🔤 Alphabet - Alfabeto
Beginner Spanish · Letters and spelling
The Spanish Alphabet
A name can slip past your ears. Spelling gives it a second introduction, one letter at a time. Meet the 27 letters of the Spanish alphabet, learn what to call them, and give your next “How do you spell that?” a Spanish answer.
Your next small win: name the letters, recognize ñ and common written marks, and spell a short name aloud.
Letter Names and Sounds
A letter’s name is what you say when you spell. Its sound is what you hear inside a word. They’re related, but they don’t always introduce themselves the same way.
Start small: find the letters in your own name first. You can come back for the rest of the alphabet once those feel familiar.
All 27 Letters
Meet the whole alphabet in three groups. Each card has two speakers: one for the letter’s name and one for a word that uses it. You don’t need to learn every example word today.
A–I
A · a
B · b
C · c
D · d
E · e
F · f
G · g
H · h
I · i
Say the letter names once, then choose two example words to listen to.
J–R
J · j
K · k
L · l
M · m
N · n
Ñ · ñ
O · o
P · p
Q · q
R · r
Say the letter names once, then choose two example words to listen to.
S–Z
S · s
T · t
U · u
V · v
W · w
X · x
Y · y
Z · z
Say the letter names once, then choose two example words to listen to.
Try it aloud
Find A and N above. How would you spell the name Ana using Spanish letter names?
a, ene, a. Say the letter names, rather than repeating the whole name.
Common Letter-Name Variations
Sometimes the letter stays put and its name changes with the speaker. These are useful variations to recognize—not extra letters to memorize.
Y and W
Y: this page uses ye. You may also hear i griega.
W: this page uses uve doble. Other common names include doble u and doble ve.
B and V
This page uses be for B and uve for V. You may hear distinguishing names such as be larga and ve corta. In normal Spanish pronunciation, B and V generally represent the same sounds, so their different names help when spelling.
Letters and Letter Combinations
Two letters can work together without earning an extra place in the alphabet. Here’s what counts as a letter and what counts as a combination.
The count stays at 27: older alphabet charts may list ch and ll separately. They are not separate letters in the current alphabet. Neither is rr.
Accent Marks and Punctuation
A small mark can carry a useful instruction. Read it as part of the word or sentence, not as decoration.
Accented vowels: á, é, í, ó, ú
Accented vowels are not extra alphabet letters. The written accent can show stress or distinguish words, such as tú (“you”) and tu (“your”).
When spelling café, say ce, a, efe, e con tilde to include the accent on E. E con acento is also understood.
Ü: the diéresis
The two dots are called a diéresis. In güe and güi, they tell you to pronounce the U. Ü is not a separate alphabet letter.
Question and exclamation marks
Spanish questions use ¿ at the beginning and ? at the end. Exclamations use ¡ and !. The opening mark lets you know what kind of sentence is coming.
Try it aloud
The word café has an accent on its final E. Spell it aloud and include the accent.
ce, a, efe, e con tilde.
Useful Spelling Phrases
If a word goes by too quickly, ask it to come back letter by letter. These questions help you turn “I didn’t catch that” into something you can write down.
A short spelling exchange
Spelling Practice
Saying a word and spelling it are two different jobs. Listen to the word first, then use the letter names. Take the longer ones a few letters at a time.
Try it aloud
Spell España aloud. Give Ñ its own name.
e, ese, pe, a, eñe, a.
Longer words
Say each word once. Then spell it using the alphabet cards above. Start slowly; getting the letters in order matters more than speed.
Practice: Alphabet and Spelling
Choose the letter name, written form, or phrase that fits. There are eight questions. You can revisit the alphabet cards whenever you need a reminder.
Practice complete
Alphabet practice complete.
A few phrases to revisit
One last step: say it without choices.
Spell Ana, España, and café without looking at the alphabet cards. Then ask someone how to spell their name. This quiz checks recognition; saying the letter names aloud is your next step.
Ana: a, ene, a.
España: e, ese, pe, a, eñe, a.
Café: ce, a, efe, e con tilde.
What is the name of Ñ, the letter in niño?
- eñe
- ene
- eme
- erre
Ñ is called eñe. N is called ene.
eñe — Ñ is called eñe. N is called ene.
H is silent in hola, but it still has a name. What is it?
- hache
- jota
- ge
- ka
Say hache when spelling the letter H.
hache — Say hache when spelling the letter H.
Which combination is made of two Rs, rather than a separate alphabet letter?
- rr
- ñ
- r
- y
RR is written with two Rs; it has no separate place in the alphabet.
rr — RR is written with two Rs; it has no separate place in the alphabet.
Which word has a diéresis, the two dots telling you to pronounce U?
- pingüino
- guitarra
- café
- España
In pingüino, the diéresis makes the U audible in güi.
pingüino — In pingüino, the diéresis makes the U audible in güi.
Which written form correctly uses Spanish question marks?
- ¿Cómo estás?
- Cómo estás?
- ¡Cómo estás!
- Cómo estás.
A Spanish question uses both the opening ¿ and the closing ?.
¿Cómo estás? — A Spanish question uses both the opening ¿ and the closing ?.
Which phrase asks how something is written or spelled?
- ¿Cómo se escribe?
- Se escribe con eñe.
- ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
- ¿Cómo estás?
¿Cómo se escribe? asks how to write or spell something.
¿Cómo se escribe? — ¿Cómo se escribe? asks how to write or spell something.
Which vowel has a written accent in café?
- é
- á
- í
- ó
Café has an accent on its final E; é is not an extra alphabet letter.
é — Café has an accent on its final E; é is not an extra alphabet letter.
Which sequence spells Ana using Spanish letter names?
- a, ene, a
- a, eñe, a
- a, eme, a
- e, ene, e
Ana has A, N, A: a, ene, a.
a, ene, a — Ana has A, N, A: a, ene, a.