The Spanish Alphabet: 27 Letters, Names and Sounds

Level: A1. The Spanish alphabet is almost the same as the English one, with one extra letter and a handful of sounds that work differently. Learn the 27 letters and their names here, then focus on the few that trip up English speakers.

By the end of this page you can…

…name all 27 letters of the Spanish alphabet, place ñ correctly, explain why ch and ll are no longer letters, and pronounce the sounds English speakers most often get wrong.

27 letters, including ñ

The Real Academia Española counts 27 letters in the Spanish alphabet: the 26 familiar from English plus ñ, which has its own place right after n. So the order runs a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, ñ, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z.

Until a few decades ago, dictionaries also treated ch and ll as separate letters. The 2010 spelling reform settled the current view: ch and ll are digraphs — two letters writing one sound — but they are not letters of the alphabet. Only ñ is the extra single letter.

The letters and their names

The 2010 reform recommended single clear names: uve for v, uve doble for w, and ye for y (you may still hear the older “i griega”). Naming b as “be” and v as “uve” helps tell them apart when spelling aloud, because they sound the same in speech.

How to say it

Most letters sound close to English. These are the ones to drill:

• h is silent. It is never pronounced: hola sounds “ola”, hora sounds “ora”.
• j, and g before e or i, are a raspy h from the back of the throat: jamón, gente, girar. Elsewhere g is the hard “g” of go: gato, gustar.
• ñ is “ny” as in canyon: niño, año, mañana.
• ll and y are usually a “y” sound (the yeísmo most speakers use): llave sounds like “yave”, and yo is “yo”.
• rr and word-initial r are rolled; a single r between vowels is a quick tap. Compare pero (but) with a tap and perro (dog) with a roll, and note rojo starts with a rolled r.
• z, and c before e or i, are “s” in Latin America and a soft “th” in most of Spain: zapato, cielo, cinco.
• qu is just “k” before e or i: queso, aquí. The u is silent.

Listen and read

Press play, then say each word. Each one shows a letter or sound from above.

1. hola
   hello
   the h is silent
2. jamón
   ham
   j is a raspy h
3. gente
   people
   g before e sounds like j
4. niño
   child
   ñ is 'ny'
5. llave
   key
   ll sounds like 'y'
6. perro
   dog
   rr is a rolled r
7. pero
   but
   single r is a quick tap
8. vaca
   cow
   v sounds like b
9. zapato
   shoe
   z is 's' or a soft 'th'
10. cielo
    sky
    c before e sounds like z
11. queso
    cheese
    qu is just 'k'
12. año
    year
    ñ changes the meaning

Practice

Practice

Spanish alphabet practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 How many letters are in the Spanish alphabet?

25 26 27 29

Check

Show answer

27 — There are 27: the 26 of English plus ñ.

2 How is the h in hola pronounced?

like English h it is silent like j like a soft th

Check

Show answer

it is silent — The Spanish h is always silent: 'ola'.

3 The letter ñ is named ____ in Spanish. (answer: eñe)

Check

Hint: it rhymes with the name of n

Show answer

eñe — ñ is called eñe.

4 Match each letter to its Spanish name.

• j Match for j — choose — jotauveuve dobleye
• v Match for v — choose — jotauveuve dobleye
• w Match for w — choose — jotauveuve dobleye
• y Match for y — choose — jotauveuve dobleye

Check

Show answer

• j → jota
• v → uve
• w → uve doble
• y → ye

These are the recommended 2010 names.

5 Which pair are digraphs, not separate letters, since 2010?

ñ and ll ch and ll rr and ñ qu and gu

Check

Show answer

ch and ll — ch and ll are digraphs; only ñ is an extra letter.

Quiz

Check yourself

Spanish alphabet quiz

8 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/8 0 answered

1. 1The Spanish alphabet has…

   A 26 letters B 27 letters C 28 letters D 29 letters
   Show answer

   27 letters — 27 letters — English's 26 plus ñ.

2. 2Where does ñ come in the alphabet?

   A at the very end B right after n C right before a D it is not a letter
   Show answer

   right after n — ñ follows n.

3. 3The letter h in Spanish is…

   A a breathy h B silent C a rolled r D a 'k' sound
   Show answer

   silent — h is never pronounced: hola is 'ola'.

4. 4j, and g before e or i, sound like…

   A an English j B a raspy h from the throat C a 'y' D silent
   Show answer

   a raspy h from the throat — jamón and gente use the raspy throat sound.

5. 5ñ is pronounced like…

   A the n in no B the ny in canyon C the ng in sing D a silent letter
   Show answer

   the ny in canyon — ñ is 'ny': niño, año.

6. 6What is the difference between pero and perro?

   A nothing B pero has a tapped r, perro a rolled rr C perro has a silent r D pero is plural
   Show answer

   pero has a tapped r, perro a rolled rr — A single r is a tap; rr is rolled — and the words mean 'but' and 'dog'.

7. 7Since 2010, ch and ll are…

   A separate letters B digraphs, not letters of the alphabet C silent D the same letter
   Show answer

   digraphs, not letters of the alphabet — They are digraphs; only ñ is the extra single letter.

8. 8The recommended name of the letter y is ____ (answer: ye).
   Check
   Show answer

   ye — The 2010 reform recommends 'ye' for y.

Next

• Hear the five clean vowels on the Spanish pronunciation overview
• Start building words with the verb ser
• New here? Begin with Start Learning Spanish Here