Spanish pronunciation, made simple.
Spanish is spelled the way it sounds — once you know a handful of rules. This guide covers the vowels, the silent “h”, the breathy “j” and the “ñ”, with AI audio for every example so you can hear it, learn it, and say it right.
Six rules that unlock Spanish
Once these click, most Spanish words you meet in English will fall into place.
a = ah, e = eh, i = ee, o = oh, u = oo. They never change, so every Spanish word is spelled the way it sounds.
Camila → kah-MEE-lah
'J' (and 'g' before e or i) is a throaty 'h' — never the English 'j'.
Joaquín → wah-KEEN
Spanish never pronounces the letter 'h' on its own.
Hola → OH-lah
In most regions 'll' sounds like the 'y' in 'yes' (Argentina uses 'sh').
Tortilla → tor-TEE-yah
The tilde makes it the 'ny' in 'canyon'.
Jalapeño → hah-lah-PEH-nyoh
Words ending in a vowel, n or s stress the second-to-last syllable; others stress the last — unless an accent mark says otherwise.
Santiago → san-tee-AH-goh
Popular Spanish names
Tap any name to hear it and see the origin, meaning, and common mistakes.
Spanish words used in English
Spanish loanwords English speakers use every day.
Looking for a specific Spanish word?
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