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The sounds English speakers find hardest in Spanish, explained. Tap any word to hear Diego.
Your mouth can't make these sounds yet. Here's where to put your tongue and lips, plus words to listen and repeat in Diego's voice.
How to make itRest the tip of your tongue just behind your upper teeth, on the ridge, and let the airflow make it vibrate several times, like an engine. Don't force it: relax your tongue and push air. It's the hardest sound for English speakers — build it up slowly.
How to make itA rough sound made at the back of the throat, as if you were fogging up a window with a strong breath. It's spelled with j (jamón, rojo) and g before e/i (gente, Gijón).
In Spain the jota is stronger and more guttural than in Latin America — it rasps more in the throat. It's part of the accent we teach.
How to make itIn Spanish every vowel is short, crisp and always the same: a, e, i, o, u. Don't lengthen them or add an English-style glide (e isn't “ay”, o isn't “ow”), and never reduce them to a schwa. Watch your final vowels above all.
How to make itBetween vowels, b/v, d and g don't close fully: air keeps flowing and they sound soft (nada, lobo, agua). The final -d is very soft, almost like the “th” in this: Madrid, ciudad.
How to make itPress the whole middle of your tongue against the roof of your mouth and release it with voice: it's a single sound, not “n + y”. As in año, niño or España.
These sounds are easy to produce — the hard part is knowing when they appear. Here are the rules.
In Spain, z and c before e/i are pronounced with the θ sound, like the “th” in think: cinco, zapato, gracias, plaza. Before a/o/u, c sounds like /k/: casa.
This is the distinción that defines Spanish from Spain. In seseo (Latin America and parts of Andalusia) z and c sound like an s. We teach the distinción, consistent with the numbers and alphabet tools.
In modern Spain, ll and y are pronounced the same: a single sound close to the English “y” in yes. Pollo, llave, yo and mayo all share that sound.
Relax: you don't have to tell two sounds apart. Almost every Spanish speaker merges ll and y into one, so stop overthinking it.
The hard part isn't only making the trill — it's knowing when to roll it. Here are the rules, with examples to listen to.
“rr” between vowels
r at the start of a word
r after n, l or s
a single r between vowels
r in a cluster with another consonant
r at the end of a syllable or word
Here the trill isn't a detail — it changes the word. Tap each one to hear the difference.
Swap a single vowel and you've said a completely different word. Tap each one to hear how close they sound.
Download these reference cards to study offline.
You know how they sound. Now say them for real: talk live with Diego and fix your Spanish pronunciation gently, sound by sound.
Diego