Pronunciation and Accent Rules
Pronunciation
Accent Rules
Pronunciation Key
A

sounds like the A in ah
B

similar to the B in English

when followed by a consonant or the letters A, O or U, it
sounds like the C in cake
when followed by the letters E or I, it sounds like the C in
cell
C

D

similar to the D in English
E

similar to the A in state
F

sounds like the F in English

when followed by a consonant or the letters A, O or U, it
sounds like the G in goat
when followed by a consonant or the letters E or I, it
sounds similar to the H in hot
G

H

always silent
I

sounds like the EE in feet
J

similar to the H in hot

K

sounds like the K in English
generally only found in words borrowed from other
languages
L

sounds like the L in English

a separate letter in Spanish
depending on the accent of the speaker, can sound like
the Y in yellow or similar to the J in jet
LL

M

sounds like the M in English
N

sounds like the N in English
Ñ

sounds like the NY in canyon
O

sounds like the O in note
P

sounds like the P in English

must be followed by a U
usually found in a que or qui combination
que sounds like "kay"
qui sounds like "kee"
Q




R

when at the beginning of a word, the R must be rolled or
trilled
when in the middle of a word and doubled, the R must be
rolled or trilled
S

sounds like the S in English
T

sounds like the T in English

silent in the gue, gui, que, and qui combinations
at all other times, sounds like the U in true
U
V
W
X


depending on the accent of the speaker, can sound like
either the V or B in English

sounds like the W in English
generally only found in words borrowed from other
languages


except in the case of words derived from Indian
languages, sounds like the X in excellent


depending on the accent of the speaker, can sound like
the Y in yellow or similar to the J in jet
when standing alone, sounds like the EE in feet

sounds like the S in song
Y
Z
Basic Accent Rules
There are two basic rules that tell where the emphasis, or stress, should
be placed on a word in Spanish.
Rule 1: Words ending in a vowel, the letter N or the letter S are
stressed on the next to last syllable.
For example: morado (the stress is on the "ra"), uno (the stress is on the
"u"), tenis (the stress is on the "te")
Rule 2: Words ending in a consonant other than N or S are stressed on
the very last syllable.
For example: papel (the stress is on the "pel"), ciudad (the stress is on
the "dad")
If a word breaks these rules, then it needs a written accent.