Spanish Alphabet Letters
As you might already know, the Spanish alphabet is very similar to the English one, which makes it fairly easy to learn. The only letter that might look unfamiliar to English speakers would be the letter Ñ. Also, there are a few more letters that look the same as the English alphabet but sound quite a bit different.
So, let’s take a look at the Spanish letter names first, and the recent changes that were made to the Spanish Alphabet. Then we will wrap up with the Spanish Alphabet pronunciation.
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Here is the current official Spanish alphabet.
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.
Spanish Letter Names
Now each we’ll go over the names of each letter in the Spanish Alphabet.
a (a), be (b), ce (c), de (d), e (e), efe (f), ge (g), hache (h), i (i), jota (j), ka (k), ele (l), eme (m), ene (n), eñe (ñ), o (o), pe (p), cu (q), erre (r), ese (s), te (t), u (u), uve (v), doble uve (w), equis (x), ye (y), zeta (z)
In the past, some letters were called a bit differently, depending on the country. Before the changes that were made in 2010, for example, “W” had been called “uve doble” in Spanish and “doble ve” or “doble u” in Mexico and Latin America. However, now it is official called “doble uve.”
Another letter that received a change was “Y.” It’s officially called “ye” now, but it has been called “i griega” to distinguish it from “I,” which was called “i Latina” previously. Although these recommendations were made several years ago, the traditional versions are still heard very frequently. These changes were not requirements, and the traditional letter names are not considered incorrect. I think it will help to know both versions until one day all Spanish speaking countries call all the letters in the same ways.
Below is a table of the Spanish Alphabet and Letter Names.
| Upper Case | Lower Case | Letter Name |
| A | a | a |
| B | b | be |
| C | c | ce |
| D | d | de |
| E | e | e |
| F | f | efe |
| G | g | ge |
| H | h | hache (H is silent) |
| I | i | i |
| J | j | jota |
| K | k | ka |
| L | l | ele |
| M | m | eme |
| N | n | ene |
| Ñ | ñ | eñe |
| O | o | o |
| P | p | pe |
| Q | q | cu |
| R | r | erre |
| S | s | ese |
| T | t | te |
| U | u | u |
| V | v | uve |
| W | w | uve doble |
| X | x | equis |
| Y | y | ye |
| Z | z | zeta |
The Fairly Recent Changes to the Spanish Alphabet
According to the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy), the “ch” and “ll” are excluded from the alphabet. The reason was that they are actually digraphs and not letters.
Here’s their webpage that talks about the changes, just in case you are interested in reading the entire article in Spanish.
Exclusion of “CH” and “LL” from the Spanish Alphabet (https://www.rae.es/consultas/exclusion-de-ch-y-ll-del-abecedario)
What is “Digraph”?
A digraph is a set of two letters that represents a single sound such as the CH and LL. The CH is pronounced like the English CH sound, and the LL is pronounced like the English Y or J, depending on where it’s used. In most of Spain, it’s pronounced like “Y.” In Southern Spanish and Latin America, it’s pronounced like “J.” And in Argentine Spanish, they pronounce it like “SH.”
What happens to the CH and LL then?
The elimination of the digraph CH and LL does not mean that they are going to disappear from the Spanish language system. These will continue to be used as before. The CH and LL will simply cease to be counted among the letters of the Spanish alphabet.
How to Say Spanish Alphabet
Now, let’s take a look at the Spanish Alphabet with sounds. Below, you will see the pronunciation for Spanish Alphabet.
A: AH
B: BAy
C: SAY (THAy, in Spain)
D: DAy
E: Ey
F: Eh-FAy
H: HAy
H: Ah-CHAy
I: EE
J: HOH-TAh
K: KAh
L: Eh-LAy
M: Eh-MAy
N: Eh-NAy
Ñ: EhNYAy
O: Oh
P: PAy
Q: COO
R: EH-RRAy
S: Eh-SAy
T: TAy
U: OOh
V: BAy
W: DOh-BLAy OOh-BAy
X: Eh-KEES
Y: YAy
Z: SAy-TAH (THAy-TAh, in Spain)
Note: These pronunciations are spelled in a way that I think will be easier for English speakers to pronounce. So, it’s not 100% correct, but it would be a great start.
What’s Next?
Now that you know the Spanish Alphabet, let’s learn how to greet in Spanish and how to introduce yourself in Spanish, so you can make some Spanish speaking friends!
Step 1: Basic Spanish Greetings – How are you in Spanish
Step 2: How to introduce yourself in Spanish
Step 3: 30 Easy Spanish Conversation Starters You can use right away
Also, don’t forget to check out one of our most popular posts:
Tips: 15 Ultimate Spanish Learning Hacks that Work!
To build your vocabulary, check out these posts as well!
Calendar in Spanish: the Days of the week, Months, and more!
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