🔤 Spanish Alphabet

⏱ 7 min read

In this section you will learn the 27 letters of the Spanish alphabet, the names of each letter, and how they appear in everyday Spanish words. You will also learn important written characters and useful phrases for spelling words and names.

🔤 Spanish Alphabet

A → a
🌳 Árbol
B → be
🚲 Bicicleta
C → ce
🏠 Casa
D → de
🍬 Dulce
E → e
⭐ Estrella
F → efe
🌸 Flor
G → ge
🐱 Gato
H → hache
🧊 Hielo
I → i
🏝️ Isla
J → jota
🌼 Jardín
K → ka
🥝 Kiwi
L → ele
🌙 Luna
M → eme
🍎 Manzana
N → ene
🌙 Noche
Ñ → eñe
👦 Niño
O → o
🐻 Oso
P → pe
🐶 Perro
Q → cu
🧀 Queso
R → erre
🌹 Rosa
S → ese
☀️ Sol
T → te
🌮 Taco
U → u
🍇 Uva
V → uve
🐄 Vaca
W → uve doble
🥃 Whisky
X → equis
🎵 Xilófono
Y → ye
🥣 Yogur
Z → zeta
🦊 Zorro

⭐ Special Spanish Letters & Letter Combinations

🚀 Ñ is one of the 27 official letters of the Spanish alphabet. It represents a sound similar to "ny" in the English word "canyon."

Niño
🎵 RR is not a separate letter of the alphabet. Between vowels, this combination represents the stronger rolled or trilled R sound.

Perro
🧀 LL was once treated as a separate letter for alphabetization, but today it is considered a combination of two Ls. Its pronunciation varies across the Spanish-speaking world.

Llave
🤫 The letter H is silent in native Spanish words. It is written but does not represent a sound by itself.

Hola

✨ Accent Marks & Special Written Characters

🔤 Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú - Accented Vowels

Accented vowels are not separate letters of the Spanish alphabet. Written accent marks can indicate word stress and can also help distinguish between words that are otherwise spelled the same.

Á - mamá
É - café
Í - país
Ó - canción
Ú - música
🐧 Ü - Diéresis

The two dots over ü show that the u is pronounced in the combinations güe and güi.

Pingüino
Penguin

Vergüenza
Embarrassment / shame
❓ ¿ ? - Question Marks

Spanish questions begin with an inverted question mark ¿ and end with a regular question mark ?.

¿Cómo estás?
How are you?
❗ ¡ ! - Exclamation Marks

Spanish exclamations begin with an inverted exclamation mark ¡ and end with a regular exclamation mark !.

¡Feliz cumpleaños!
Happy birthday!

💡 Beginner Alphabet Tips

🔤 Spanish has 27 letters, including the letter Ñ.
🗣️ Spanish uses five vowel letters: A, E, I, O, U. Their pronunciation is generally more consistent than English vowel pronunciation.
📖 Spanish spelling follows many consistent pronunciation patterns. As you learn these patterns, you will become better at reading unfamiliar words aloud.
🌍 The letter Ñ appears in many common words, including niño, año, and español.
💡 The letters K and W are less common in words of Spanish origin and are frequently found in words borrowed from other languages.

💬 Useful Alphabet & Spelling Phrases

🔤 ¿Cómo se escribe?
How is it written? / How do you spell it?
📝 ¿Cómo se deletrea?
How do you spell it?
🔡 Se escribe con eñe.
It's spelled with the letter Ñ.
👤 ¿Cómo se escribe tu nombre?
How do you spell your name?
🎧 ¿Puedes repetir, por favor?
Can you repeat that, please?

📝 Spelling Practice

🌍 España
Notice the letter Ñ in the middle of the word.
☕ Café
Notice the accent mark over the final É.
🐧 Pingüino
Notice the two dots over the Ü. They show that the U is pronounced.
📚 Biblioteca
Listen for each syllable as you say this longer word.
🎓 Universidad
Listen carefully to the rhythm and final stress of this common Spanish word.
🚀 Extraordinario
Practice saying this longer word slowly, then at a natural speed.

🏆 Final Practice

Practice saying the letter names and words before pressing play.

  • Ñ - eñe
  • R - erre
  • Y - ye
  • España
  • Pingüino
  • ¿Cómo se escribe?
  • ¿Cómo se deletrea?