Spanish Vowel Sounds Guide to Pronunciation
This pronunciation guide was created to give you a firm but quick foundation! You don’t have to learn EVERYTHING there is to know about Spanish pronunciation. Get some insightful, simple, & easy tips to get you started! An accurate picture of the Spanish alphabet appears when we realize that the English alphabet is practically the same as the Spanish alphabet. Below are the Spanish vowel sounds that make the Spanish alphabet different.
1. A E I O U Vowels in Spanish TIP 1
Spanish Pronunciation Audio
A E I O U
Improve your pronunciation by mastering these Spanish vowel sounds first ! Spanish vowels are the main event- consonants are just there to support the vowels. If you have beautiful consistent Spanish vowel sounds, most Spanish speakers will figure out what you are talking about even if you have mispronounced a word.
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH A:
Alma Algo Abra Amiga
Practice the A vowel by using these words that start with A. Focus on delivering a beautiful A
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH E:
Elefante Entrada Elenco Estupendo
Practice the A vowel by using these words that start with E. Focus on delivering a beautiful E
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH I:
Iglesia Instante Impuesto Iguana
Practice the I vowel by using these words that start with I or any words that have I in them!
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH O:
Oso Okra Ojos Ocho
The “O” vowel has a round chocolatey sound! Make sure each word with O has one pure sound; Listen to audio files.
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH U:
Uso Uno Usual Uva
The U has a rich dark sound. Round out your lips and practice with these words that start with U
How to practice Spanish Vowels:
A. Engage your brain everyday! Make your brain read the vowels you see in your own environment! Turn your home, office space and neighborhood into a learning lab! Look at bill boards, license plates and signage in your environment and pick out the vowels. Practice your Spanish vowel sounds daily!
Just read the vowels- even if the words are in English; pretend that the words you see are Spanish and read the vowels using the Spanish vowel sounds! Do this on and off during the day!
B. Watch Spanish in Atlanta’s Spanish vowel video & exercise to study how to pronounce Spanish vowels correctly!
2. English & Spanish alphabet are almost identical Except:
The following Spanish letters & combinations of letter/vowels are exceptions. Meaning that the sounds they create are not what you expect them to be. The list is small so you can do this!! 🙂 I will also give you Spanish words that start with most of the letter/vowel combinations below for you to practice. Take our beginner Spanish course for professional help & feedback. Enjoy interactive Spanish exercises & engaging lessons!
H= NO sound CE= S sound + e vowel LL= Y sound GUE= Hard G sound + e vowel
GE= H sound + e vowel CI= S sound + i vowel QUE= K sound + e vowel GUI= Hard G sound+ i vowel
GI= H sound + I vowel Z= S sound QUI= K sound + i vowel J= H sound
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH H:
Hola Hielo Hambre Hago
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH CE:
Centavos Cena Celoso Cero
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH LL:
Llanto LLamas Lleno Llano
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH GUE:
Guerra Guerrero Guevara
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH GE:
Gente Gerente Gesto Genio
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH CI:
Cielo Cintura Cìrculo Ciclo
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH QUE:
Queso Quema Queda Queja
** Words starting with Q will always have a UE or UI right after!
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH GUI:
Guiso Guitarra Guìa Guisantes
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH GI:
Gigante Giro Gitano Girasol
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH Z:
Zanahoria Zebra Zapatos Zafiro
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH QUI:
Quimica Quizas Quinto Quince
SPANISH WORDS THAT START WITH J:
Jarabe Jamòn Jinete Jabòn
In addition to these exceptions above the following letters are also noticeably different:
P= No airy sound= sounds almost like a B
C= No puff of air= simple C as in CAT sound
T= No airy sound= sounds almost like a D
R= Flipped Spanish R= sounds like a D
RR= Rolled Spanish R= sounds like a cat’s Purr
Ñ= Eñe- special N= sounds like kneeya
THAT’S IT! 🙂 Use the Spanish pronunciation audio files above to study & so you can perfect Spanish vowel sounds & Spanish letters! Listen numerous times; record yourself and play it back. Does it sound the same? Use your smartphone’s voice recorder to play back.
