Is it really that important to learn the Spanish alphabet?

The Spanish alphabet, el alfabeto o abecedario español, is phonetic which means that it is very convenient when learning a new language because this means that every letter has a corresponding sound, unlike English.  Knowing the sounds of each letter is essential and will allow you to pronounce any word in the language, even if you do not know what it means.  Amazing, right?!  

There are a few things that you need to keep in mind when learning the sounds of the letters in Spanish. The first one, primero, is that the letter ‘h’ is always silent.  Second, segundo, the letters ‘b’ and ‘v’ can often be interchangeable. Something like ‘Yo voy al mercado’ could sound like ‘Yo boy al mercado’. Additionally, the letters ‘c’ and ‘s’ can often sound the same depending on where it is located in a word. Thirdly, tercero, the letter ‘ñ’ makes an ‘ny’ sound. Lastly, por último, the double ‘ll’ makes a ‘y’ sound and the double ‘rr’ makes a rolling r sound.  All of these concepts and more are further explored in detail in Down to Earth Spanish’s beginner Spanish course the Novice I, but in the meantime, let’s see where you stand with the Spanish alphabet by completing these sentences with the correct letter or word. The answers are at the bottom of the page, no cheating!


  1. Alejandro quiere (botar/votar) en la elección. 
  2. La ni(n/ñ)a tiene cinco a(n/ñ)os.
  3. El adolescente no tiene barba, solamente un poco de (vello/bello).
  4. Ojalá qué (b/v)ayamos a la playa hoy.
  5. ¡(Haber/A ver) que pasa! 
  6. En la granja (h/a)y cinco ga(ll/y)os.
  7. A las cinco empieza la (sesión/cesión) informativa.
  8. Tengo (h/a)mbre, mi estómago está (b/v)acío.


How did you do?  Need some help understanding why these words were selected or why a word was spelled one way or another? Perhaps you need a refresher?  Check out the Novice 1 course to learn all about the alphabet and the foundational elements of the Spanish language. You can also find more content at  Down to Earth Spanish,  where you will find a variety of  self-paced online Spanish courses and free printables and digital worksheets.


ANSWERS:

  1. Alejandro quiere votar en la elección. (botar: bounce, throw out / votar: to vote)
  2. La niña tiene cinco años.
  3. El adolescente no tiene barba, solamente un poco de vello. (vello: fuzz, hair / bello: beautiful, lovely)
  4. Ojalá que vayamos a la playa hoy.
  5. ¡A ver qué pasa! (haber: there is, there are / a ver: let’s see)
  6. En la granja hay cinco gallos.
  7. A las cinco empieza la sesión informativa. (sesión: sesión, meeting / cesión: transfer, hand-over)
  8. Tengo hambre, mi estómago está vacío.