Unlocking the Spanish Alphabet

• The Spanish alphabet consists of 27 letters.

• It includes the same 26 letters as the English alphabet, plus the letter 'ñ' (eñe).

• Each letter has a unique pronunciation.

• Learning the Spanish alphabet is essential for proper pronunciation and spelling.

​Where to stress?/ What syllable is stressed?

​Spanish Pronunciation

​Any word that ends in a vowel (A, E, I, O, U) and the consonants N and S the stress will naturally fall on the second to last syllable/vowel.

Any other consonants have a stress naturally fallingon the last syllable.

Rule 1 - Palabras Graves

Rule 2 - Palabras Agudas

BASURA

SABEN

HOMBRES

​SALUD

CALOR

ABRIL

​The Acute Accent

´

​There can only be one acute accent per word and can only be over vowels. Acute accents are used to break the previously explained rules. Whereever the acute accent mark is placed will be the stressed or emphasized syllable. Here are some examples:

JESÚS

DÉBIL

á, é, í, ó, ú

​The Acute Accent

´

á, é, í, ó, ú

​Homonyms are words having the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings and origins

The Acute accent is used to differentiate the meaning of homonyms in Spanish

• Si - If/ Sí - Yes

• El - The/Él - He

• Papa - Potato/ Papá- Dad

Dipthongs/Triphthongs

​The sound formed by the combination of 2 or 3 vowels in a single syllable

Strong Vowels vs Weak Vowels in Spanish

The strong vowels of Spanish -a, -e, and -o; the weak vowels are -i and -u. When two strong vowels are next to each other, they form separate syllables; in other combinations, the vowels are in the same syllable.

Strong vowel combinations

• Microonda

• Tarea

• Real

Weak vowel combinations

• Farmacia

• Negocio

• Industria

Additional ​Resources

• Spanish Alphabet names

• The Importance of the Acute Accent in Spanish Spelling and Pronunciation(Blog post)