Spanish pronunciation and spelling
1 Pronouncing European Spanish
The pronunciation of European Spanish is generally quite clear from its spelling and the notes below should be sufficient for an English speaker to understand what written Spanish actually sounds like. Because Spanish pronunciation is so regular you will find that in Part I of the dictionary (Spanish into English) most of the headwords are not transcribed phonetically in IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). Any words that do have a phonetic transcription are pronounced in a way that you would not expect, such asreloj[re’lo] for example, or they have been taken from another language and given a Spanish sound, often while keeping the original spelling.
The pronunciation described below could be called ‘educated’ Castilian. Pronunciation often heard in the Spanish regions, for example Andalusia, has not been covered.
2 Placing the stress
There are simple rules for placing stress on Spanish words:
AIf a word ends in a vowel, or innors(often an indication of the plural of verbs and nouns respectively), the penultimate syllable is stressed:zapato,zapatos,divide,dividen,dividieron,antiviviseccionista,telefonea,historia,diluviaba.
BIf the word ends in a consonant other thannors, the last syllable is stressed:verdad,practicar,decibel,virrey,coñac,pesadez.
C If the word needs to be stressed in some way contrary to rules A and B, an acute accent is written over the vowel to be stressed:hablará,guaraní,rubí,esté,rococó,máquina,métodos,viéndolo,paralítico,húngaro. The same syllable is stressed in the singular and plural forms of each word, but an accent may have to be added or suppressed in the plural:crimen,crímenes,nación,naciones. There are a few exceptions to this rule, e.g.carácter,caracteres, andrégimen,regímenes. Only in a few verb forms does the stress fall further back than the antepenultimate syllable:cántamelo,prohíbaselo.
3 Dividing syllables
You will have seen in 2 A above that in cases liketelefoneaandhistorianot all vowels count equally when dividing and stressing syllables. The convention is thata,eandoare ‘strong’ vowels whileianduare ‘weak’. Bearing this in mind we can apply four rules:
AWhere there is a combination of weak + strong vowels, forming a single syllable (called a diphthong), the stress falls on the strong vowel:baila, cierra, puesto, peine, causa.
BIn a combination of weak + weak vowels, again forming a diphthong, the stress falls on the second element:ruido,fuimos,viuda.
CWhere two strong vowels are combined they are pronounced as two distinct syllables, the stress falling according to rules A and B in section 2 above:ma/es/tro(three syllables),con/tra/er(three syllables),cre/er(two syllables).
DAny word that has a combination of vowels whose parts are not stressed according to the above rules is given an acute accent on the stressed part:creído,período,baúl,ríe,tío.
Note that in cases where IPA transcriptions are given for Spanish words, the stress mark [‘] is inserted in the same way as explained for English.
4 Spanish letters and their sounds
All the examples given below are pronounced as in British English.
Vowels
Spanish vowels are pronounced clearly and quite sharply, and unlike English are not extended to form diphthongs (e.g.side[saɪd],know[nəʊ]). Unstressed vowels are relaxed only slightly (compare Englishnatural[‘nætʃrəl] with Spanishnatural[natu’ral]). Stressed vowels are pronounced slightly more open and short beforerr(comparecarrowithcaro,perrowithpero).
