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A Key To Spanish Pronunciations | Lexico.com

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All Rights Reserved. * * Licensed under the W3C SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENT NOTICE AND LICENSE. * * https://www.w3.org/Consortium/Legal/2015/copyright-software-and-document * */ (function() { 'use strict'; // Exit early if we're not running in a browser. if (typeof window !== 'object') { return; } // Exit early if all IntersectionObserver and IntersectionObserverEntry // features are natively supported. if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && 'IntersectionObserverEntry' in window && 'intersectionRatio' in window.IntersectionObserverEntry.prototype) { // Minimal polyfill for Edge 15's lack of `isIntersecting` // See: https://github.com/w3c/IntersectionObserver/issues/211 if (!('isIntersecting' in window.IntersectionObserverEntry.prototype)) { Object.defineProperty(window.IntersectionObserverEntry.prototype, 'isIntersecting', { get: function () { return this.intersectionRatio > 0; } }); } return; } /** * Returns the embedding frame element, if any. * @param {!Document} doc * @return {!Element} */ function getFrameElement(doc) { try { return doc.defaultView && doc.defaultView.frameElement || null; } catch (e) { // Ignore the error. return null; } } /** * A local reference to the root document. */ var document = (function(startDoc) { var doc = startDoc; var frame = getFrameElement(doc); while (frame) { doc = frame.ownerDocument; frame = getFrameElement(doc); } return doc; })(window.document); /** * An IntersectionObserver registry. This registry exists to hold a strong * reference to IntersectionObserver instances currently observing a target * element. Without this registry, instances without another reference may be * garbage collected. */ var registry = []; /** * The signal updater for cross-origin intersection. When not null, it means * that the polyfill is configured to work in a cross-origin mode. * @type {function(DOMRect|ClientRect, DOMRect|ClientRect)} */ var crossOriginUpdater = null; /** * The current cross-origin intersection. Only used in the cross-origin mode. * @type {DOMRect|ClientRect} */ var crossOriginRect = null; /** * Creates the global IntersectionObserverEntry constructor. * https://w3c.github.io/IntersectionObserver/#intersection-observer-entry * @param {Object} entry A dictionary of instance properties. * @constructor */ function IntersectionObserverEntry(entry) { this.time = entry.time; this.target = entry.target; this.rootBounds = ensureDOMRect(entry.rootBounds); this.boundingClientRect = ensureDOMRect(entry.boundingClientRect); this.intersectionRect = ensureDOMRect(entry.intersectionRect || getEmptyRect()); this.isIntersecting = !!entry.intersectionRect; // Calculates the intersection ratio. var targetRect = this.boundingClientRect; var targetArea = targetRect.width * targetRect.height; var intersectionRect = this.intersectionRect; var intersectionArea = intersectionRect.width * intersectionRect.height; // Sets intersection ratio. if (targetArea) { // Round the intersection ratio to avoid floating point math issues: // https://github.com/w3c/IntersectionObserver/issues/324 this.intersectionRatio = Number((intersectionArea / targetArea).toFixed(4)); } else { // If area is zero and is intersecting, sets to 1, otherwise to 0 this.intersectionRatio = this.isIntersecting ? 1 : 0; } } /** * Creates the global IntersectionObserver constructor. * https://w3c.github.io/IntersectionObserver/#intersection-observer-interface * @param {Function} callback The function to be invoked after intersection * changes have queued. The function is not invoked if the queue has * been emptied by calling the `takeRecords` method. * @param {Object=} opt_options Optional configuration options. * @constructor */ function IntersectionObserver(callback, opt_options) { var options = opt_options || {}; if (typeof callback != 'function') { throw new Error('callback must be a function'); } if ( options.root && options.root.nodeType != 1 && options.root.nodeType != 9 ) { throw new Error('root must be a Document or Element'); } // Binds and throttles `this._checkForIntersections`. this._checkForIntersections = throttle( this._checkForIntersections.bind(this), this.THROTTLE_TIMEOUT); // Private properties. this._callback = callback; this._observationTargets = []; this._queuedEntries = []; this._rootMarginValues = this._parseRootMargin(options.rootMargin); // Public properties. this.thresholds = this._initThresholds(options.threshold); this.root = options.root || null; this.rootMargin = this._rootMarginValues.map(function(margin) { return margin.value + margin.unit; }).join(' '); /** @private @const {!Array<!Document>} */ this._monitoringDocuments = []; /** @private @const {!Array<function()>} */ this._monitoringUnsubscribes = []; } /** * The minimum interval within which the document will be checked for * intersection changes. */ IntersectionObserver.prototype.THROTTLE_TIMEOUT = 100; /** * The frequency in which the polyfill polls for intersection changes. * this can be updated on a per instance basis and must be set prior to * calling `observe` on the first target. */ IntersectionObserver.prototype.POLL_INTERVAL = null; /** * Use a mutation observer on the root element * to detect intersection changes. */ IntersectionObserver.prototype.USE_MUTATION_OBSERVER = true; /** * Sets up the polyfill in the cross-origin mode. The result is the * updater function that accepts two arguments: `boundingClientRect` and * `intersectionRect` - just as these fields would be available to the * parent via `IntersectionObserverEntry`. This function should be called * each time the iframe receives intersection information from the parent * window, e.g. via messaging. * @return {function(DOMRect|ClientRect, DOMRect|ClientRect)} */ IntersectionObserver._setupCrossOriginUpdater = function() { if (!crossOriginUpdater) { /** * @param {DOMRect|ClientRect} boundingClientRect * @param {DOMRect|ClientRect} intersectionRect */ crossOriginUpdater = function(boundingClientRect, intersectionRect) { if (!boundingClientRect || !intersectionRect) { crossOriginRect = getEmptyRect(); } else { crossOriginRect = convertFromParentRect(boundingClientRect, intersectionRect); } registry.forEach(function(observer) { observer._checkForIntersections(); }); }; } return crossOriginUpdater; }; /** * Resets the cross-origin mode. */ IntersectionObserver._resetCrossOriginUpdater = function() { crossOriginUpdater = null; crossOriginRect = null; }; /** * Starts observing a target element for intersection changes based on * the thresholds values. * @param {Element} target The DOM element to observe. */ IntersectionObserver.prototype.observe = function(target) { var isTargetAlreadyObserved = this._observationTargets.some(function(item) { return item.element == target; }); if (isTargetAlreadyObserved) { return; } if (!