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Alphabet & Pronunciation

ñ, ll, rr, silent h, j

Spanish has ñ and the digraphs ll, rr

Distinctive letters and sounds.

📊 Special sounds
Letter Sound Example
ñ 'ny' niño
ll 'y' (most regions) llamar
rr rolled r perro
j harsh 'h' jamón
h silent hola
💬 Examples
señor
se-NYOR
sir / mister
📝 ñ = 'ny'
perro
PEH-rro
dog
📝 rr = strong rolled r
h is silent; j and g(e,i) are a harsh 'h'

Key pronunciation points.

💬 Examples
hola
OH-la
hello
📝 h is silent
gente
HEN-te
people
📝 g before e/i = harsh 'h'
Stress rules & the written accent

Accent marks show irregular stress.

💬 Examples
teléfono
te-LE-fo-no
telephone
📝 Accent marks the stressed syllable
está
es-TA
(he) is
📝 Accent → stress on the last syllable