| a | [a] | Not so short as a in English pat, batter, but not so long as in rather, bar | pataamara |
| e | [e] | In an open syllable (one which ends in a vowel) like e in English they, but without the sound of the y. In a closed syllable (one which ends in a consonant) the sound is shorter, like the e in set, wet | mepelosangrepeldaño |
| i | [i] | Not so short as i in the English bit, tip, but not so long as in machine | irisfilo |
| o | [o] | In an open syllable (one which ends in a vowel) like o in the English note, but without the sound of [ʊ] which ends the vowel in this word. In a closed syllable (one which ends in a consonant) it is a shorter sound, but not quite so short as in the English pot, cot | pococosabombaconté |
| u | [u] | Like u in the English rule or oo in food. Silent after q and in the groups gue, gui, unless marked by a diaeresis (argüir, fragüe, antigüedad) | lunapulaaquelpague |
| y | [i] | When used as a vowel – i.e. in the conjunction y meaning ‘and’, as well as at the end of words such as voy, ley – it is pronounced like i |
Diphthongs
(Single syllables consisting of two vowels. See also section 3 above)
| ai, ay | [ai] | like i in the English side | bailehay |
| au | [au] | like ou in English sound | áureocausa |
| ei, ey | [ei] | like ey in the English they | reinarey |
| eu | [eu] | like the vowel sounds in the English may–you, without the sound of the y | deudafeudo |
| oi, oy | [oi] | like oy in the English boy | oigasoy |
Semiconsonants
There are two semiconsonants in Spanish which appear in a variety of combinations as the first element. Not all the combinations are listed here.
| i, y | [i] | like y in the English yes, yacht(See also the note under y in the list of consonants) | bienhieloyuntaapoyo |
| u | [w] | like w in the English well | huevofuenteaguaguardar |
Consonants
| b, v | These two letters have the same value in Spanish. There are two distinct pronunciations depending on position and context: | ||
| [b] | At the start of the breath group and after the written letters m and n (pronounced [m]) the sound is like the English b | bombabodaenviar | |
| [β] | In all other positions the sound is between an English b and v in which the lips do not quite meet (called a bilabial fricative, a sound unknown in English) | habaseveroyo voyde Vigo | |
| c | This letter has two different values: | ||
| [k] | c before a, o, u or a consonant is like the English k in keep, but without the slight aspiration which accompanies it | calcoactocuco | |
| [θ] | c before e, i is like the English th in thin. In parts of Andalusia and Latin America this is pronounced like s in English same, and is known as seseo. In words like acción, sección both types of c sound are heard [kθ] | celdahacercincocecear | |
| ch | [tʃ] | like ch in the English church | muchochorro |
| d | This letter has three different values depending on position and context: | ||
| [d] | At the start of the breath-group, and after l, n the sound is like the English d | damaaldeaandar | |
| [ð] | Between vowels and after consonants other than l, n the sound is relaxed and similar to the English sound th [ð] in this. In parts of Spain and in casual speech it is further relaxed and even disappears, especially in the –ado ending | pidecadapardosidra | |
| In the final position, the second type of [ð] is further relaxed or completely omitted. In eastern parts of Spain this final d may be heard as a t | verdadustedMadridcallad | ||
| f | [f] | like the English f in for | famafofo |
| g | This letter has three different values depending on position and context: | ||
| [x] | Before e, i it is the same as Spanish j (see below) | Gijóngeneral | |
| [g] | At the start of the breath group and after n the sound is that of the English g in get | gloriarangopingüe | |
| [γ] | In other positions the sound is as in the second type above, but it is fricative and not plosive | hagaagosto | |
| Note that in the group gue, gui the u is silent (guerra, guindar) except when marked by a diaeresis (antigüedad, argüir). In the group gua all the letters are sounded (guardia, guapo) | |||
| h | always silent | ||
| j | [x] | a strong guttural sound not found in the English of England, but like the ch of Scots loch, Welsh bach, or German Aachen, Achtung.It is often silent at the end of a word (reloj) | jotajejénbaraja |