(target && target.nodeType == 1)) { throw new Error('target must be an Element'); } this._registerInstance(); this._observationTargets.push({element: target, entry: null}); this._monitorIntersections(target.ownerDocument); this._checkForIntersections(); }; /** * Stops observing a target element for intersection changes. * @param {Element} target The DOM element to observe. */ IntersectionObserver.prototype.unobserve = function(target) { this._observationTargets = this._observationTargets.filter(function(item) { return item.element != target; }); this._unmonitorIntersections(target.ownerDocument); if (this._observationTargets.length == 0) { this._unregisterInstance(); } }; /** * Stops observing all target elements for intersection changes. */ IntersectionObserver.prototype.disconnect = function() { this._observationTargets = []; this._unmonitorAllIntersections(); this._unregisterInstance(); }; /** * Returns any queue entries that have not yet been reported to the * callback and clears the queue. This can be used in conjunction with the * callback to obtain the absolute most up-to-date intersection information. * @return {Array} The currently queued entries. */ IntersectionObserver.prototype.takeRecords = function() { var records = this._queuedEntries.slice(); this._queuedEntries = []; return records; }; /** * Accepts the threshold value from the user configuration object and * returns a sorted array of unique threshold values. If a value is not * between 0 and 1 and error is thrown. * @private * @param {Array|number=} opt_threshold An optional threshold value or * a list of threshold values, defaulting to [0]. * @return {Array} A sorted list of unique and valid threshold values. */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._initThresholds = function(opt_threshold) { var threshold = opt_threshold || [0]; if (!Array.isArray(threshold)) threshold = [threshold]; return threshold.sort().filter(function(t, i, a) { if (typeof t != 'number' || isNaN(t) || t < 0 || t > 1) { throw new Error('threshold must be a number between 0 and 1 inclusively'); } return t !== a[i - 1]; }); }; /** * Accepts the rootMargin value from the user configuration object * and returns an array of the four margin values as an object containing * the value and unit properties. If any of the values are not properly * formatted or use a unit other than px or %, and error is thrown. * @private * @param {string=} opt_rootMargin An optional rootMargin value, * defaulting to '0px'. * @return {Array<Object>} An array of margin objects with the keys * value and unit. */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._parseRootMargin = function(opt_rootMargin) { var marginString = opt_rootMargin || '0px'; var margins = marginString.split(/\s+/).map(function(margin) { var parts = /^(-?\d*\.?\d+)(px|%)$/.exec(margin); if (!parts) { throw new Error('rootMargin must be specified in pixels or percent'); } return {value: parseFloat(parts[1]), unit: parts[2]}; }); // Handles shorthand. margins[1] = margins[1] || margins[0]; margins[2] = margins[2] || margins[0]; margins[3] = margins[3] || margins[1]; return margins; }; /** * Starts polling for intersection changes if the polling is not already * happening, and if the page's visibility state is visible. * @param {!Document} doc * @private */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._monitorIntersections = function(doc) { var win = doc.defaultView; if (!win) { // Already destroyed. return; } if (this._monitoringDocuments.indexOf(doc) != -1) { // Already monitoring. return; } // Private state for monitoring. var callback = this._checkForIntersections; var monitoringInterval = null; var domObserver = null; // If a poll interval is set, use polling instead of listening to // resize and scroll events or DOM mutations. if (this.POLL_INTERVAL) { monitoringInterval = win.setInterval(callback, this.POLL_INTERVAL); } else { addEvent(win, 'resize', callback, true); addEvent(doc, 'scroll', callback, true); if (this.USE_MUTATION_OBSERVER && 'MutationObserver' in win) { domObserver = new win.MutationObserver(callback); domObserver.observe(doc, { attributes: true, childList: true, characterData: true, subtree: true }); } } this._monitoringDocuments.push(doc); this._monitoringUnsubscribes.push(function() { // Get the window object again. When a friendly iframe is destroyed, it // will be null. var win = doc.defaultView; if (win) { if (monitoringInterval) { win.clearInterval(monitoringInterval); } removeEvent(win, 'resize', callback, true); } removeEvent(doc, 'scroll', callback, true); if (domObserver) { domObserver.disconnect(); } }); // Also monitor the parent. var rootDoc = (this.root && (this.root.ownerDocument || this.root)) || document; if (doc != rootDoc) { var frame = getFrameElement(doc); if (frame) { this._monitorIntersections(frame.ownerDocument); } } }; /** * Stops polling for intersection changes. * @param {!Document} doc * @private */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._unmonitorIntersections = function(doc) { var index = this._monitoringDocuments.indexOf(doc); if (index == -1) { return; } var rootDoc = (this.root && (this.root.ownerDocument || this.root)) || document; // Check if any dependent targets are still remaining. var hasDependentTargets = this._observationTargets.some(function(item) { var itemDoc = item.element.ownerDocument; // Target is in this context. if (itemDoc == doc) { return true; } // Target is nested in this context. while (itemDoc && itemDoc != rootDoc) { var frame = getFrameElement(itemDoc); itemDoc = frame && frame.ownerDocument; if (itemDoc == doc) { return true; } } return false; }); if (hasDependentTargets) { return; } // Unsubscribe. var unsubscribe = this._monitoringUnsubscribes[index]; this._monitoringDocuments.splice(index, 1); this._monitoringUnsubscribes.splice(index, 1); unsubscribe(); // Also unmonitor the parent. if (doc != rootDoc) { var frame = getFrameElement(doc); if (frame) { this._unmonitorIntersections(frame.ownerDocument); } } }; /** * Stops polling for intersection changes. * @param {!Document} doc * @private */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._unmonitorAllIntersections = function() { var unsubscribes = this._monitoringUnsubscribes.slice(0); this._monitoringDocuments.length = 0; this._monitoringUnsubscribes.length = 0; for (var i = 0; i < unsubscribes.length; i++) { unsubscribes[i](); } }; /** * Scans each observation target for intersection changes and adds them * to the internal entries queue. If new entries are found, it * schedules the callback to be invoked. * @private */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._checkForIntersections = function() { if (!this.root && crossOriginUpdater && !crossOriginRect) { // Cross origin monitoring, but no initial data available yet. return; } var rootIsInDom = this._rootIsInDom(); var rootRect = rootIsInDom ? this._getRootRect() : getEmptyRect(); this._observationTargets.forEach(function(item) { var target = item.element; var targetRect = getBoundingClientRect(target); var rootContainsTarget = this._rootContainsTarget(target); var oldEntry = item.entry; var intersectionRect = rootIsInDom && rootContainsTarget && this._computeTargetAndRootIntersection(target, targetRect, rootRect); var rootBounds = null; if (!this._rootContainsTarget(target)) { rootBounds = getEmptyRect(); } else if (!crossOriginUpdater || this.root) { rootBounds = rootRect; } var newEntry = item.entry = new IntersectionObserverEntry({ time: now(), target: target, boundingClientRect: targetRect, rootBounds: rootBounds, intersectionRect: intersectionRect }); if (!oldEntry) { this._queuedEntries.push(newEntry); } else if (rootIsInDom && rootContainsTarget) { // If the new entry intersection ratio has crossed any of the // thresholds, add a new entry. if (this._hasCrossedThreshold(oldEntry, newEntry)) { this._queuedEntries.push(newEntry); } } else { // If the root is not in the DOM or target is not contained within // root but the previous entry for this target had an intersection, // add a new record indicating removal. if (oldEntry && oldEntry.isIntersecting) { this._queuedEntries.push(newEntry); } } }, this); if (this._queuedEntries.length) { this._callback(this.takeRecords(), this); } }; /** * Accepts a target and root rect computes the intersection between then * following the algorithm in the spec. * TODO(philipwalton): at this time clip-path is not considered. * https://w3c.github.io/IntersectionObserver/#calculate-intersection-rect-algo * @param {Element} target The target DOM element * @param {Object} targetRect The bounding rect of the target. * @param {Object} rootRect The bounding rect of the root after being * expanded by the rootMargin