The modern Spanish alphabet contains 27 letters. Each letter has its own unique pronunciation and characteristics. Learn with interactive audio and discover regional differences!

The 27 Letters

Special Sound Patterns

Spanish has letter combinations that produce different sounds. Here you'll learn the most important patterns with audio examples.

S/TH Sound: Ce, Ci, Za, Zo, Zu

In Spain, the combinations ce, ci, za, zo, zu are pronounced with a "th" sound (as in "think"). In Latin America, they all sound like a normal "s".

K Sound: Ca, Co, Cu, Que, Qui

The "k" sound in Spanish is written with C before a, o, u, and with Que, Qui (the U is silent) before e, i. Never use "ka, ke, ki, ko, ku" in pure Spanish words!

J Sound (strong aspirated): Ge, Gi, Ja, Jo, Ju

The J sound in Spanish is a strong aspirated sound (like "h" in English but stronger, or like "ch" in Scottish "loch"). It appears with the letter J with all vowels, and with G before e, i.

Soft G Sound: Ga, Go, Gu, Gue, Gui

The soft G sound (like in "go" in English) appears with G before a, o, u. To get this sound before e, i, we need to write gue, gui (the U is silent).

Ch Sound

The digraph Ch is always pronounced like "ch" in English (as in "church"). Although it's no longer a separate letter of the alphabet (since 2010), it's still very common.

Ll Sound (double L)

The digraph Ll has different pronunciations depending on the region:

• Spain and most of Latin America: "y" sound (as in "yes")
• Argentina and Uruguay: "sh" sound (as in "shoe") or "zh" sound (as in "measure")

Regional Differences

Test Your Knowledge