| k | [k] | like the English letter k in kick, but without the slight aspiration which accompanies it | kilo |
| l | [l] | like English letter l in love | lelopañal |
| ll | [ʎ] | similar to the English lli in million. In parts of Spain and most parts of Latin America it is pronounced as [j] and in other parts as [ʒ]. The pronunciation as [j] is rapidly becoming more widely accepted in Spain. | calleellalluviamillón |
| m | [m] | like the letter m in English made | manomamá |
| n | [n] | like the letter n in English none, but before v is pronounced as m, the group making [mb] (e.g. enviar, sin valor) | nadie pan pino |
| ñ | [ɲ] | similar to the English sound ni [nj] in onion | uña ñoño |
| p | [p] | like English letter p in put, but without the slight aspiration which accompanies it.It is often silent in septiembre, séptimo | padrepatata |
| q | [k] | like English k in kick, but without the slight aspiration which accompanies it. Always written in combination with u, which is silent. | que quinqué bosque quiosco |
| r | [r] | a single trill or vibration stronger than any r in the English of England, but like the Scots r. It is more relaxed in the final position and is silent in parts of Spain and Latin America. Pronounced like rr at the start of a word and also after l, n, s. | coroquiere rápidoreal |
| rr | [rr] | strongly trilled in a way that does not exist in English | torre burro irreal |
| s | Two pronunciations: | ||
| [s] | Except in the instances mentioned next, it is like the letter s in English same | casa Isabel soso | |
| [z] | Before a voiced consonant (b, d, g, l, m, n) it is usually pronounced like s in English rose, phase | desde asgo mismo asno | |
| t | [t] | like English t in tame, but without the slight aspiration which accompanies it | título pata |
| v | see b | ||
| w | found in a few recent loanwords only; usually pronounced like Spanish b, v or like an English v, or kept as English w | wáter week-end wolframio | |
| x | There are several possible pronunciations: | ||
| [ks] | [ks] Between vowels, x is pronounced like English x in box [ks] | máximo | |
| [gs] | like gs in big stick [gs] | examen | |
| [s] | In a few words the x is pronounced between vowels like English s in same, but not by all Spanish speakers | exacto auxilio | |
| [s] | Before a consonant x is pronounced like English s in same, but not by all Spanish speakers | extra sexto | |
| y | [j] | as a consonant or semiconsonant, y is pronounced as in English yes, youth. In emphatic speech in Spain and Latin America this is similar to j in the English word jam [ʤ].In Argentina, Chile etc this y is pronounced like the s in English leisure [ʒ] | mayo yo mayor ya |
| z | [θ] | like the English th in thin. In parts of Andalusia and Latin America this is pronounced like the English s in same, and is known as seseo | zapato zorro zumbar luz |
5 Additional notes on pronunciation
A The letterbis usually not pronounced in groups withssuch asobscuro,substituir. In practice, such words are generally writtenoscuro,sustituiretc and this is the spelling under which they are treated in the dictionary.
B With one exception there are no real double consonants in Spanish speech.ccin words likeacciónis two separate sounds [kθ], whilellandrrhave their own values (see table).
The exception is thenngroup found in words with the prefixin-, e.g.innato, or occasionallycon-,sin– as inconnatural,sinnúmero. In these cases thenis pronounced double [nn].
C When taking loanwords from other languages the majority of Spanish speakers will adapt the pronunciation of these words, usually while keeping the original spelling. For some examples of this, see the main dictionary text underchalet,jazzandshock.
D No well-established Spanish word begins with what is called ‘impure s’, i.e.splus a consonant as an initial group. When Spanish speakers have to pronounce a foreign word or name they will almost always add an initial e-sound, so that Smith becomes [ez’miθ] or [es’mis]. More recent anglicisms tend to be written in Spanish asslip,sloganetc, but are pronounced [ez’lip] and [ez’loɣan], while more established English loanwords are writtenesnob,esplínetc and are pronounced accordingly.
