation and a hard pronunciation. It has a hard pronunciation when it appears before U, O, A, or any consonant, and the pronunciation resembles that of the G in “good.” It has a soft pronunciation that resembles the H in “horn” when it goes before E or I. There’s an exception to this rule if the G appears before a U and then an E or an I, the U isn’t pronounced and the G takes the hard pronunciation; and in that same case, if the U has an umlaut diaeresis (as “güe” or “güi”), the G still has the hard pronunciation, but the U is no longer silent.

Question 9

H

Answer 9

H: Ah-cheh, and it’s silent, as in “honor.”

Question 10

I

Answer 10

I: Ee, as in “think.”

Question 11

J

Answer 11

J: Hoh-tah, pronounced like the H in “hell.”

Question 12

K

Answer 12

K: Kah, as in “kebab.”

Question 13

L

Answer 13

L: Eh-leh, as in “loom.” When two Ls are placed together, then it’s pronounced like the hard Y in words like “yard.”

Question 14

M

Answer 14

M: Eh-meh, as in “moon.”

Question 15

N

Answer 15

N: Eh-neh, as in “nose.”

Question 16

ñ

Answer 16

ñ: Ehn-nee-eh. This letter has no equivalent in the English language, and its pronunciation is difficult for native English speakers. Think about common Spanish words that have it such as “jalapeño,” and you’ll learn its pronunciation.

Question 17

O

Answer 17

O: Oh, as in “boat.”

Question 18

P

Answer 18

P: Peh, as in “pear.”

Question 19

Q

Answer 19

Q: Coo, and it’s pronounced like the hard C, like the C in “car.” The Q is always followed by a silent U before the main vowel.

Question 20

R

Answer 20

R: Eh-reh, as in “race.” When it’s placed at the beginning of the word, or when two Rs are placed together, then it takes the pronunciation of the hard Spanish R that’s made by rolling the Rs, very similar to the pronunciation of “rage,” only stronger. When it’s a single R in the middle of the word, then the pronunciation is a soft R, as in “art.”

Question 21

S

Answer 21

S: Eh-seh, as in “soft.”

Question 22

T

Answer 22

T: Teh, as in “tea.”

Question 23

U

Answer 23

U: Oo, as the oo in “good.” The exception to this rule is when the U is silent (after a Q or a G without a diaeresis umlaut).

Question 24

V

Answer 24

V: Veh, as in “vampire.”

Question 25

W

Answer 25

W: Doh-bleh beh (which means double v). Words with W in Spanish are adaptations of English words, so it also shares the pronunciation with these words, as it happens with “web.”

Question 26

X

Answer 26

X: Eh-kees, pronounced like the h in “has.”

Question 27

Y

Answer 27

Y: Yeh, pronounced as a hard Y if it precedes a vowel, as in “yearn.” However, if it stands alone, it’s pronounced like the Spanish I as EE.

Question 28

Z

Answer 28

Z: Seh-tah, as in “zoo.”