Basic Rules of Spanish Pronunciation: Vowels, Consonants & Stress Patterns

Basic Rules of Spanish Pronunciation: Master Spanish Sounds

Spanish pronunciation is one of the easiest parts of learning Spanish. Unlike English, Spanish is phonetic - words are pronounced the way they're written. Once you learn the rules, you can pronounce almost any word correctly.

This guide covers all the basic pronunciation rules: vowels, consonants, stress patterns, and special sounds.

The Five Spanish Vowels

Spanish has five vowels, and each one has ONE consistent sound. This is much simpler than English, where vowels have multiple sounds.

Vowel Pronunciation Tips

1. Vowels are always pronounced the same way. There are no silent vowels in Spanish. Every vowel is pronounced.

2. Vowels are short and crisp. Don't drag them out like in English. Say them quickly and clearly.

3. Practice each vowel separately. Say "ah, eh, ee, oh, oo" repeatedly until they feel natural.

Consonants: Hard vs Soft

Most Spanish consonants are pronounced the same as in English. But a few have special rules:

The Letter C

Hard C (before A, O, U): Pronounced like "k"

• casa (KAH-sah) - house
• coche (KOH-cheh) - car
• cuarto (KWAHR-toh) - room

Soft C (before E, I): Pronounced like "th" in Spain, "s" in Latin America

• cena (THEH-nah or SEH-nah) - dinner
• cinco (THEEN-koh or SEEN-koh) - five

The Letter G

Hard G (before A, O, U): Pronounced like "g" in "go"

• gato (GAH-toh) - cat
• gordo (GOR-doh) - fat
• guapo (GWAH-poh) - handsome

Soft G (before E, I): Pronounced like "h" in "hello"

• gente (HEN-teh) - people
• gitano (hee-TAH-noh) - gypsy

The Letter J

J: Always pronounced like "h" in "hello"

• joven (HOH-ven) - young
• juego (HWEH-goh) - game
• jirafa (hee-RAH-fah) - giraffe

The Letter LL

LL: Pronounced like "y" in "yes" (in most of Latin America) or "ll" in "million" (in Spain)

• llama (YAH-mah) - llama or "call"
• lluvia (YOO-vee-ah) - rain
• calle (KAH-yeh) - street

The Letter Ñ

Ñ: Pronounced like "ny" in "canyon"

• niño (NEE-nyoh) - boy
• mañana (mah-NYAH-nah) - tomorrow
• español (es-pah-NYOL) - Spanish

The Letter R

Single R: Pronounced with a soft tap (like a quick "d")

• pero (PEH-roh) - but
• cara (KAH-rah) - face

Double RR or R at the beginning: Pronounced with a rolling sound (trill)

• perro (PEH-rroh) - dog
• rojo (ROH-hoh) - red
• rápido (RAH-pee-doh) - fast

How to Roll Your R

Method 1: The Tongue Tap

1. Place your tongue behind your upper front teeth
2. Say "d" quickly and repeatedly: "d-d-d-d-d"
3. Now add an "r" sound: "drrr"
4. Practice: "perro" (peh-rroh)

Method 2: The Gargle

1. Say "grrr" like you're growling
2. Feel your tongue vibrating
3. Now add vowels: "grrra," "grrre," "grrri"

Note: Many native Spanish speakers can't roll their R either. If you can't do it, use a soft tap instead. Native speakers will understand you.

The Letter Z

Z: Pronounced like "th" in Spain, "s" in Latin America

• zapato (thah-PAH-toh or sah-PAH-toh) - shoe
• zona (THOH-nah or SOH-nah) - zone

Stress and Accent Marks

Rule 1: Words ending in a vowel, N, or S are stressed on the second-to-last syllable.

• CAsA (house) - stress on first syllable
• MESa (table) - stress on first syllable
• PERro (dog) - stress on first syllable

Rule 2: Words ending in a consonant (except N or S) are stressed on the last syllable.

• parED (wall) - stress on last syllable
• coRAzón (heart) - stress on last syllable

Rule 3: Accent marks override the rules.

• MÁquina (machine) - stress on first syllable (marked with accent)
• teléFONO (telephone) - stress on second syllable (marked with accent)

Practice Exercise 1: Vowel Pronunciation

Say these words out loud, focusing on clear vowel sounds:

• abuelo (grandfather) - AH-boo-EH-loh
• elefante (elephant) - eh-leh-FAHN-teh
• iglesia (church) - ee-GLEH-see-ah
• oso (bear) - OH-soh
• uva (grape) - OO-vah

Practice Exercise 2: Consonant Pronunciation

Say these words out loud, focusing on special consonants:

• cebolla (onion) - seh-BOH-yah (soft C)
• gente (people) - HEN-teh (soft G)
• jirafa (giraffe) - hee-RAH-fah (J)
• mañana (tomorrow) - mah-NYAH-nah (Ñ)
• perro (dog) - PEH-rroh (RR)

Related Resources

For more beginner content, see our complete beginner roadmap and essential Spanish words guide.

The Bottom Line

Spanish pronunciation is consistent and logical. Learn the vowel sounds, master the special consonants (C, G, J, LL, Ñ, R, Z), and understand stress patterns. Practice daily, listen to native speakers, and your pronunciation will improve quickly. Spanish is one of the easiest languages to pronounce - take advantage of that!