6 The letters of the Spanish alphabet
| a | [a] | j | [‘xota] | r | [‘ere] |
| b | [be] (in LAm [be’larγa]) | k | [ka] | rr* | [‘erre] |
| c | [θe] or [se] | l | [‘ele] | s | [‘ese] |
| ch* | [tʃe] | ll* | [‘eʎe] | t | [te] |
| d | [de] | m | [’eme] | u | [u] |
| e | [e] | n | [‘ene] | v | [‘uβe] (in LAm [be’korta]) |
| f | [‘efe] | ñ | [‘eɲe] | w | [‘uβe ‘doβle] (in LAm [‘doβle be]) |
| g | [xe] | o | [o] | x | [‘ekis] |
| h | [‘atʃe] | p | [pe] | y | [i’γrjeγa] |
| i | [i] | q | [ku] | z | [‘θeta] or [‘seta] |
The gender of the letters is feminine: ‘¿esto es una c o una t?’ You also say ‘una a’ and ‘la a’, ‘una h’ and ‘la h’ (i.e. you do not apply the rule as in un ave, el agua).
*Though not strictly letters of the alphabet, these are considered separate sounds in Spanish.
Pronouncing Latin American Spanish
The pronunciation of Latin American Spanish varies widely from place to place, so the following notes are intended to give a general picture only. As a rule, the Spanish spoken in the upland areas of Latin America is similar to Castilian Spanish, while the lowland and coastal areas have many features of Andalusian pronunciation. Vowel sounds are all roughly the same, but there are differences in the way consonants are pronounced. These are listed below:
1 The Castilian [θ] sound (like thethin the English wordthin) which is writtencorzis pronounced as various kinds ofs[s] throughout Latin This is known asseseo.
2 At the end of a syllable or a word,sis a slight aspiration, e.g.las dos[lah’doh],mosca[‘mohka], but in parts of the Andes, upland Mexico and Peru the [s] sound is retained as in Castilian Spanish.
3 The Castilian writtenll[ʎ] (likelliin the English wordmillion) is pronounced in three different ways in Latin America. In parts of Colombia, all Peru, Bolivia, N. Chile and Paraguay it remains [ʎ]. In Argentina, Uruguay, upland Ecuador and part of Mexico it is pronounced [ʒ]. In the remaining areas it is pronounced [j]. When this last kind [j] is in contact with the vowelseandiit disappears altogether, and one finds incorrect written forms such asgaína(forgallina) andbiete(forbillete).
4 In all parts of Latin America you will often find confusion between the letterslandr:clin(forcrin),carma(forcalma) etc.
5 Writtenhis silent in Castilian, but in parts of Mexico and Peru thishis aspirated at the start of a word, so you may find incorrectly spelt forms such asjarto(forharto) andjablar(forhablar). Comparehalar/jalarand other cases in the main dictionary text.
Spanish Spelling
1 Use of capitals
As in English, capital letters are used to begin words in the following cases:
- for the first letter of the first word in a sentence
- for proper names (but see also below)
María, el Papa, el Rey, la Real Academia Española, Viernes Santo, el Partido Laborista, Dios
Note that where the article is an integral part of the proper name, it also begins with a capital –El Escorial, La Haya, La Habana– but where the article is generally or optionally used with the name of a country, it does not begin with a capital –la India,la Argentina
- for abbreviations of titles:
Sr., D., Excma
In the following cases usage differs from English:
- names of days and months
lunes, mayo
- the pronounyo, unless it begins a sentence
- while capitals are used for names of countries, they are not used for the adjectives derived therefrom:
Francia, butfrancés
Similarly, adjectives derived from proper names do not begin with a capital:
… en los estudios lorquianos, las teorías einsteinianas
- in the titles of books, films, plays etc, only the first word begins with a capital letter:
Lo que el viento se llevó, Cien años de soledad
- points of the compass begin with lower case:
norte, suretc
(though they are capitalized if part of a name: Korea del Sur)
FAQs
What does LL sound like in Spanish IPA? ›
3 The Castilian written ll [ʎ] (like lli in the English word million) is pronounced in three different ways in Latin America. In parts of Colombia, all Peru, Bolivia, N. Chile and Paraguay it remains [ʎ]. In Argentina, Uruguay, upland Ecuador and part of Mexico it is pronounced [ʒ].
What is the IPA used in the dictionary? ›IPA is an International Phonetic Alphabet intended for all speakers. Pronunciations on Dictionary.com use a subset of IPA to describe mainly the sounds of English.