value. * @return {?Object} The final intersection rect object or undefined if no * intersection is found. * @private */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._computeTargetAndRootIntersection = function(target, targetRect, rootRect) { // If the element isn't displayed, an intersection can't happen. if (window.getComputedStyle(target).display == 'none') return; var intersectionRect = targetRect; var parent = getParentNode(target); var atRoot = false; while (!atRoot && parent) { var parentRect = null; var parentComputedStyle = parent.nodeType == 1 ? window.getComputedStyle(parent) : {}; // If the parent isn't displayed, an intersection can't happen. if (parentComputedStyle.display == 'none') return null; if (parent == this.root || parent.nodeType == /* DOCUMENT */ 9) { atRoot = true; if (parent == this.root || parent == document) { if (crossOriginUpdater && !this.root) { if (!crossOriginRect || crossOriginRect.width == 0 && crossOriginRect.height == 0) { // A 0-size cross-origin intersection means no-intersection. parent = null; parentRect = null; intersectionRect = null; } else { parentRect = crossOriginRect; } } else { parentRect = rootRect; } } else { // Check if there's a frame that can be navigated to. var frame = getParentNode(parent); var frameRect = frame && getBoundingClientRect(frame); var frameIntersect = frame && this._computeTargetAndRootIntersection(frame, frameRect, rootRect); if (frameRect && frameIntersect) { parent = frame; parentRect = convertFromParentRect(frameRect, frameIntersect); } else { parent = null; intersectionRect = null; } } } else { // If the element has a non-visible overflow, and it's not the <body> // or <html> element, update the intersection rect. // Note: <body> and <html> cannot be clipped to a rect that's not also // the document rect, so no need to compute a new intersection. var doc = parent.ownerDocument; if (parent != doc.body && parent != doc.documentElement && parentComputedStyle.overflow != 'visible') { parentRect = getBoundingClientRect(parent); } } // If either of the above conditionals set a new parentRect, // calculate new intersection data. if (parentRect) { intersectionRect = computeRectIntersection(parentRect, intersectionRect); } if (!intersectionRect) break; parent = parent && getParentNode(parent); } return intersectionRect; }; /** * Returns the root rect after being expanded by the rootMargin value. * @return {ClientRect} The expanded root rect. * @private */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._getRootRect = function() { var rootRect; if (this.root && !isDoc(this.root)) { rootRect = getBoundingClientRect(this.root); } else { // Use <html>/<body> instead of window since scroll bars affect size. var doc = isDoc(this.root) ? this.root : document; var html = doc.documentElement; var body = doc.body; rootRect = { top: 0, left: 0, right: html.clientWidth || body.clientWidth, width: html.clientWidth || body.clientWidth, bottom: html.clientHeight || body.clientHeight, height: html.clientHeight || body.clientHeight }; } return this._expandRectByRootMargin(rootRect); }; /** * Accepts a rect and expands it by the rootMargin value. * @param {DOMRect|ClientRect} rect The rect object to expand. * @return {ClientRect} The expanded rect. * @private */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._expandRectByRootMargin = function(rect) { var margins = this._rootMarginValues.map(function(margin, i) { return margin.unit == 'px' ? margin.value : margin.value * (i % 2 ? rect.width : rect.height) / 100; }); var newRect = { top: rect.top - margins[0], right: rect.right + margins[1], bottom: rect.bottom + margins[2], left: rect.left - margins[3] }; newRect.width = newRect.right - newRect.left; newRect.height = newRect.bottom - newRect.top; return newRect; }; /** * Accepts an old and new entry and returns true if at least one of the * threshold values has been crossed. * @param {?IntersectionObserverEntry} oldEntry The previous entry for a * particular target element or null if no previous entry exists. * @param {IntersectionObserverEntry} newEntry The current entry for a * particular target element. * @return {boolean} Returns true if a any threshold has been crossed. * @private */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._hasCrossedThreshold = function(oldEntry, newEntry) { // To make comparing easier, an entry that has a ratio of 0 // but does not actually intersect is given a value of -1 var oldRatio = oldEntry && oldEntry.isIntersecting ? oldEntry.intersectionRatio || 0 : -1; var newRatio = newEntry.isIntersecting ? newEntry.intersectionRatio || 0 : -1; // Ignore unchanged ratios if (oldRatio === newRatio) return; for (var i = 0; i < this.thresholds.length; i++) { var threshold = this.thresholds[i]; // Return true if an entry matches a threshold or if the new ratio // and the old ratio are on the opposite sides of a threshold. if (threshold == oldRatio || threshold == newRatio || threshold < oldRatio !== threshold < newRatio) { return true; } } }; /** * Returns whether or not the root element is an element and is in the DOM. * @return {boolean} True if the root element is an element and is in the DOM. * @private */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._rootIsInDom = function() { return !this.root || containsDeep(document, this.root); }; /** * Returns whether or not the target element is a child of root. * @param {Element} target The target element to check. * @return {boolean} True if the target element is a child of root. * @private */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._rootContainsTarget = function(target) { var rootDoc = (this.root && (this.root.ownerDocument || this.root)) || document; return ( containsDeep(rootDoc, target) && (!this.root || rootDoc == target.ownerDocument) ); }; /** * Adds the instance to the global IntersectionObserver registry if it isn't * already present. * @private */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._registerInstance = function() { if (registry.indexOf(this) < 0) { registry.push(this); } }; /** * Removes the instance from the global IntersectionObserver registry. * @private */ IntersectionObserver.prototype._unregisterInstance = function() { var index = registry.indexOf(this); if (index != -1) registry.splice(index, 1); }; /** * Returns the result of the performance.now() method or null in browsers * that don't support the API. * @return {number} The elapsed time since the page was requested. */ function now() { return window.performance && performance.now && performance.now(); } /** * Throttles a function and delays its execution, so it's only called at most * once within a given time period. * @param {Function} fn The function to throttle. * @param {number} timeout The amount of time that must pass before the * function can be called again. * @return {Function} The throttled function. */ function throttle(fn, timeout) { var timer = null; return function () { if (!timer) { timer = setTimeout(function() { fn(); timer = null; }, timeout); } }; } /** * Adds an event handler to a DOM node ensuring cross-browser compatibility. * @param {Node} node The DOM node to add the event handler to. * @param {string} event The event name. * @param {Function} fn The event handler to add. * @param {boolean} opt_useCapture Optionally adds the even to the capture * phase. Note: this only works in modern browsers. */ function addEvent(node, event, fn, opt_useCapture) { if (typeof node.addEventListener == 'function') { node.addEventListener(event, fn, opt_useCapture || false); } else if (typeof node.attachEvent == 'function') { node.attachEvent('on' + event, fn); } } /** * Removes a previously added event handler from a DOM node. * @param {Node} node The DOM node to remove the event handler from. * @param {string} event The event name. * @param {Function} fn The