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Spanish Alphabet
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Spanish Phonetics

Master Spanish pronunciation with interactive phonetics lessons, IPA charts, and audio examples

Audio Examples

Listen to native speakers pronounce each phoneme

IPA Charts

Learn the International Phonetic Alphabet symbols

Pronunciation Tips

Get detailed guidance on mouth positioning

IPA Chart for Spanish

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) helps you understand exactly how to pronounce Spanish sounds. Use this chart as a reference while learning phonetics.

Spanish Vowels

IPA SymbolSpanish LetterDescriptionExamples

/i/

i

Close front unrounded

niño, libro

/e/

e

Close-mid front unrounded

mesa, leche

/a/

a

Open front unrounded

casa, mama

/o/

o

Close-mid back rounded

casa, sol

/u/

u

Close back rounded

luna, uno

Spanish Consonants

IPA SymbolSpanish LetterDescriptionExamples

/β/

b/v

Voiced bilabial fricative

casa, libro

/ð/

d

Voiced dental fricative

cada, nada

/ɣ/

g

Voiced velar fricative

amigo, agua

/ɲ/

ñ

Palatal nasal

niño, año

/ɾ/

r

Alveolar tap

pero, cara

/r/

rr

Alveolar trill

perro, carro

/x/

j

Voiceless velar fricative

jamón, juego

/ʎ/

ll

Palatal lateral approximant

llave, calle

/θ/

z

Voiceless dental fricative

zapato, caza

  • IPA symbols represent the exact sounds of speech, not letters
  • Spanish has 5 pure vowels, unlike English which has many vowel sounds
  • Consonants like β, ð, and ɣ are softer versions of b, d, and g
  • The alveolar tap (ɾ) is a quick single tap, not a roll
  • The alveolar trill (r) is the famous "rolled r" sound
  • Some sounds like θ (z in Spain) vary by region

Spanish Vowels

Spanish has five pure vowels, each with a distinct sound. Unlike English, Spanish vowels are always pronounced the same way.

ℹ️Currently, vowel audio examples are only available in male voice

a

IPA: /a/

vowel

Open front unrounded vowel

Like the "a" in "father"

Examples:

casa

— house

mama

— mom

Pronunciation Tips
  • Keep your mouth open and relaxed
  • Tongue is low and forward in the mouth
  • Similar to the "a" in English "father"

e

IPA: /e/

vowel

Close-mid front unrounded vowel

Like the "e" in "bed"

Examples:

mesa

— table

leche

— milk

Pronunciation Tips
  • Tongue is raised but not as high as for "i"
  • Mouth is more open than for "i"
  • Keep lips unrounded

i

IPA: /i/

vowel

Close front unrounded vowel

Like the "ee" in "see"

Examples:

niño

— child

libro

— book

Pronunciation Tips
  • Tongue is high and forward
  • Mouth is relatively closed
  • Similar to English "ee" but shorter

o

IPA: /o/

vowel

Close-mid back rounded vowel

Like the "o" in "go"

Examples:

casa

— house

sol

— sun

Pronunciation Tips
  • Tongue is back and raised
  • Lips are rounded
  • Not as open as English "o" in "hot"

u

IPA: /u/

vowel

Close back rounded vowel

Like the "oo" in "moon"

Examples:

luna

— moon

uno

— one

Pronunciation Tips
  • Tongue is high and back
  • Lips are strongly rounded
  • Similar to English "oo" but shorter

Spanish Consonants

Spanish consonants include some unique sounds not found in English. Learn the proper pronunciation with our interactive guides.

b

IPA: /β/

consonant

Voiced bilabial fricative

Like "b" but softer, between lips

Examples:

libro

— book

cabeza

— head

Pronunciation Tips
  • Lips are lightly touching
  • Air flows between the lips
  • Softer than English "b"
  • Common between vowels

d

IPA: /ð/

consonant

Voiced dental fricative

Like "th" in "this"

Examples:

cada

— each

nada

— nothing

Pronunciation Tips
  • Tongue touches upper teeth
  • Air flows around the tongue
  • Similar to English "th" in "this"
  • Common between vowels

g

IPA: /ɣ/

consonant

Voiced velar fricative

Like "g" but softer, back of throat

Examples:

amigo

— friend

agua

— water

Pronunciation Tips
  • Back of tongue near soft palate
  • Air flows through the back of mouth
  • Softer than English "g"
  • Common between vowels

ñ

IPA: /ɲ/

consonant

Palatal nasal

Like "ny" in "canyon"

Examples:

niño

— child

año

— year

Pronunciation Tips
  • Tongue touches hard palate
  • Air flows through nose
  • Similar to "ny" in "canyon"
  • Unique to Spanish

r

IPA: /ɾ/

consonant

Alveolar tap

Single tap of tongue on roof of mouth

Examples:

pero

— but

cara

— face

Pronunciation Tips
  • Quick tap of tongue on alveolar ridge
  • Not rolled like Scottish "r"
  • Similar to "tt" in American "butter"
  • Common between vowels

rr

IPA: /r/

consonant

Alveolar trill

Rolled "r" sound

Examples:

perro

— dog

carro

— car

Pronunciation Tips
  • Tongue vibrates against alveolar ridge
  • Multiple taps in quick succession
  • Practice with "butter" sound
  • Common at word beginning or after n/l/s

j

IPA: /x/

consonant

Voiceless velar fricative

Like "h" in "huge"

Examples:

jamón

— ham

juego

— game

Pronunciation Tips
  • Back of tongue near soft palate
  • Air flows through back of mouth
  • Similar to "h" in "huge"
  • Stronger than English "h"

ll

IPA: /ʎ/

consonant

Palatal lateral approximant

Traditionally like "li" in "million", but commonly pronounced like "y" in "yes"

Examples:

llave

— key

calle

— street

Pronunciation Tips
  • Traditional pronunciation: tongue touches hard palate
  • Air flows around sides of tongue (lateral sound)
  • Modern pronunciation: most regions pronounce like "y" in "yes"
  • This phenomenon is called "yeísmo" in Spanish linguistics

z

IPA: /θ/

consonant

Voiceless dental fricative

Like "th" in "think"

Examples:

zapato

— shoe

caza

— hunt

Pronunciation Tips
  • Tongue touches upper teeth
  • Air flows around the tongue
  • Similar to "th" in "think"
  • Common in Spain, "s" in Latin America
Ñ
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