What is the IPA chart? ›The IPA chart is a system of speech sound transcription. This means that it is a way of taking what is spoken in a language and transcribing or writing what sounds were produced. In the IPA, one symbol equals one sound.
Is ll pronounced as y or j? ›Pronunciation 1: LL Sounds Like The English Letter 'Y'
Simply magine replacing any ll with a 'y' and that's it! For example, you would pronounce lluvia (rain) as “yuvia” or se llama as “se yama”. Here are some other common ll words and their pronunciations: llave (key) – yave.
The pronunciation of 'll' varies depending on where you are in the Spanish speaking world. In Spain and Central America, it sounds like the English letter y in yes. In some other regions, it has a similar sound to the English letter j in jam. In Argentina or Uruguay, you'll hear it pronounced like sh.
How can I learn phonetics fast? ›Make a list of vocabulary words written in IPA and try to sound out each word, paying attention to both the consonant and vowel symbols and other special symbols, like diacritics and suprasegmentals. You can also reinforce your knowledge further by writing out familiar words phonetically.
How do you pronounce 7 in IPA? ›| Cardinal Numbers | Ordinal Numbers |
|---|---|
| seven ˈsɛv(ə)n | seventh ˈsɛv(ə)nθ |
| eight eɪt | eighth eɪtθ |
| nine nʌɪn | ninth nʌɪnθ |
| ten tɛn | tenth tɛnθ |
The Cambridge Dictionary uses the symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to show pronunciation in writing.
What is Ʒ called in IPA? ›Ezh (Ʒ ʒ) /ˈɛʒ/, also called the "tailed z", is a letter the lower case form of which is used in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), representing the voiced postalveolar fricative consonant.
What does Ʒ stand for in IPA? ›In English, both in Received Pronunciation and in General American, the IPA phonetic symbol /ʒ/ corresponds to the consonant sound spelled "s" in words like "pleasure", and "usually". There aren't actually many words which have this sound on its own.
Why don t American dictionaries use IPA? ›
Because dictionaries don't spell words phonetically. They spell words phonemically.
What are the 44 phonetic sounds? ›- Set 1: s, a, t, p. Set 2: i, n, m, d. Set 3: g, o, c, k. Set 4: ck, e, u, r. Set 5: h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss.
- Set 6: j, v, w, x.
- Set 7: y, z, zz, qu.
- Consonant digraphs: ch, sh, th, ng.
- Vowel digraphs: ai, ee, igh, oa, oo, ar, or, ur, ow, oi, ear, air, ure, er.
- ay, ou, ie, ea, oi, ir, ue, wh, ph, ew, aw, au, oe, a-e.
The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ɜ⟩ (formerly ⟨ᴈ⟩). The IPA symbol is not the digit ⟨3⟩ or the Cyrillic small letter Ze (з). The symbol is instead a reversed Latinized variant of the lowercase epsilon, ɛ.
What is the backwards C in IPA? ›The open-mid back rounded vowel, or low-mid back rounded vowel, is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ɔ⟩. The IPA symbol is a turned letter c and both the symbol and the sound are commonly called "open-o".
Do Mexicans pronounce ll as J? ›In Spain, LL is pronounced more or less like an English J. In llámame (call me) it sounds similar to the J in “jump.” We also pronounce Y at the beginning of a word the same way, as in yema (yolk). In most of Latin America, however, folks take the double-L a little easier and pronounce it like the Y in “yes.”
Do all Spanish speakers pronounce v as b? ›The most important thing to remember about pronouncing the Spanish b and v is that in standard Spanish they are pronounced exactly alike. Although English makes a clear distinction in how the two letters are pronounced, Spanish does not.
Do any Spanish words start with RR? ›Note that Spanish words never start with a RR; it is only found in the middle of words.