event handler to remove. * @param {boolean} opt_useCapture If the event handler was added with this * flag set to true, it should be set to true here in order to remove it. */ function removeEvent(node, event, fn, opt_useCapture) { if (typeof node.removeEventListener == 'function') { node.removeEventListener(event, fn, opt_useCapture || false); } else if (typeof node.detatchEvent == 'function') { node.detatchEvent('on' + event, fn); } } /** * Returns the intersection between two rect objects. * @param {Object} rect1 The first rect. * @param {Object} rect2 The second rect. * @return {?Object|?ClientRect} The intersection rect or undefined if no * intersection is found. */ function computeRectIntersection(rect1, rect2) { var top = Math.max(rect1.top, rect2.top); var bottom = Math.min(rect1.bottom, rect2.bottom); var left = Math.max(rect1.left, rect2.left); var right = Math.min(rect1.right, rect2.right); var width = right - left; var height = bottom - top; return (width >= 0 && height >= 0) && { top: top, bottom: bottom, left: left, right: right, width: width, height: height } || null; } /** * Shims the native getBoundingClientRect for compatibility with older IE. * @param {Element} el The element whose bounding rect to get. * @return {DOMRect|ClientRect} The (possibly shimmed) rect of the element. */ function getBoundingClientRect(el) { var rect; try { rect = el.getBoundingClientRect(); } catch (err) { // Ignore Windows 7 IE11 "Unspecified error" // https://github.com/w3c/IntersectionObserver/pull/205 } if (!rect) return getEmptyRect(); // Older IE if (!(rect.width && rect.height)) { rect = { top: rect.top, right: rect.right, bottom: rect.bottom, left: rect.left, width: rect.right - rect.left, height: rect.bottom - rect.top }; } return rect; } /** * Returns an empty rect object. An empty rect is returned when an element * is not in the DOM. * @return {ClientRect} The empty rect. */ function getEmptyRect() { return { top: 0, bottom: 0, left: 0, right: 0, width: 0, height: 0 }; } /** * Ensure that the result has all of the necessary fields of the DOMRect. * Specifically this ensures that `x` and `y` fields are set. * * @param {?DOMRect|?ClientRect} rect * @return {?DOMRect} */ function ensureDOMRect(rect) { // A `DOMRect` object has `x` and `y` fields. if (!rect || 'x' in rect) { return rect; } // A IE's `ClientRect` type does not have `x` and `y`. The same is the case // for internally calculated Rect objects. 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1.5-.2l.5-.5c.5-.5.5-1.1.2-1.5m-7.6-5.3c-2.6 2.6-6.8 2.6-9.4 0-2.6-2.6-2.6-6.8 0-9.4 2.6-2.6 6.8-2.6 9.4 0 2.5 2.6 2.5 6.8 0 9.4" fill="#f77941"/></svg></button><div class="autocompleteBox"></div><div class="keyboardBox"><div class="kBoxContent"><ul><li><span>à</span></li><li><span>á</span></li><li><span>â</span></li><li><span>ä</span></li><li><span>ã</span></li><li><span>ă</span></li><li><span>ā</span></li><li><span>ç</span></li><li><span>č</span></li><li><span>è</span></li><li><span>é</span></li><li><span>ê</span></li><li><span>ë</span></li><li><span>ē</span></li><li><span>ģ</span></li><li><span>ì</span></li><li><span>í</span></li><li><span>î</span></li><li><span>ï</span></li><li><span>ī</span></li><li><span>ķ</span></li><li><span>ļ</span></li><li><span>ñ</span></li><li><span>ň</span></li><li><span>ņ</span></li><li><span>ò</span></li><li><span>ó</span></li><li><span>ô</span></li><li><span>ö</span></li><li><span>õ</span></li><li><span>ş</span></li><li><span>š</span></li><li><span>ţ</span></li><li><span>ù</span></li><li><span>ú</span></li><li><span>û</span></li><li><span>ü</span></li><li><span>ū</span></li><li><span>ý</span></li><li><span>ž</span></li><li><span>æ</span></li><li><span>œ</span></li><li><span>ß</span></li></ul><i class="upper"><svg enable-background="new 0 0 16.8 16" height="16" viewbox="0 0 16.8 16" width="16" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m8.4 0l-8.4 8.4h5.1v7.6h6.6v-7.6h5.1z" fill="#2a2a2a"/></svg></i></div></div></fieldset></form></div></div></div><div class="burger"><img src="/web/20220319151524im_/https://www.lexico.com/assets/oup/svg/hamburger-menu-594799c23e03196ed910c5798976a15b1779b55f9c9824608c69cf0ff6191ee8.svg" height="18" width="28" alt="menu"/><span>menu</span></div></div></div></header><div id="main"><div class="errors__container headerHead"></div><script type="application/ld+json" id="article_schema"> //<![CDATA[ {"@context":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220319151524/https://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"A Key To Spanish Pronunciations","author":"Lexico.com Team","genre":"Grammar","wordcount":"3288","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Lexico.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220319151524/https://www.lexico.com/lexico-logo.svg"}},"url":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220319151524/https://lexico.com","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220319151524/https://lexico.com/explore"},"datePublished":"2019-03-26","dateCreated":"2019-03-26","dateModified":"2021-12-14","articleBody":"\u003ch2\u003eSymbols used in this dictionary\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe pronunciation of Spanish words is directly represented by their written form and therefore phonetic transcriptions have only been supplied for loan words which retain their original spelling.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe phonetic symbols used in Spanish pronunciations given in the dictionary are listed below. Each symbol is followed by an example and a brief description of the sound, where possible by approximating it to an English sound. These approximations are intended only as a guide and should not be taken as strict phonetic equivalents.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e1 Consonants and semi-vowels\u003c/h3\u003e\u003ctable cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"0\"\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSymbol\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExample\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eApproximation\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-2\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/b/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eboca\u003c/strong\u003e /′boka/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003evaso\u003c/strong\u003e /′baso/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003eb\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003ebin\u003c/em\u003e but without the aspiration that follows it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-3\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/β/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecabo\u003c/strong\u003e /′kaβo/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eave\u003c/strong\u003e /′aβe/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eVery soft bilabial sound, produced with the lips hardly meeting.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-4\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/d/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003edolor\u003c/strong\u003e /do′lor/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003ed\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003eden,\u003c/em\u003e but articulated with the tip of the tongue against the upper teeth rather than against the alveolar ridge. There is no aspiration.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-5\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/ð/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecada\u003c/strong\u003e /′kaða/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003earde\u003c/strong\u003e /′arðe/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003eth\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003erather.