1.4.0: Vocabulario
|
Letters |
Names of Letters in Spanish |
Examples |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
a |
a |
a rm a dillo |
Á l a mo |
S a n A ntonio |
|
b |
be, be larga |
b ota |
b urro |
b ailar |
|
c |
ce |
c aballo |
c actus |
c asería |
|
d |
de |
D allas |
Río Gran d e |
d isparo |
|
e |
e |
e xtenso |
e xplorar |
E ldorado |
|
f |
efe |
f ábrica |
f lor |
f amilia |
|
g |
ge |
g eneroso |
g ente |
G eneral Santa Ana |
|
h |
hache |
h eno |
h uerto |
co h ete |
|
i |
i |
i guana |
i ndependenc i a |
I rene |
|
j |
jota |
j aripeo |
j inete |
j ornalero |
|
k |
ca (ka) |
bi k ini |
K arina |
k ilo |
|
l |
ele |
L ibé l u l a |
L aredo |
l ibreta |
|
m |
eme |
m argarita |
ca m pesino |
m aestro |
|
n |
ene |
N evada |
N atalia |
N avarro |
|
ñ |
eñe |
ni ñ o |
ñ andú |
espa ñ ol |
|
o |
o |
O desa |
petr ó le o |
r o de o |
|
p |
pe |
El P aso |
p escador |
p atriota |
|
q |
cu |
q ueso |
Ra q uel |
Q uemado |
|
r |
erre |
ba rr il |
bece rr o |
co rr al |
|
s |
ese |
S arita |
S alado |
S an Benito |
|
t |
te |
T ejas |
t aco |
t ornado |
|
u |
u |
U valde |
ú nico |
u niversidad |
|
v |
uve, ve, or ve corta |
v aca |
v aquero |
v enado |
|
w |
uve doble, doble ve, or ve doble |
W ildorado |
W eslaco |
ki w i |
|
x |
equis |
ane x ar |
x ilofón |
E x tremadura |
|
y |
i griega or ye |
y egua |
Y ucatán |
y acaré |
|
z |
zeta |
z oológico |
z acate |
cora z ón |
More information on the pronunciation of Spanish letters
Most letters in Spanish have only one pronunciation, and thus, spelling can be said to be easier in Spanish than in English. However, there are some exceptions:
- When c appears before a , o , u and the consonants l and r , it sounds like /k/ (e.g., carismático , Costa Rica , cultura , clima , crema ). When c is followed by e or i , it sounds like /s/ (e.g., centro , emocional ) in Latin America, but like /th/ in some parts of the world, when c is followed by h , it is pronounced like the ch in cheese (e.g., China ).
- When g appears before a , o , u and the consonants l and r, it sounds like an English hard /g/ (e.g., arrogante , amigo , gusto , globo , gracias ). When g is followed by e or i , it sounds like the English /h/ (e.g., generoso , ágil ). However, if a u is between g and e or i , g is pronounced like a hard /g/ , and the u is NOT pronounced (e.g., guía , espagueti ). Sometimes, in the combinations gue and gui , the u is pronounced if it is marked with a diéresis (the two dots above the ü ). In these cases, the g in combination with the u is pronounced /w/ . Examples: bilingüe , lingüística .
- Double l ( ll ) is pronounced like English /y/ in yes (e.g., me llamo , amarillo , pollo , calle ) . In some parts of Argentina and Uruguay, this sound is pronounced like /sh/ .
- Q can only be found in the combinations que and qui . In these cases, the u is silent, and the q is pronounced /k/ (e.g., ¿ qué ?, quinto [ fifth ]). Q cannot be followed by a , o , or u (unless u is followed by e or i ).
- When r is at the beginning or in the middle of a word and appears as a double r ( rr ), it is pronounced like a rolling r (e.g., Río Grande, Rosa , guitarra ).