What are the hardest phonetic sounds? ›In the case of the hardest phonics, usually the most difficult sounds for young children are words that involve a hard th, soft th, ch, sh, ng, r, wh and ck sounds in the words.
What is the easiest language to learn phonetically? ›Romanian is an easy language to learn because it's a phonetic language. Similar to Spanish and Italian, Romanian letters are always pronounced the same way. Once you master how to pronounce them, you can say any word in the whole language!
How can I learn phonetics at home? ›- Use flashcards to introduce letters and sounds. Buy, create or print a set of alphabet cards with letters either in upper case, lower case or both. ...
- Use picture cards to match letter sounds. ...
- Fill in the blanks to make words. ...
- Replace letters to make new words. ...
- Read to reinforce Phonics.
How do you say birth in IPA? ›
/bUHRth/phonetic spelling.
How do you pronounce ë in IPA? ›Pronunciation. IPA: /ə/ or silent.
How do you pronounce Sunday in IPA? ›Modern IPA: sə́ndɛj. Traditional IPA: ˈsʌndeɪ 2 syllables: "SUN" + "day"
What is longest word phonetic? ›To pronounce Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis let's split it up and see phonetic spelling: nyoo-muh-noh-uhl-truh-mahy-kruh-skop-ik-sil-i-koh-vol-key-noh-koh-nee-oh-sis.
How do I spell my name phonetically? ›To spell your name phonetically, break the parts of your names into syllables, capitalizing the letter sounds that one might emphasize when pronouncing your name. Include all letter sounds that might help a person say your name, even if those same sounds are not present in the actual spelling of your name.
Which phonetic alphabet is most common? ›The NATO phonetic alphabet, which uses a standardized set of codewords in order to refer to the letters in the English alphabet, is the most common type of phonetic alphabet in modern use.
How do you pronounce ʧ? ›/ʧ/ is pronounced without your tongue moving and with more air released than with /t/. It is similar to the sound of a sneeze, and the air released should be able to move a piece of paper or be felt on your hand five centimetres in front of your mouth.
What is IPA symbol ɑ? ›The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ɑ⟩, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is A . The letter ⟨ɑ⟩ is called script a because it lacks the extra hook on top of a printed letter a, which corresponds to a different vowel, the open front unrounded vowel.
What are the 12 vowel sounds in IPA? ›Short vowels in the IPA are /ɪ/-pit, /e/-pet, /æ/-pat, /ʌ/-cut, /ʊ/-put, /ɒ/-dog, /ə/-about. Long vowels in the IPA are /i:/-week, /ɑ:/-hard,/ɔ:/-fork,/ɜ:/-heard, /u:/-boot.
What is the difference between dʒ and ʒ? ›Both sounds are made by pushing air between the lower teeth and the roof of the mouth, but dʒ begins with a brief "d" sound, and ʒ does not. The two sounds are similar, but the initial "d" in dʒ makes it a sharper sound.
What is the letter a in IPA? ›
This symbol is called "script A", because it's the kind of A you would make when hand-writing. The kind of A that looks like it's typewritten, [a], is a different IPA symbol representing a different sound (you can see it as part of [aj] and [aw]).
What is the upside down y in IPA? ›The voiced palatal lateral approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ʎ⟩, a rotated lowercase letter ⟨y⟩, and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is L .
What is the letter J in IPA? ›The IPA [j] symbol represents the y sound, just like the letter j usually does in German. (The IPA symbol [y] does not represent this sound. It represents a non-English vowel sound -- [i] pronounced with your lips rounded -- as in French lune [lyn] 'moon'.)
Does Merriam Webster use IPA? ›Question. Are you using the International Phonetic Alphabet in the Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary? Yes, the pronunciation symbols used in the print and online versions of Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary are from the International Phonetic Alphabet, commonly known as the IPA.