PRACTICE DAILY- SING THEM VOWELS! 🙂
This Spanish vowels sounds & pronunciation post will only focus on the beautiful sounds you need to create with your “musical instrument” your mouth- not the inflexion. Inflexion is the rhythm; a word’s rhythmic skeleton versus just the melody or the sounds! We will create a part 2 to this guide to Spanish vowel sounds. Comment below, if you are interested!
Spanish Vowel Sounds Mini Test:
Read the following words below. This exercise starts of easy then progressively gets more challenging. This mini test will test you on your Spanish pronunciation of vowels & most of the exceptions we covered above in this blog post. Use the audio files to instantly check and see if you got the sounds right. You can record yourself and then play it back, as a suggestion to make it easier to check your work. BUENA SUERTE!
Interested in working with Spanish in Atlanta? You can book a tutoring session ( just Contact Spanish in Atlanta)- just one hour to work on pronunciation or you can take our beginner Spanish courses. Level I Spanish courses focuses on the basics including the Spanish pronunciation tips we have covered here!
Don’t know what is the best course of action? Talk to me 1 on 1! Get the answers you need to make the best decision- Schedule a FREE Spanish demo & consultation
Read the following words then check your Spanish Pronunciation audio below!
1. MANA BANA DAMA SALA CASA LLAMA CALLE MALLA
2. MESA SELLO BAÑO NIÑA QUESO QUEMA SAQUE
3. GENTE BOTELLA GERENTE FAJITAS LLANTA GERENTE JIMENA
4. PANTALLA CENTAVOS CINTA GATO CORAZÒN MOÑO GIRA
5. ZEBRA QUIZO GIGANTE HOLA LLANTO GINGIVITIS CERO
YAAAY! How did you do? It’s normal to make mistakes at first; keep at it! You will get it! If you want our help, we are AQUÌ 🙂
You were tested on the following sounds:
H QUE CE CI GI GE
LL QUI A E I O
C R Ñ P J Z T
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14 Comments
My friends have always teased me about my Spanish pronunciation and I have always felt uncomfortable. This gives me more confidence. This gringo has hope after all lol
Hola Jay! Si si, it doesn’t matter, if you speak English or are a “gringo” 🙂 you can sound like Ricky Martin jajaja and have la vida loca LOL. All jokes aside, we are happy to know you for more confident! Spanish pronunciation is attainable, if you have the right strategy and know what to focus on. For the Spanish language, the vowels are the key to the kingdom!
the audiofiles are perfect. I can listen to them anytime and practice the Spanish vowels without wondering if im doing it right. Gracias!
De nada Benny! con mucho gusto. Many beginner Spansih students struggle with Spanish pronunciation so we are happy to create a Spanish blog that can serve as a support to all students of the Spanish language!
Are these Spanish vowels the same for all Spanish speaking countries? Do they change a little? I enjoyed the little quiz and have referred back to this post anytime I need to refresh my Spanish vowels. Gracias
Yes Barbara, they are all the same. Spanish vowels are one of the most reliable. They don’t change regardless if you are learning Latin American Spanish, Caribbean, Argentinian or Spanish from Spanish.
I have used many Spanish learning apps and don’t have someone to listen to me and correct any pronunciation errors. This is so helpful. I can listen to the Spanish vowel sounds and check myself. Feel better about my pronunciation 🙂 Do you tutor students on just pronunciation? How can I get help, if I need just a few sessions? TY
Hola Sandy,
Yes, if you just need 1 or 2 personalized tutoring sessions to go over specific things you feel you need, you can do that. Contact us directly so we can set that up for you anytime you want. We don’t offer it on our Spanish in Atlanta website- we only offer packages on here but we can do a la carte sessions!
I’ve always felt insecure about my Spanish pronunciation. Even after months of studying, I would hesitate to speak because I didn’t want to sound awkward or mispronounce words. It’s been a major obstacle for me because I know how important pronunciation is to being understood and sounding more natural. I’d get so nervous that sometimes I’d avoid speaking altogether, even though I really wanted to practice.
