The Spanish Alphabet and Its 27 Letters
The letters of the Spanish alphabet.
Many of us learned the alphabet when we were young, either at home or during our first school lessons. In this article, we will clear up any doubts you might have about the Spanish alphabet and share some fun facts, as well as places where you can improve your spelling. Let’s start by telling you how many letters are in the Spanish alphabet.
What is the Alphabet? Are "Alphabet" and "Abecedario" Synonyms?
The alphabet in any language is incredibly important because it is a series of sounds and symbols that people use to communicate. According to the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) Dictionary, the alphabet is used to refer to the ordered series of letters that represent the phonemes or distinctive sounds of a language.
As for the terms themselves, "alphabet" and "abecedario" are used in the same way and mean the same thing, so they are synonyms. Etymologically, the word "alphabet" comes from the first two symbols of the Greek alphabet: alpha and beta. The word "abecedario" comes from the first four letters of the same alphabet. Remember, the alphabet consists of both vowels and consonants.
The Complete Spanish Alphabet
The complete Spanish alphabet includes 27 uppercase and lowercase letters, which are:
Aa
Bb
Cc
Dd
Ee
Ff
Gg
Hh
Ii
Jj
Kk
Ll
Mm
Nn
Ññ
Oo
Pp
Qq
Rr
Ss
Tt
Uu
Vv
Ww
Xx
Yy
Zz
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Vowels and Consonants in the Spanish Alphabet
What are Consonants?
Consonants are the letters of the alphabet that require the use of the tongue, teeth, palate, mouth, or throat for correct pronunciation.
The consonants in the Spanish alphabet are:
B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, Ñ, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z.
What are Vowels?
Vowels, on the other hand, are letters that are pronounced simply by using the sound of air and tone. This means there is no obstruction from the throat, teeth, mouth, or palate.
The vowels in the Spanish alphabet are:
A, E, I, O, U.
Strong and Weak Vowels
There are two types of vowels: strong vowels and weak vowels.
Strong vowels are A, E, O, and they are called strong because they require a wider opening of the mouth to pronounce.
Weak vowels are I, U, and these do not need a large mouth opening for pronunciation.
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Names of the Letters in Spanish
A: The first letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la a. The plural is aes.
B: The second letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la b. The plural is bes.
C: The third letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la c. The plural is ces.
D: The fourth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la de. The plural is des.
E: The fifth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la e. The plural is es.
F: The sixth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la efe. The plural is efes.
G: The seventh letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la ge. The plural is ges.
H: The eighth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la hache. The plural is haches.
I: The ninth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la i. It’s also known as i latina to distinguish it from y, which is called i griega. The plural is íes.
J: The tenth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la jota. The plural is jotas.
K: The eleventh letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la ka. The plural is kas.
L: The twelfth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la ele. The plural is eles.
M: The thirteenth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la eme. The plural is emes.
N: The fourteenth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la ene. The plural is enes.
Ñ: The fifteenth letter of the alphabet, which does not exist in any other alphabet, and its name is feminine, la eñe. The plural is eñes.
O: The sixteenth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la o. The plural is oes.
P: The seventeenth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la pe. The plural is pes.
Q: The eighteenth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la cu. The plural is cus.
R: The nineteenth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la erre. The plural is erres or eres.
S: The twentieth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la ese. The plural is eses.
T: The twenty-first letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la te. The plural is tes.
U: The twenty-second letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la u. The plural is úes.
V: The twenty-third letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la uve. It’s also known as ve pequeña, ve corta, or ve baja. The plural is uves.
W: The twenty-fourth letter of the alphabet, and its name varies depending on the country or region. It can be called uve doble, doble uve, ve doble, doble ve, or doble u. The plural varies accordingly.
X: The twenty-fifth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la equis. The plural is equis.
Y: The twenty-sixth letter of the alphabet, and its name is feminine, la ye or i griega. The plural can be yes or íes griegas.
Z: The twenty-seventh and last letter of the Spanish alphabet. Its name is feminine, la zeta. The plural is zetas.
Languages and Alphabets
Like most languages, the Spanish alphabet has its origins in the Latin (Roman) alphabet, which itself is derived from the Greek alphabet. Over time, each language has evolved, and so has its alphabet, leading us to drop certain Greek letters and add new ones. For example, Spanish includes the letter "ñ," while German has the letter "ß."
Sign Language (In Mexico)
Each language also has its own sign language alphabet for the deaf community. This alphabet is based on different facial expressions and hand, arm, and body movements. In Mexico, it’s known as Mexican Sign Language (LSM). It’s important to note that due to the linguistic diversity in Mexico, various sign language variations exist depending on the indigenous language or community that uses them.
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Now that you know the Spanish alphabet and the pronunciation and names of all the letters, you can improve your writing, spelling, and grammar! Don’t forget that Parafrasist offers an online spelling checker that works in up to 8 different languages and is very easy to use. What are you waiting for? Try it out now!