Spanish: spelling → sound
Spanish spelling is nearly phonemic: once you know ~20 rules you can read anything aloud. Five pure vowels (a e i o u) never reduce. Stress falls on the last syllable if the word ends in a consonant other than n/s, otherwise on the second-to-last; any exception carries a written accent. Castilian (Spain) is transcribed here: c/z before e, i → /θ/. Latin America merges it with /s/ (seseo). b/d/g soften to [β ð ɣ] between vowels — shown because it is the single biggest 'why does it sound like that' for learners.
Trace a word
Every box is one rule firing. Hover a box (or open the table) to see why. Rules are applied in order, first match wins — that order is the spelling system.
Consonants & glides
| IPA | Spelled | Example |
|---|---|---|
| p | p | pan pan bread |
| b | b, v | vaca ˈbaka cow — b and v are the SAME sound. [β] between vowels. |
| β | b, v | haber aˈβeɾ to have — Soft b/v between vowels — lips don't fully close. |
| t | t | todo ˈtoðo all — Dental, no puff of air. |
| d | d | dedo ˈdeðo finger |
| ð | d | nada ˈnaða nothing — Soft d between vowels, like English 'th' in this. Nearly vanishes in -ado endings. |
| k | c, qu, k | queso ˈkeso cheese |
| ɡ | g, gu | gato ˈɡato cat |
| ɣ | g, gu | agua ˈaɣwa water — Soft g between vowels. |
| m | m | mano ˈmano hand |
| n | n | noche ˈnot͡ʃe night |
| ɲ | ñ | año ˈaɲo year |
| f | f | fuego ˈfweɣo fire |
| θ | z, ce, ci | cerveza θeɾˈβeθa beer — Spain only. Latin America: /s/. |
| s | s | sol sol sun |
| x | j, ge, gi | jamón xaˈmon ham — Harsh in Spain, soft [h] in the Caribbean. |
| t͡ʃ | ch | chico ˈt͡ʃiko boy |
| l | l | luna ˈluna moon |
| j | y, ll, i+vowel | calle ˈkaje street — ll and y merged (yeísmo) for most speakers. Argentina: [ʃ]. |
| r | rr, r- (initial) | perro ˈpero dog — Trilled. Contrasts with the tap: pero 'but' vs perro 'dog'. |
| ɾ | r | pero ˈpeɾo but — One tap of the tongue — the American 't' in 'butter'. |
| w | u+vowel, hu | huevo ˈweβo egg |
Vowels
The rules, in order
36 rules. The left column is a pattern (regular expression) matched at the current position of the word; (?=…) looks ahead, (?<=…) looks behind, $ is the end of the word.
| # | Pattern | Sound | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ch | ch is always /t͡ʃ/ | |
| 2 | ll | ll = y for most speakers (yeísmo) | |
| 3 | rr | double r = trill | |
| 4 | (?<=^| )r | word-initial r is trilled | |
| 5 | (?<=[nls])r | r after n, l, s is trilled | |
| 6 | r | single r = one tap | |
| 7 | qu(?=[eiéí]) | qu before e/i: u is silent | |
| 8 | gü(?=[eiéí]) | ü marks that the u IS pronounced | |
| 9 | (?<=[^n ])gu(?=[eiéí]) | gu before e/i: u silent; g softens unless after a pause or n | |
| 10 | gu(?=[eiéí]) | gu before e/i: u is silent | |
| 11 | g(?=[eiéí]) | g before e/i = j sound | |
| 12 | (?<=[^n ])g | g softens everywhere except after a pause or n (agua, algo) | |
| 13 | g | ||
| 14 | c(?=[eiéí]) | c before e/i (Spain); /s/ in Latin America | |
| 15 | c | ||
| 16 | z | z (Spain); /s/ in Latin America | |
| 17 | j | ||
| 18 | ñ | ||
| 19 | h | h is always silent | |
| 20 | (?<=[^mn ])[bv] | b/v soften everywhere except after a pause or m/n (haber, cerveza) | |
| 21 | [bv] | b and v are the same sound; hard after a pause or m/n | |
| 22 | (?<=[^nl ])d | d softens everywhere except after a pause or n/l (todo, verdad) | |
| 23 | x | ||
| 24 | y(?![aeiouáéíóú]) | y alone or at word end = vowel i | |
| 25 | y | ||
| 26 | i(?=[aeouáéóú]) | unstressed i before a vowel becomes a glide | |
| 27 | u(?=[aeioáéíó]) | unstressed u before a vowel becomes a glide | |
| 28 | á | ||
| 29 | é | ||
| 30 | í | ||
| 31 | ó | ||
| 32 | ú | ||
| 33 | ü | ||
| 34 | [aeiou] | ||
| 35 | ph | ||
| 36 | [pbtdkfsmnlw] |