Spanish ñ pronunciation: the /ɲ/ sound
Recognize the Spanish letter ñ and its /ɲ/ sound, and distinguish it from the ordinary n sound /n/ in familiar words.
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Spanish: Sounds, stress and spelling
Spanish: Explore sound contrasts, word stress and spelling patterns through written guidance and carefully chosen examples.
Adventure journal
Spanish: Sounds, stress and spelling
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Spanish vowel sounds /e/ and /i/: mesa and misa
Hear and produce the contrast between Spanish /e/ and /i/ in familiar words such as mesa and misa.
Read and practiseSpanish vowels a and o: casa and cosa
Practice distinguishing Spanish /a/ and /o/ using familiar words and contextual sentences.
Read and practiseThe Spanish vowel u
Rounded lips: pronounce the Spanish vowel u clearly in familiar words and notice when the letter is silent.
Read and practiseSpanish vowels without English glides
Steady Spanish vowels keep one mouth position, unlike English glides; practise contrasts through spelling and clear articulation.
Read and practiseSpanish word-final n
A final nasal consonant appears in familiar Spanish words; use spelling and tongue position to recognise and pronounce it.
Read and practiseSpanish b and v: one sound, two spellings
Understand the shared Spanish sound represented by b and v, and distinguish spelling with vaca and baca.
Read and practiseSpanish r and rr between vowels
Compare the Spanish tap /ɾ/ and trill /r/ between vowels using meaningful pairs such as pero and perro.
Read and practiseSeseo and distinción: Spanish s, c and z
Compare seseo and distinción in Spanish pronunciation and use context to spell pairs such as casa and caza.
Read and practiseSpanish word stress: hablo and habló
Recognize the difference in word stress between hablo and habló and connect the accent mark to the stressed syllable.
Read and practiseSpanish ll and y: yeísmo and regional sounds
Understand Spanish yeísmo, the remaining ll–y distinction and common regional pronunciations of these spellings.
Read and practiseSpanish gue, gui, güe and güi: when to pronounce u
Learn how the written diaeresis signals a pronounced u in Spanish güe and güi, with contextual words and examples.
Read and practiseSilent h in Spanish words
Learn that ordinary Spanish h is silent, distinguish it from the ch digraph, and practise with six contextual examples.
Read and practiseSpanish j and ge or gi: a shared sound
Learn how j and g before e or i represent the Spanish /x/ sound, with regional pronunciation and contextual examples.
Read and practiseSpanish stress: aguda and llana words
Recognize stress on the last or next-to-last syllable in Spanish and compare examples such as café, casa and árbol.
Read and practiseSpanish /k/ spellings: ca, co, cu, que and qui
Recognize the /k/ sound in ca, co, cu and in que or qui, and contrast it with c before e or i.
Read and practiseSpanish esdrújula stress: an accent on the third-to-last syllable
Recognize esdrújula words, hear stress on the third-to-last syllable, and write their required accent marks.
Read and practiseSpanish single r in consonant clusters
Consonant clusters with a single Spanish r use a quick tongue tap; practise their spelling and mouth movement in context.
Read and practiseThe Spanish trill at the start of a word
Initial Spanish r calls for a tongue-tip trill; practise recognizing it in everyday words and contrasting it with a single tap.
Read and practiseSpanish g before a, o and u
Before the vowels a, o and u, Spanish g has a voiced sound made at the back of the mouth. Explore its spelling in context.
Read and practiseSpanish x in everyday words
The letter x can sound like ks, a regional s, or the sound of j in certain names. Explore common spellings and pronunciation.
Read and practiseSpanish consonant clusters with l
Clusters with l join two consonants without a vowel between them. Practise pl, bl, cl and fl in familiar Spanish words.
Read and practiseSpanish consonants at the end of words
Final consonants distinguish familiar Spanish words; mouth position and spelling help you keep the endings clear in everyday speech.
Read and practiseQuestions and statements: Spanish pitch
A change in pitch and punctuation can turn a statement into a yes-or-no question in Spanish. Compare three written pairs.
Read and practiseSpanish vowel pairs: país, aire and río
Compare syllable boundaries in Spanish país, aire and río and learn how a stressed í marks a hiatus in these examples.
Read and practiseSpanish d between vowels: a softer sound
Recognize the often softer pronunciation of Spanish d between vowels in words such as dedo and comida.
Read and practiseSpanish b and v between vowels
Between vowels, Spanish b and v usually share a gentle sound made with the lips close together; spelling still matters.
Read and practiseSpanish g between vowels
Between vowels, Spanish g often becomes a gentle sound made without fully closing the back of the mouth.
Read and practiseSpanish n before p and b
At a word boundary, the sound of n adapts to the lips before p or b while the original spelling stays the same.
Read and practiseSpanish n before k and g
Before k and g sounds, the Spanish n moves to the back of the mouth, even across word boundaries in fluent speech.
Read and practiseLinking consonants to vowels in Spanish
A final consonant can flow into the next word when it begins with a vowel, making connected Spanish sound smooth and clear.
Read and practiseAdjacent vowels between Spanish words
Vowels at a Spanish word boundary can flow together in connected speech, while spelling and stress remain intact.
Read and practiseSpanish sentence stress and meaning
In a neutral sentence, nouns, verbs and adjectives often stand out, while short grammatical words usually remain less prominent.
Read and practiseList intonation in Spanish
A continuing pitch and a final fall make a spoken Spanish list easier to follow, as these written examples show.
Read and practiseIntonation in Spanish open questions
Questions beginning with an interrogative word often end with a falling pitch; context and regional speech can change the melody.
Read and practiseContrastive stress in Spanish sentences
A correction can shift the emphasis to the word that replaces an earlier assumption, making the intended contrast clear.
Read and practiseUncertainty in Spanish intonation
A tentative pitch can accompany doubt: explore how context and wording shape uncertain statements in Spanish.
Read and practisePolite request intonation in Spanish
A courteous request depends on wording, voice and context; explore written question pairs and practise a gentle delivery.
Read and practiseConfirming details with Spanish intonation
A repeated detail can become a request for confirmation through question intonation, with a pitch movement that depends on context.
Read and practiseRegional weakening of Spanish s
In many Spanish-speaking regions, a syllable-final s may sound like a breath or disappear; context helps listeners recover the meaning.
Read and practiseRhythm across Spanish phrases
Connected Spanish speech flows in meaningful groups; practise stress, linking and pauses while keeping every word clear.
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