\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-6\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/f/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003efino\u003c/strong\u003e /′fino/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003ef\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003efeat.\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-7\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/g/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003egota\u003c/strong\u003e /′gota/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003eg\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003egoat.\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-8\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/Ɣ/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003epago\u003c/strong\u003e /′paƔo/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003elargo\u003c/strong\u003e /′larƔo/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eVery soft continuous sound produced in the throat like /g / but without the sudden release of air.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-9\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/J/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003emayo\u003c/strong\u003e /′maJo/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ellave\u003c/strong\u003e /\"Jaβe/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003ey\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003eyet,\u003c/em\u003e pronounced slightly more emphatically when at the beginning of an utterance. For regional variants see points 7 and 14 of \u003cstrong\u003eGeneral Rules of Spanish Pronunciation\u003c/strong\u003e below.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-10\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/j/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003etiene\u003c/strong\u003e /′tjene/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003ey\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003eyet.\u003c/em\u003e Only found in diphthongs and triphthongs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-11\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/k/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecama\u003c/strong\u003e /′kama/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecopa\u003c/strong\u003e /′kopa/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecuna\u003c/strong\u003e /′kuna/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eque\u003c/strong\u003e /ke/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003equiso\u003c/strong\u003e /′kiso/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ekilo\u003c/strong\u003e /′kilo/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003ec\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003ecap\u003c/em\u003e but without the aspiration that follows it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-12\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/l/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003elago\u003c/strong\u003e /′laƔo/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish l in lid, without the vocalic resonance it often has in American English.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-13\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/m/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003emono\u003c/strong\u003e /′mono/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003em\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003emost.\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-14\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/n/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eno\u003c/strong\u003e /no/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003en\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003enib.\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-15\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/ŋ/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ebanco\u003c/strong\u003e /\"baŋko/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003eng\u003c/em\u003e in song.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-16\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/ɲ/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eaño\u003c/strong\u003e /′aɲo/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eLike \u003cem\u003egn\u003c/em\u003e in French \u003cem\u003esoigné,\u003c/em\u003e similar to the ni in \u003cem\u003eonion,\u003c/em\u003e pronounced with the tongue flat against the palate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-17\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/p/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003epeso\u003c/strong\u003e /′peso/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003espin\u003c/em\u003e (rather than the aspirated \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003epin\u003c/em\u003e).\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-18\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/r/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003earo\u003c/strong\u003e /′aro/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eárbol\u003c/strong\u003e /′arβol/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eA single flap with a curved tongue against the palate, similar to the voiced pronunciation of tt in \u003cem\u003epretty,\u003c/em\u003e\r\n\u003cem\u003ebetter\u003c/em\u003e which is common in American English.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-19\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/rr/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003erato\u003c/strong\u003e /′rrato/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eparra\u003c/strong\u003e /′parra/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eA rolled ′r′ as found in some Scottish accents.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-20\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/s/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003easa\u003c/strong\u003e /′asa/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecelo\u003c/strong\u003e /′\u003cem\u003eselo\u003c/em\u003e/(Latin-American-Spanish)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecinco\u003c/strong\u003e /′siɲko/ (Latin-American-Spanish)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eazote\u003c/strong\u003e /a′sote/ S(Latin-American-Spanish)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003es\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003estop.\u003c/em\u003e Some speakers of Peninsular Spanish use a sound which tends toward /ʃ /, articulated with the tip of the tongue slightly curved back.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-21\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/θ/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecelo\u003c/strong\u003e /′θelo/(European-Spanish)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecinco\u003c/strong\u003e /′θiĐko(European-Spanish)/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eazote\u003c/strong\u003e /a′θote/(European-Spanish)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003eth\u003c/em\u003e in thin. Not used in Latin American Spanish.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-22\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/t/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003etodo\u003c/strong\u003e /′toðo/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003et\u003c/em\u003e in step (rather than the aspirated t in \u003cem\u003etoy\u003c/em\u003e). Pronounced with the tongue against the front teeth rather than against the alveolar ridge.