Spanish Alphabet

There are 27 letters in the Spanish alphabet. That’s one more than the English alphabet, with the letter “ñ” being the additional one found only in Spanish.

All the other 26 letters that are in the English alphabet are also represented in the Spanish alphabet, but with different names and pronunciation.

In Spanish, the alphabet is called the “abecedario.” Below you will find all 27 letters, along with an example word. Click on a letter or example word to hear the pronunciation.

LetterName in SpanishSample word
aaamigo
bbebonita
ccecereal
ddededo
eeespañol
fefefeo
ggegato
hhachehormiga
ii (i latina)iglesia
jjotaJosé
kkakilo
lelelobo
mememamá
neneno
ñeñeñoño
ooojo
ppepelo
qcuquemar
rerreratón
sesesoso
ttetocar
uuuva
vuvevamos
wuve doblewhisky
xequisxilófono
yi griega (ye)yate
zzetazorro

Past Changes to the Spanish Alphabet

If you’ve studied Spanish in the past you may recall that there used to be more letters in the alphabet. In 2014 the Spanish Royal Academy removed the “ch” and “ll” letters from the Spanish alphabet.

They are provided below as examples, though you should no longer consider them separate letters. These combinations of letters and the sounds they produce are still used in the language, of course, but they are no longer considered separate letters.

LetterPast Name in SpanishSample word
chce hachechocolate
llellelluvia

The Mystery of the “rr”

The double “r” (rr) in Spanish is somewhat of a mystery to many people. When two r’s appear together in Spanish they mandate that the sound be changed to what is called a “rolling r,” where the tongue produces a vibrating “r” sound. However, the “rr” is not a letter in the alphabet.

A good example of the “rolling r” sound in Spanish is the word “perro.” Notice the slight vibration in the “r” sound when spoken.

You can practice the “rr” sound more by using the oral exercise lesson, Consonant: RR.