Focus on Phonics: The Spanish Alphabet

Colors, numbers and the alphabet are the building blocks of any language, which is why introductory Spanish courses dedicate so much time to mastering them. As an adult learner, you might be inclined to try and skip past the Spanish alphabet to get to the “real learning” to become fluent. However, in order to feel confident speaking and reading, you need to master the sounds each letter makes. Without spending adequate time practicing the sounds of Spanish in their smallest forms, you’ll struggle more down the road.

Phonics is a way to teach that written and spoken language are connected. Did you know that by improving your literacy skills, you also improve your speech? Whether or not you’re interested in reading long novels in Spanish, taking the time to practice phonics will improve your speaking ability and your confidence.

Spanish is Phonetic!

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Unlike English, Spanish is a phonetic language. “Phonetic” sounds sort of like “phonics,” and that’s because they both relate to the sounds of words. A phonetic language means that the words are written as they sound. This makes it even more crucial to learn the sounds of Spanish and their rules so you can feel confident sounding out new words!

English is not phonetic, which is why early years in school have to spend so much time on the different sound blends and when the same letter will make different sounds.

Spanish Sound Rules

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Almost every letter in the Spanish language makes exactly 1 sound. Of course, different countries have different accents with different accents and may pronounce a letter different than standard Spanish. For example, Puerto Rican Spanish pronounces many “r” sounds like an “l”, and only Spain pronounces the “z” and “c” sounds like the English “th” sound. The standard Spanish alphabet pronunciation is what we will focus on here.

If you’re brand new to Spanish, there are tons of online resources to learn and practice the Spanish alphabet.

Letters with Multiple Pronunciations

There are a few letters with a few different pronunciations. The good news is you can easily memorize when the letter makes each sound! The rules are very clear in Spanish, and there aren’t too many.

The Letter C

• Before a, o o u it sounds like the English k.
  • For example, the Spanish words cama, comer y cuando.
• Before e o i it sounds like the English s.
  • For example, the Spanish words centavo y cine.
• In Spain before e o i it sounds like the th in the English word cosa.

You can see both types of pronunciation in the word circo.

The Letter G

• Before a, o o u it sounds like the English hard g, like the word “grill.”
  • For example, the Spanish words gato, gordo y gustar.
• Before e o i it sounds like the English h.
  • For example, the Spanish words gente y gimnasio.

You can see both types of pronunciation in the word gigante.

The Letter Y- Consonant and Vowel

• At the beginning of a word, followed by a vowel, it sounds like the English y like “yellow.” It functions as a consonant here, just like in English.
  • For example, the Spanish word llave o yo.
• As the last syllable of a word when it’s unstressed, it sounds like the English “ee” and functions as a vowel.
  • For example, the Spanish word hoy.
  • Also, the Spanish word “y”!

Of course, if you’re interested in how the sounds of Spanish may differ across the world, or even across your own city, there are plenty of unique styles and pronunciations to learn!