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-23\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/tʃ/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003echapa\u003c/strong\u003e/′tʃapa/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003ech\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003echurch\u003c/em\u003e but without the aspiration that follows it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-24\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/w/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecuatro\u003c/strong\u003e /′kwatro/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003ew\u003c/em\u003e. Only found in foreign words or diphthongs and triphthongs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-25\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/x/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ejota\u003c/strong\u003e /′xota/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003egeneral\u003c/strong\u003e /xene\"ral/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003egigante\u003c/strong\u003e /xi\"Gante/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ech\u003c/em\u003e in Scottish \u003cem\u003eloch\u003c/em\u003e or German \u003cem\u003eauch\u003c/em\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-26\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/z/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003edesde\u003c/strong\u003e /′dezθe/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003es\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003eis\u003c/em\u003e. Only occurs in some dialects of Spanish.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003ch3\u003e2 Vowels\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe five Spanish vowels are uniformly pronounced throughout the Spanish-speaking world but none of them corresponds exactly to an English vowel.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt should be noted that Spanish vowels are not noticeably weakened when in unstressed positions as they are in English. They have the same quality as stressed vowels. The slight variations that can be heard are allophonic i.e. they are determined by their context, but never serve to distinguish one word from another (e.g. the /e/ in \u003cstrong\u003eperro\u003c/strong\u003e is slightly more open than that in \u003cstrong\u003epero\u003c/strong\u003e but it is the difference between /rr/ and /r/ that distinguishes the noun from the conjunction).\u003c/p\u003e\u003ctable cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"0\"\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSymbol\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExample\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eApproximation\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-28\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/a/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecasa\u003c/strong\u003e /′kasa/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eShorter than \u003cem\u003ea\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003efather\u003c/em\u003e, slightly more open than \u003cem\u003eu\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003ecup.\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-29\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/e/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eseco\u003c/strong\u003e /′seko/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eEnglish \u003cem\u003ee\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003epen.\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-30\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/i/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003efin\u003c/strong\u003e /fin/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eShorter than English \u003cem\u003eee\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003eseen,\u003c/em\u003e longer and more closed than English \u003cem\u003ei\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003esin.\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-31\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/o/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eoro\u003c/strong\u003e /′oro/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eShorter than English \u003cem\u003eo\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003erose,\u003c/em\u003e and without the /℧/ sound. When in a syllable which ends in a consonant, it is closer to British English \u003cem\u003eo\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003edot.\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr id=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-32\"\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e/u/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003euña\u003c/strong\u003e /′uɲa/\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003eShorter than English \u003cem\u003eoo\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003eboot,\u003c/em\u003e longer and pronounced with more rounded lips than English \u003cem\u003eoo\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003efoot.\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe symbol /∧/, (the English \u003cem\u003eu\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003ecup\u003c/em\u003e), has also been used in the transcription of certain words which maintain their English pronunciation\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003e3 Diphthongs and triphthongs\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese are combinations of the above vowels and the semi-vowels /j/and/w/:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecuando\u003c/strong\u003e /′kwando/\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003etiene\u003c/strong\u003e /′tjene/\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eindio\u003c/strong\u003e /′indjo/\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003efui\u003c/strong\u003e /fwi/\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eactuáis\u003c/strong\u003e /ak′twajs/\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003e4 The stress mark\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen phonetic transcriptions of Spanish headwords are given in the dictionary, the symbol ′ precedes the syllable that carries the stress:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003efooting\u003c/strong\u003e /′futin/\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor information about where other words should be stressed, see section \u003ca href=\"#OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-div3-6\"\u003e2 Stress\u003c/a\u003e .\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eGeneral rules of Spanish pronunciation\u003c/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003e1 \u0026nbsp;Consonants\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca name=\"OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-item1-6\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e1. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eB,V\u003c/em\u003e The letters \u003cem\u003eb\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ev\u003c/em\u003e are pronounced in exactly the same way: /b/ when at the beginning of an utterance or after \u003cem\u003em or n\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003ebarco\u003c/strong\u003e/′barko/, \u003cstrong\u003evaca\u003c/strong\u003e/′baka/, \u003cstrong\u003eambos\u003c/strong\u003e /′ambos/, \u003cstrong\u003een vano\u003c/strong\u003e /em′bano/) and /β/ in all other contexts (\u003cstrong\u003erabo\u003c/strong\u003e /′rraβo/, \u003cstrong\u003eave\u003c/strong\u003e /′aβe/, \u003cstrong\u003eárbol\u003c/strong\u003e /′arβol/, \u003cstrong\u003eElvira\u003c/strong\u003e /el′βira/).\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e2. