Chapter 4: The Alphabet

The alphabet used in Spanish is exactly the same as the one

in English. This is the Latin alphabet and contains no
variations when compared to the English character set. This
makes it very easy to identify letters and words in Spanish.
Pronunciation, however, is a different story.
T h e Sp an is h ch a ract e r s e t co nt a ins t h e s ame 2 6
le tt e rs u s e d in E ngl is h , p lu s an add it io na l ch aract
e r k no wn as “ ñ” (p ro no u nce d /e ny e h /). T h is is an
add it io n al ch aract e r, wh ich is e ss e nt ial ly e xclu s ive
t o Sp anis h . T h e acce nt at o p t h e “n” is calle d “ve
r gu li lla. ” I t is o nly u s e d o n t h e “n” t o fo r m t h e “ñ,” a
nd it is no t u s e d o n vo we ls, s u ch as in t h e cas e o f
Po rt u gue s e .
Recently, the Real Academia Española – RAE - (Royal
Spanish Academy) dropped the official recognition of the
letters “ch,” “rr,” and “ll.” These double consonants were
previously considered to be letters in their own right, given
the spelling of some words. However, the RAE deemed them
not to be letters. So, the sounds they produce are the result
of a consonant combination and not the product of an
individual letter.
The Spanish Character Set
First, let us examine the Spanish character set below:

Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff
/ah/ /beh/ /seh/ /deh/ /eh/ /efeh/
Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll
/heh/ /acheh/ /ee/ /hota/ /kah/ /eleh/
Mm Nn Ññ Oo Pp Qq
/emeh/ /eneh/ /enyeh/ /oh/ /peh/ /kooh/
Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww
 /ereh/ /eseh/ /teh/ /ooh/ /veh/ /doble
ooh/
Xx Yy Zz
/ehkees/ /ee /zehtah/
greeahguh/
T able 1 . T h e Sp anis h alp h a be t

The figure above presents the full character set for the
Spanish alphabet. As you can see, the only character not
present in the English language is the “ñ.” The
significant variation between the two alphabets lies in the
pronunciation of each letter.
A no t h e r si mil arit y be t wee n Engl is h and Sp an is h is
t h e u s e o f t h e s ame de s ign at io n o f ch aract e rs fo r
vo we l s o u nd s . T h e t rad it io na l A , E, I , O, U le tt
e rs are u s e d t o re p re s e nt vo we l s o u nd s . Give n t
h e p ho ne t ic co ns t ru ct io n o f Sp a nis h , t h e re are o
nly five vo we l s o u nd s and a c o mb inat io n o f d ip h t
ho ngs a nd t rip h t ho ngs . T h e re are als o no lo ng no r s
ho rt s o u nd s lik e in Engl is h . O ve ral l, t h e re are 1 4
vo we l s o u nd s in Eng lis h as co mp are d t o t h e five
bas ic s o u nd s i n Sp an is h . I t s ho u ld be no t e d t h at
wh e ne ve r t h e re is a co mb inat io n o f vo w e ls wr itt e
n t o ge t h e r, t h e y mu s t all be p ro no u nce d ind iv idu
ally . Fo r e xa mp le , in “d ía ” (d ay ), t h e “e e -ah
” vo we ls are p ro no u nce d t o ge t h e r. T h is is i mp o rt
ant t o k ee p i n mind , e s p e cially i f yo u are u s e d t o
Fre nch, wh e re mu lt ip le vo we ls co mb ine t o fo r m o ne
s o u nd .
As for the consonants, each letter has its own individual
sound. When combined, the sound of each letter must be
pronounced just as with vowels. There are a couple of
exceptions, however.
First, the double “L” combination makes a “y” sound. For
instance, “Lluvia” is not pronounced as /lloveeah/ but rather
/youveeah/. As mentioned earlier, the “ll” combination was
once considered to be an individual letter but has recently
been changed by the RAE.
The same goes for the use of “rr.” For example,
“guardarropa” (wardrobe) would be considered “rr” as an
individual letter. Since the RAE no longer recognizes “rr” as a
letter, the pronunciation of the word remains the same, but
the official spelling of the word is officially “r-r” as opposed to
“rr.”
One other letter that is no longer recognized by the RAE is
“ch.” This letter is now the “c-h” combination as opposed to
the former “ch.”
Now, let’s take a look at pronunciation.

Pronunciation Differences
In general, Spanish is a very easy language to read since
each letter represents one sound and must be pronounced
as such. In other words, Spanish is read and pronounced
exactly as it is spelled. This is one clear advantage that
Spanish has over other languages.
Nevertheless, there are some phonological differences
between English and Spanish.
The first and perhaps the most obvious is the “rolling R.” The
rolling Rs tend to give native English speakers a hard time.
Perhaps the best comparison of this sound can be found in
the Irish accent. The rolling R in the Irish accent is actually
quite similar to the one in Spanish. Of course, it takes some
time and practice. But given time, you, too, can learn to
pronounce it appropriately.
Another key difference lies in the pronunciation of “Q.” In
English, words with “Q,”such as “quick,” are pronounced as
/kwik/. In Spanish, though, they are
pronounced as /k/. For instance, “queso” (cheese) is not pronounced
as /kwehsoh/ but as /kehsoh/.
This is a very significant difference as it can lead to some
miscommunication both when listening and speaking. Sure, it may
not derail meaning altogether, but it will make it somewhat difficult to
get the message across.
Then, there is the matter of the silent “H.” This letter is never
pronounced in Spanish, though it is used in writing. So, “hotel”
would not be /hotel/ but /ohtel/. This is a very straightforward rule.
So, please don’t pronounce the “h” whenever you see it printed.
The “G” and “J” can be somewhat confusing. They both produce the
/h/ sound depending on the vowel combination. Now, “J” is easy as it
will always produce the
/h/ sound. The difference lies with “G.” In the combinations “GE” and
“GI,” the sound is /heh/ and /hee/. For example, “general” would
be pronounced as
/hehneral/ and “giro” (turn) would be /heeroh/. In the case of “GA,”
“GO,” and “GU,” the soft /g/ sound is produced. For instance, “gato”
(cat) would be /gahtoh/, “golf” would be /gohlf/, and “gustar” (like)
would be /goostoh/. Please bear these differences in mind when
reading through Spanish text and when pronouncing words.
The last point on pronouncing letters lies with “B” and “V.” In
European Spanish, both letters sound the same as their English
counterparts. However, in Latin American Spanish, both letters
sound exactly the same; that is, they have the same bilabial /b/
sound. So, “botar” (drop) and “votar” (vote) both sound the same
/bohtahr/. Since they are both indistinguishable, it is up to you to
recognize the context where the words are used. That will give you
enough reference to determine which word is being said.
On the whole, the Spanish alphabet is pretty straightforward. This is
certainly an advantage for native speakers of English or any other
romance language. Do take the time to go over each letter and its
pronunciation. You will soon find that they are not as hard as you
might have thought.