Courses / Spanish / Basics, lesson 1

The Spanish alphabet

Spanish is written almost exactly the way it sounds. Learn the letters and their sounds, and you can read nearly any word aloud, even one you have never seen. Press Play on each player below.

Welcome

Welcome to Spanish

Spanish is spelled the way it sounds.

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Hear every letter

Each card shows the letter, its Spanish name in bold, and a word that starts with it. The name comes first, then the word.

Letters A to I, with Lupe

A a

a · agua, water

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Letters J to Ñ, with Pedro

J j

jota · jugo, juice

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Letters O to Z, with Lupe

O o

o · oso, bear

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All the letters at a glance

Letter	Name	Say the name like	Example
A a	a	ah	agua (water)
B b	be	beh	barco (boat)
C c	ce	seh	casa (house)
D d	de	deh	dedo (finger)
E e	e	eh	escuela (school)
F f	efe	EH-feh	flor (flower)
G g	ge	heh	gato (cat)
H h	hache	AH-cheh	hola (hello)
I i	i	ee	isla (island)
J j	jota	HO-tah	jugo (juice)
K k	ka	kah	kilo (kilo)
L l	ele	EH-leh	luna (moon)
M m	eme	EH-meh	mano (hand)
N n	ene	EH-neh	nariz (nose)
Ñ ñ	eñe	EH-nyeh	niño (child)
O o	o	oh	oso (bear)
P p	pe	peh	perro (dog)
Q q	cu	koo	queso (cheese)
R r	erre	EH-rreh, with a rolled r	rosa (rose)
S s	ese	EH-seh	sol (sun)
T t	te	teh	tren (train)
U u	u	oo	uva (grape)
V v	uve	OO-beh	vaca (cow)
W w	uve doble	OO-beh DOH-bleh	wifi (Wi-Fi)
X x	equis	EH-kees	taxi (taxi)
Y y	ye	yeh	yate (yacht)
Z z	zeta	SEH-tah	zapato (shoe)

Note.

In much of Latin America you will also hear be larga for b, ve corta for v, doble ve for w and i griega for y. Everyone understands both.

Spell it out

To spell a word in Spanish, say the names of its letters, one by one. People do it all the time: on the phone, at a front desk, with an email address.

Spelling a name

Say the name of each letter, one by one.

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Practice

Press Play, listen, then choose. Every answer is checked at once, with an explanation.

Listen: question 1

Press Play and listen.

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Question

Which letter did you hear?

A. hB. jC. g

Hint

It is the first letter of jugo, juice.

Solution

You heard jota, the name of j.

Listen: question 2

Press Play and listen.

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Question

Which letter did you hear?

A. nB. yC. ñ

Hint

Listen for the "ny" sound in the middle.

Solution

You heard eñe, the name of ñ, the letter English does not have.

Listen: question 3

Press Play and listen.

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Question

Which letter did you hear?

A. hB. chC. j

Hint

It is the letter that is always silent in words.

Solution

You heard hache, the name of h. Remember: in words, h makes no sound.

Listen: question 4

Press Play and listen.

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Question

Pedro spelled a word. Which word?

A. casa, houseB. cosa, thingC. caza, hunt

Hint

The second letter is a vowel. Which one?

Solution

Pedro said ce, a, ese, a: casa.

Listen: question 5

Press Play and listen.

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Question

Lupe spelled a word. Which word?

A. pato, duckB. gato, catC. gasto, expense

Hint

Count the letters: there are four.

Solution

Lupe said ge, a, te, o: gato.

Question

What is the Spanish name of the letter v?

A. beB. uveC. doble ve

Hint

Its name starts with the sound "oo".

Solution

v is uve (in much of Latin America also ve corta). doble ve is a name for w.

Question

How many letters does the Spanish alphabet have?

Hint

The 26 of English, plus one.

Solution

27: the 26 letters of English, plus ñ.

Put these letters in Spanish alphabetical order

Click the items in the correct order. Click an item in your answer to move it back.

Available items

Your order

Note.

Next: the five vowels. They are the heart of Spanish pronunciation, and there are only five sounds to learn.