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eC\u003c/em\u003e is pronounced /k/ when followed by a consonant other than \u003cem\u003eh\u003c/em\u003e or by \u003cem\u003ea\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eo\u003c/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003eu\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003eacto\u003c/strong\u003e/′akto/, \u003cstrong\u003ecasa\u003c/strong\u003e/′kasa/, \u003cstrong\u003ecoma\u003c/strong\u003e /′koma/, \u003cstrong\u003ecupo\u003c/strong\u003e /′kupo/). When it is followed by \u003cem\u003ee\u003c/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003ei,\u003c/em\u003e it is pronounced /s/ in Latin America and parts of southern Spain and /θ/ in the rest of Spain (\u003cstrong\u003ecero\u003c/strong\u003e /′sero/, /′θero/; \u003cstrong\u003ecinco\u003c/strong\u003e /′siŋko/, /′θiŋko/).\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e3. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eD\u003c/em\u003e is pronounced /d/ when it occurs at the beginning of an utterance or after \u003cem\u003en\u003c/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003el\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003edigo\u003c/strong\u003e /′diƔo/, \u003cstrong\u003eanda\u003c/strong\u003e /′anda/, \u003cstrong\u003eel dueño\u003c/strong\u003e /el′dweɲo/) and /ð/ in all other contexts (\u003cstrong\u003ehada\u003c/strong\u003e /′aða/, \u003cstrong\u003earde\u003c/strong\u003e /′arðe/, los dados /loz′ðaðos/). It is often not pronounced at all at the end of a word (\u003cstrong\u003elibertad\u003c/strong\u003e /liβer′ta(ð)/, \u003cstrong\u003eMadrid\u003c/strong\u003e /ma′ðri(ð)/).\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e4. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eG\u003c/em\u003e is pronounced /x/ when followed by \u003cem\u003ee\u003c/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003ei\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003egitano\u003c/strong\u003e /xi′tano/, \u003cstrong\u003eauge\u003c/strong\u003e /′awxe/). When followed by \u003cem\u003ea, o, u, ue\u003c/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003eui\u003c/em\u003e it is pronounced /g/ if at the beginning of an utterance or after \u003cem\u003en\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cstrong\u003egato\u003c/strong\u003e /′gato/, \u003cstrong\u003egula\u003c/strong\u003e/′gula/, \u003cstrong\u003etango\u003c/strong\u003e /′taŋgo/, \u003cstrong\u003eguiso\u003c/strong\u003e /′giso/) and /Ɣ/ in all other contexts (\u003cstrong\u003ehago\u003c/strong\u003e /′aƔo/, \u003cstrong\u003etrague\u003c/strong\u003e /′traƔe/, \u003cstrong\u003ealga\u003c/strong\u003e /′alƔa/, \u003cstrong\u003eáguila\u003c/strong\u003e /′aƔila/). Note that the \u003cem\u003eu\u003c/em\u003e is not pronounced in the combinations \u003cem\u003egue\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003egui\u003c/em\u003e, unless it is written with a diaeresis (\u003cstrong\u003eparagüero\u003c/strong\u003e /para′Ɣwero/, \u003cstrong\u003eagüita\u003c/strong\u003e /a′Ɣwita/).\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e5. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eH\u003c/em\u003e is mute in Spanish, (\u003cstrong\u003ehuevo\u003c/strong\u003e /′ weβo/, \u003cstrong\u003ealmohada\u003c/strong\u003e /almo′aða/) except in the combination \u003cem\u003ech,\u003c/em\u003e which is pronounced /tʃ/ (\u003cstrong\u003echico\u003c/strong\u003e /′tʃiko/, \u003cstrong\u003eleche\u003c/strong\u003e /′letʃe/).\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e6. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eJ\u003c/em\u003e is always pronounced /x/ \u003cstrong\u003e(jamón\u003c/strong\u003e /xa′mon/, \u003cstrong\u003ejefe\u003c/strong\u003e /′xefe/).\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e7. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eLL\u003c/em\u003e The pronunciation of \u003cem\u003ell\u003c/em\u003e varies greatly throughout the Spanish-speaking world.\u003cbr\u003e(\u003cem\u003ea\u003c/em\u003e) It is pronounced rather like the y in English \u003cem\u003eyes\u003c/em\u003e by the majority of speakers, who do not distinguish between the pronunciation of \u003cem\u003ell\u003c/em\u003e and that of \u003cem\u003ey\u003c/em\u003e (e.g. between \u003cem\u003ehaya\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ehalla).\u003c/em\u003e The sound is pronounced slightly more emphatically when at the beginning of an utterance.\u003cbr\u003e(\u003cem\u003eb\u003c/em\u003e) In some areas, particularly Bolivia, parts of Peru and Castile in Spain, the distinction between \u003cem\u003ell\u003c/em\u003e and y has been preserved. In these areas \u003cem\u003ell\u003c/em\u003e is pronounced with the tongue against the palate, the air escaping through narrow channels on either side. (The nearest sound in English would be that of \u003cem\u003elli\u003c/em\u003e in \u003cem\u003emillion).\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e(c)\u003c/em\u003e In the River Plate area \u003cem\u003ell\u003c/em\u003e is pronounced /Ʒ/ (as in English \u003cem\u003emeasure\u003c/em\u003e), with some speakers using a sound which tends toward /ʃ / (as in \u003cem\u003eshop).\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen phonetic transcriptions of Spanish headwords containing \u003cem\u003ell\u003c/em\u003e are given in the dictionary, the symbol /J/ is used to represent the range of pronunciations described above.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e8. Ñ is always pronounced /ŋ/.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e9. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eQ\u003c/em\u003e is always followed by \u003cem\u003eue\u003c/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003eui.\u003c/em\u003e It is pronounced /K/, and the \u003cem\u003eu\u003c/em\u003e is silent \u003cstrong\u003e(quema\u003c/strong\u003e /′kema/, \u003cstrong\u003equiso\u003c/strong\u003e /′kiso/).\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e10. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eR\u003c/em\u003e is pronounced /r/ when it occurs between vowels or in syllable-final position \u003cstrong\u003e(aro\u003c/strong\u003e /′aro/, \u003cstrong\u003ehorma\u003c/strong\u003e /′orma/, \u003cstrong\u003ebarco\u003c/strong\u003e /′barko/, \u003cstrong\u003ecantar\u003c/strong\u003e /kan′tar/). It is pronounced /rr/ when in initial position \u003cstrong\u003e(rama\u003c/strong\u003e /′rrama/, \u003cstrong\u003eromper\u003c/strong\u003e /rrom′per/). The double consonant \u003cem\u003err\u003c/em\u003e is always pronounced /rr/.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e11. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eS\u003c/em\u003e is pronounced /s/ but it is aspirated in many dialects of Spanish when it occurs in syllable-final position \u003cstrong\u003e(hasta\u003c/strong\u003e\r\n\u003cem\u003e/′ahta/,\u003c/em\u003e\r\n\u003cstrong\u003elos cuatro\u003c/strong\u003e /loh′kwatro/). In other dialects it is voiced when followed by a voiced consonant (mismo/′mIzmo/, \u003cstrong\u003elos dos\u003c/strong\u003e /loz′ðos/).\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e12. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eV\u003c/em\u003e see \u003ca href=\"#OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-item1-6\"\u003e1 above\u003c/a\u003e .\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e13. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eX\u003c/em\u003e is pronounced /ks/, although there is a marked tendency to render it as /s/ before consonants, especially in less careful speech \u003cstrong\u003e(extra\u003c/strong\u003e /′ekstra/, /′estra/, or in some dialects /′ehtra/, see 11 above).