Accents and pronunciation in Spanish

Spanish spelling is much more regular than English. Once you know the sound each letter makes, you can say almost any word you read. This guide covers the main sounds and how accent marks work.

The five vowels

Spanish has five vowels, and each has one steady sound: a as in “father,” e as in “bet,” i as in “machine,” o as in “go” (shorter), and u as in “rule.” They don’t change from word to word.

Letters that surprise English speakers

• h is silent: hola sounds like “ola.”
• j is a strong breathy “h” sound: jugar. The letter g makes the same sound before e or i, as in gente, and a hard “g” before a, o, or u, as in gato.
• ñ sounds like the “ny” in “canyon”: año, niña.
• rr and an r at the start of a word are trilled, while a single r between vowels is a quick tap.
• b and v sound the same in Spanish.
• qu makes a “k” sound, so queso starts like “keso.” In gue and gui, the u is silent.
• c before e or i, and z, sound like “s” in Latin America and like “th” in most of Spain.

Where the stress falls

Spanish follows two simple rules. A word ending in a vowel, n, or s is stressed on the next-to-last syllable: casa, hablan, lunes. A word ending in any other consonant is stressed on the last syllable: hablar, ciudad, papel.

What accent marks do

A written accent mark shows that a word breaks those rules, and it shows you exactly where to put the stress. Canción ends in n but is stressed on the last syllable, árbol ends in a consonant but is stressed on the first, and teléfono is stressed on the third-from-last syllable. Accent marks also separate words that sound the same: el (the) and él (he), tu (your) and tú (you), si (if) and sí (yes). Question words carry them too: qué, cómo, dónde, cuándo, quién.

Typing accents

An accent is part of the spelling, so leave it in your notes. On most phones, press and hold a vowel to choose the accented version, and hold n to get ñ.

Counting syllables

Split a word into syllables before you try the stress rules. Casa is ca-sa, hablar is ha-blar, and caminar is ca-mi-nar. Each syllable has one vowel sound, and Spanish syllables are even and clear, so give each one about the same time.

Vowel pairs

When i or u sits next to a, e, or o, the two vowels usually blend into one syllable: bien, cuento, aire, causa. An accent mark on the i or u breaks them apart: día (dí-a), país (pa-ís), río (rí-o). That is another reason to leave accents in your notes.

Regional differences

Spanish sounds different around the world, and none of these versions is wrong. In most of Latin America, c and z sound like “s,” while in most of Spain they sound like “th.” Spain also uses vosotros for “you all,” while Latin America uses ustedes. In Argentina and Uruguay, many people say vos instead of tú and pronounce ll and y with a “sh” sound. Pick one accent to copy at first, then enjoy hearing the others.

A tongue twister

Try this traditional one slowly, then faster: Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal. It practices the trilled and tapped r and the clear vowels at the same time.

Tips

• Say each word out loud as you collect its card.
• Sound out new words syllable by syllable, then say them smoothly.
• Listen to a Spanish speaker say words you’ve learned and copy the rhythm.

A short practice routine

The fastest way to improve your pronunciation is to read short pieces aloud and listen to yourself. Pick a word from the game, split it into syllables, decide where the stress falls using the two rules, and then check whether the word carries an accent mark. Say it slowly first, then at normal speed. Recording yourself on your phone and comparing the recording to a Spanish audio source, such as a podcast or a song, will show you exactly which sounds still need work. Keep each session short, because five focused minutes beat a long, distracted attempt.

Keep learning

Spanish verbs · Countries and directions · Tips for learning vocabulary · All guides