Spanish gue, gui, güe and güi: when to pronounce u

The idea

In ordinary gue and gui the u is silent; in güe and güi it is pronounced as a glide, as in pingüino. guitarra: /ɡi/; pingüino: /ɡwi/.

Examples

• La guitarra está sobre la mesa.The guitar is on the table.
• El guía conoce el museo.The guide knows the museum.
• El libro describe una guerra.The book describes a war.
• El pingüino nada en agua fría.The penguin swims in cold water.
• Me da vergüenza cantar a solas.I am embarrassed to sing alone.
• El museo es bilingüe.The museum is bilingual.

Watch out

Do not confuse the diaeresis with a stress accent: it signals the sound of u, not the stressed syllable.

Try it yourself

1. Choose the word whose written u is silent. La ___. (guitarra / vergüenza)

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   guitarra

   Guitarra uses gui with a silent u.

2. Choose the word for penguin, with pronounced u. El ___. (pingüino / guía)

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   pingüino

   Pingüino needs ü because its u is pronounced.

3. Choose the word for embarrassment, with pronounced u. La ___. (vergüenza / guerra)

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   vergüenza

   Vergüenza also has a pronounced u after g.

Use it today

Read the examples aloud and compare silent u in guitarra and guerra with pronounced u in pingüino and vergüenza.