Letters A to M, each with a word you'll meet early on. Tap the speaker to hear it in Castilian Spanish.
Pronunciation note
In Spain, c before e or i, and every z, is said like the English "th" in think: cero [THEH-roh], gracias [GRAH-thyahs]. The letter h is always silent: hola is [OH-lah].
Common mistake
Saying the H in hola or hotel. In Spanish the H makes no sound at all. And j is the throaty sound: jamón is [hah-MOHN], not "jam-on".
Spain vs Latin America
Across Latin America (and in the Canary Islands and much of Andalusia), the "th" sound is an "s": gracias becomes [GRAH-syahs] and cero becomes [SEH-roh]. Both are correct and understood everywhere.
Which letter is always silent in Spanish?
Answer: H. Hola is said [OH-lah].
How is “cero” (zero) pronounced in Spain?
Answer: [THEH-roh], with the Castilian “th”. In Latin America it is [SEH-roh].
G sounds different in “gato” and “gente”. Why?
Answer: Before e or i, G takes the throaty J sound: gente [HEN-teh]. Elsewhere it is a hard G: gato [GAH-toh].