After reading your blog post on Spanish pronunciation, I feel a lot more confident. You broke it down in such a simple and reassuring way. The tips about focusing on vowel sounds and learning the common tricky letters, like “r” and “ll,” really stood out to me. I didn’t realize how much of a difference small adjustments could make. Can’t wait to try this out on my Spanish speaking friends.
Muy bien David! Felicidades! Many times it’s our fears that make things hard for us and not the actual material we are trying to learn. Spanish in Atlanta is happy to know we have helped! Spanish pronunciation can be easy for English speaking students because the phonetic soundbox is practically identical to Spanish. That means that all the sounds we make in Spanish already exist in English.
EX: NUMERO = NEW MEADOW
BAILO= BYE LOW
BEBER= BAY BED
COCINAR= CO SEEN ADD
These are just a few examples. We are very unique and use English sounds you are already familiar with to help you create authentic Spanish sounds. 🙂
Oh man, let’s talk about the rollercoaster that is Spanish pronunciation! I have felt so awkward and uncomfortable with my Spanish pronunciation. I’d be all set to impress my friends with, “Me gusta el café,” and instead, it would come out sounding like I was choking on a taco. The “r” sounds alone had me in a tizzy! I thought I wouldn’t achieve beautiful Spanish pronunciation ever.
I used to dread any conversation in Spanish because I was so self-conscious about my pronunciation. I mean, can we take a moment to appreciate the fact that “c” can sound like “s” or “k” depending on where it is? I felt like I was in a linguistic magic show—“Now you see it, now you don’t!”
But then I stumbled upon the Spanish in Atlanta blog, and let me tell you, it was like finding a map in a maze. The posts are packed with tips that demystify Spanish pronunciation in such a relatable way. Dee Ortiz, in particular, deserves a medal for her guidance! She breaks down the rules of pronunciation so clearly that I finally feel like I can tackle the challenge. It’s like she handed me the keys to the kingdom. Now, instead of feeling like an awkward gringo, I actually enjoy speaking Spanish on my travel adventures!
Thanks to Dee, I’ve learned that Spanish pronunciation is, in fact, pretty straightforward. For example, once I figured out that most vowels are pronounced consistently, my confidence started to grow. No more guessing games! I mean, who knew that “a” is always pronounced like “ah”? It felt like a light bulb went off in my head.
Now, when I practice speaking Spanish, I actually feel like I know what I’m doing. Sure, I still have my moments where I accidentally roll my “r” like a lawnmower, but I laugh it off. It’s all part of the journey! I’ve even started speaking up more in class and with friends, and that confidence boost is priceless. I’ve gone from a quiet mumble to a proud declaration of “Me encanta practicar español!”
So, if you’re struggling with Spanish pronunciation like I was, don’t worry! With a little help from the Spanish in Atlanta blog and Dee Ortiz’s amazing tips, you’ll be rolling those “r”s and pronouncing those vowels like a pro in no time. Just remember: every mispronunciation is a stepping stone toward mastering the beautiful Spanish language. And hey, if you mess up, just smile and say, “¡Es parte del aprendizaje!”—it’ll definitely earn you some laughs and maybe even a taco!
Jaime tu eres cómico! 🙂 It was a pleasure working with you! I am so glad Spanish in Atlanta was able to help you with your Spanish pronunciation challenges. Enjoy connecting to people in a genuine way! No one cares if your pronunciation is perfect or not! Let Spanish speakers enjoy your presence. Spanish vowels are the most important sounds! I am excited for you and your future tacos! jajajajaja
As I dive deeper into learning Spanish, I’ve been curious about how many foreign sounds beginners need to master. I’ve noticed some sounds, like the rolling “r” and the way certain letters like “ll” or “j” are pronounced, feel pretty different from what I’m used to. Are there more sounds like this that I’ll need to get comfortable with as I progress? I really want to improve my pronunciation and feel confident speaking. Any tips would be great!
Hola Richard,
All the sounds are almost identical to the English language. The differences between Spanish and English are:
– Spanish vowels
– 13 exceptions which are covered in this Spanish pronunciation post-just go over them and that is it! The only foreign sound beginner Spanish students have to learn is the Rolled RR. thats it.