Which language has the most phonetic sounds? ›With five distinct kinds of clicks, multiple tones and strident vowels — vocalized with a quick choking sound — the Taa language, spoken by a few thousand people in Botswana and Namibia, is believed by most linguists to have the largest sound inventory of any tongue in the world.
How many phonemes are there in Spanish? ›The number of phonemes varies among languages, comprising of around 24-25 in total. As for Spanish, it has five vowel phonemes and nineteen consonant phonemes, totalling 14 phonemes. Spanish is also on the lower end of the number of phonemes.
What are the most common phonetic sounds? ›Based on the 2186 languages in PHOIBLE, /m/ is found in 96% of languages, /k/ in 90%, /p/ in 86%, /n/ in 78% and /t/ in 68% [9]. Despite such prevalent sounds, though, note that none are universal.
What is the a with two dots above IPA? ›In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), a double dot above a letter is used for a centralized vowel, a situation more similar to umlaut than to diaeresis. In other languages it is used for vowel length, nasalization, tone, and various other uses where diaeresis or umlaut was available typographically.
What do the two triangles mean in IPA? ›Phonetic symbol
In the International Phonetic Alphabet, a special triangular colon-like letter is used to indicate that the preceding consonant or vowel is long. Its form is that of two triangles pointing toward each other rather than the two dots of Americanist notation.
They are: /ɹ/ — This represents the standard (American & British) English “r.” You may wonder why the “r” is upside down. That's because /r/ in IPA represents the “trilled r” you hear in Spanish, Italian and Russian.
What is the difference between ɔ and ɒ? ›
The biggest difference between these two sounds is that /ɒ/ is a short vowel and /ɔ:/ is a long one. The mouth position is also slightly different, with the mouth in /ɔ:/ being slightly tighter and more rounded.
What is an example of ɔ :/? ›Some Ways of Spelling the /ɔ:/ Sound
ore, as in: chore, ore, pore, core, more, etc. our, as in: court, four, mourn, etc. oar, as in: hoarse, coarse, soar, hoard, oar, etc. oor, as in: door, floor, moor, etc.
English. In English, ⟨ll⟩ often represents the same sound as single ⟨l⟩: /l/. The doubling is used to indicate that the preceding vowel is (historically) short, or that the "l" sound is to be extended longer than a single ⟨l⟩ would provide (etymologically, in latinisms coming from a gemination).
What is the IPA transcription of I'll? ›Modern IPA: ɑ́jl. Traditional IPA: aɪl. 1 syllable: "EYEL"
How do you pronounce l and ll in Spanish? ›In Spanish, the letter l is pronounced exactly as in English. When two of the letter ls are together, ll, the pronunciation is similar to the letter "y" in English. Juan lavó la ropa.
Is Double ll in Spanish silent? ›In Spanish, the "double ll" is pronounced as a "y" sound. For example, the word "llama" is pronounced "yah-mah."
What are 5 words with ll sound? ›- brill.
- chill.
- drill.
- dwell.
- grill.
- quill.
- shall.
- shell.
For example, there used to be a double L and a CH, too. But in 1994, the Spanish Royal Academy eliminated the LL and CH from the Spanish language alphabet. They made this change to make Spanish more computer and keyboard friendly. This change also streamlines the Spanish alphabet.
What is the difference between I and ɪ in IPA? ›Minimal Pair /ɪ/ and /i:/
As indicated by the /:/ part of its symbol, /i:/ is a longer sound than /ɪ/ and pronouncing it this way can help distinguish between the two in the pairs of words below. You will also notice, however, that /ɪ/ does not have a dot over it, making it a different mouth position from /i:/.
Traditional IPA: fruːt. 1 syllable: "FROOT"
How do you transcribe bridges in IPA? ›
Traditional IPA: ˈbrɪʤɪz. 2 syllables: "BRIJ" + "iz"
What sound does j make in Spanish? ›In reality, however the “jota” (or J) in Spanish makes a unique sound that doesn't really exist in English. You can approximate it with an H sound (such as in “hello” and “hard”).