Spanish


Consonants

IPA

Examples

English
approximation

b

bestia; embuste; vaca; envidia

best

β

bebé; obtuso; vivir; curva

between baby and bevy

d

dedo; cuando; aldaba

dead

ð

diva; arder; admirar

this

f

fase; café

face

ɡ

gato; lengua; guerra

got

ɣ

trigo; amargo; sigue; signo

between a light go
and ahold

ʝ

ayuno; poyo

as in yes or

between beige and
d
ue in RP English

k

caña; laca; quise; kilo

scan

l

lino; alhaja; principal

lean

ʎ

llave; pollo

roughly like million
(merged with /ʝ/ in

most dialects)

m

madre; comer;
campo; convertir

mother

n

nido; anillo; anhelo;
sin; álbum

need

ɲ

ñandú; cabaña; enyesar

roughly like canyon

ŋ

cinco; venga; conquista

sink

p

pozo; topo

spouse

r

rumbo; carro; honra;
subrayo; amor

trilled r

ɾ

caro; bravo; amor eterno

ladder in
American English

s

saco; casa; deshora;
espita xenón

sack

θ

cereal; encima; zorro;
enzima; paz

thing (in
Peninsular Spanish
only;

elsewhere,
merged with /s/)

t

tamiz; átomo

stand

chubasco; acechar

choose

x

jamón; eje; reloj general;
xico

loch (pronounced [h]
in many dialects;

like ham)

z

isla; mismo; deshuesar

prison

Marginal phonemes

IPA

Examples

English approximation

ʃ

Kirchner; Xelajú;
sherpa; show

shack

tlapalería; cenzontle;
Popocatépetl

somewhat like cattle

ts

Ertzaintza; abertzale;
tzcuaro

cats


Vowels

IPA

Examples

English
approximation

a

azahar

father

e

vehemente

play
(Yorkshire dialect)

i

dimitir; mío; y

see

o

boscoso

coat
(Yorkshire dialect)

u

cucurucho; dúo

food

Semivowels

IPA

Examples

English
approximation

j

aliada; cielo; amplio; ciudad

you

w

cuadro; fuego; Huila arduo

wine

Stress and syllabification

IPA

Examples

English
approximation

ˈ

ciudad [θjuˈðað] / [sjuˈðað]

domain

.

mío [ˈmi.o]

moai

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