\u003cbr\u003eIn some words derived from Nahuatl and other Indian languages it is pronounced /x/ \u003cstrong\u003e(México\u003c/strong\u003e /′mexiko/) and in others it is pronounced /s/ \u003cstrong\u003e(Xochlmllco\u003c/strong\u003e /sotʃi′milko/).\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e14. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eY\u003c/em\u003e (a) When followed by a vowel within the same syllable \u003cem\u003ey\u003c/em\u003e is pronounced rather like the \u003cem\u003ey\u003c/em\u003e in English \u003cem\u003eyes\u003c/em\u003e (slightly more emphatically when at the beginning of an utterance). In the River Plate area it is pronounced /Ʒ/ (as in English \u003cem\u003emeasure),\u003c/em\u003e with some speakers using a sound which tends toward /ʃ/ (as in \u003cem\u003eshop\u003c/em\u003e).\u003cbr\u003eWhen phonetic transcriptions of Spanish headwords containing \u003cem\u003ey\u003c/em\u003e are given in the dictionary, the symbol /J/ is used to represent both pronunciations described above. (\u003cem\u003eb\u003c/em\u003e) As the conjunction \u003cem\u003ey\u003c/em\u003e and in syllable-final position, \u003cem\u003ey\u003c/em\u003e is pronounced /i/.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e15. \u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eZ\u003c/em\u003e is pronounced /s/ in Latin America and parts of southern Spain and /θ/ in the rest of Spain.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003e2 \u0026nbsp;Stress\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen no phonetic transcription is given for a Spanish headword, the following rules determine where it should be stressed:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e1. If there is no written accent:\u003cbr\u003e(a) \u0026nbsp;a word is stressed on the penultimate syllable if it ends in a vowel, or in \u003cem\u003en\u003c/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003es\u003c/em\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003earma\u003c/strong\u003e /′arma/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003emariposas\u003c/strong\u003e /mari′posas/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eponen\u003c/strong\u003e /′ponen/\u003cbr\u003e(b) \u0026nbsp;words which end in a consonant other than \u003cem\u003en\u003c/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003es\u003c/em\u003e are stressed on the last syllable:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecantar\u003c/strong\u003e /kan′tar/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003edelantal\u003c/strong\u003e /delan′tal/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003elibertad\u003c/strong\u003e /liβer′ta(ð)/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003emaguey\u003c/strong\u003e/ma′Ɣei/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eperdiz\u003c/strong\u003e /per′dis/ (in Latin America) /per′diθ/ (in Spain)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e2. If a word is not stressed in accordance with the above rules, the written accent indicates the syllable where the emphasis is to be placed:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ebalcón\u003c/strong\u003e /bal′kon/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003esalí\u003c/strong\u003e /sa′li/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecarácter\u003c/strong\u003e /ka′rakter/\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ehágase\u003c/strong\u003e /′aƔase/\u003cbr\u003eIt should be noted that unstressed vowels have the same quality as stressed \u003cem\u003evowels\u003c/em\u003e and are not noticeably weakened as they are in English. For example, there is no perceptible difference between any of the e’s in \u003cem\u003eentenderé\u003c/em\u003e or between the a’s in \u003cem\u003ePanamá\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003e3 \u0026nbsp;Combinations of vowels\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA combination of a strong vowel (\u003cem\u003ea, e\u003c/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003eo\u003c/em\u003e) and a weak vowel (\u003cem\u003ei\u003c/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003eu\u003c/em\u003e) or of two weak vowels forms a diphthong and is therefore pronounced as one syllable. The stress falls on the strong vowel if there is one. In a combination of two weak vowels, it falls on the second element:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ecuando\u003c/strong\u003e /′kwando/ (stressed on the /a/)\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eaula\u003c/strong\u003e /′awla/ (stressed on the /a/)\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eviudo\u003c/strong\u003e /′bjuðo/ (stressed on the /u/)\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA combination of two strong vowels does not form a diphthong and the vowels retain their separate values. They count as two separate syllables for the purposes of applying the above rules on stress:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003efaena\u003c/strong\u003e /fa′ena/ (stressed on the /e/)\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003epolea\u003c/strong\u003e /po′lea/ (stressed on the /e/)\u003c/p\u003e"} //]]> </script><div id="content"><div class="lex-container"><div class="banbox mobile_banner"><div class="container content-ban"><aside class="banner adUnit"><div id="lexi_serp_dkt_atf_728x90_10"></div><div id="lexi_serp_mweb_atf_320x50_1"></div></aside></div></div><div class="main-content"><div class="container layout"><div class="lex-content"><div class="lex-filling"><div><div class="breadcrumbs layout"><p><a href="/web/20220319151524/https://www.lexico.com/" data-behaviour="ga-event-breadcrumb" data-value="Homepage anchor">Home</a><span class="chevron"></span> <a data-behaviour="ga-event" data-value="secondary breadcrumb" data-linkid="se362z" href="/web/20220319151524/https://www.lexico.com/grammar">Grammar</a> <span class="chevron"></span> <a data-behaviour="ga-event" data-value="secondary breadcrumb" data-linkid="se362z" href="/web/20220319151524/https://www.lexico.com/grammar/spanish-pronunciation">A Key To Spanish Pronunciations</a></p></div><div class="non-lexical-socials"><div class="socials"><ul><li><a class="ico-fb" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220319151524/https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=292327308384887&amp;display=page&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lexico.com%2Fgrammar%2Fspanish-pronunciation&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lexico.com%2Fgrammar%2Fspanish-pronunciation" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Share on Facebook" onclick="javascript:ga('send', 'event', 'share_this_entry', 'facebook', 'https://web.archive.org/web/20220319151524/https://www.lexico.com/grammar/spanish-pronunciation');" data-behaviour="ga-event-entry-sharing" data-value="Facebook"><i class="transition"><svg enable-background="new 0 0 30 30" viewbox="0 0 30 30" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m15 0c-8.284 0-15 6.716-15 15 0 8.285 6.716 15 15 15 8.284 0 15-6.715 15-15 0-8.284-6.716-15-15-15m3.214 15.01h-2.102c0 3.357 0 7.495 0 7.495h-3.115c0 0 0-4.095 0-7.495h-1.482v-2.647h1.482v-1.714c0-1.227.582-3.144 3.143-3.144l2.307.009v2.571c0 0-1.404 0-1.676 0-.271 0-.66.136-.66.722v1.556h2.375l-.272 2.647" fill="#37589a"/></svg></i></a></li> <li><a class="ico-tw" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220319151524/https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=A%20Key%20To%20Spanish%20Pronunciations%20-%20Lexico.com&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lexico.com%2Fgrammar%2Fspanish-pronunciation" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Share on Twitter" onclick="javascript:ga('send', 'event', 'share_this_entry', 'twitter', 'https://web.archive.org/web/20220319151524/https://www.lexico.com/grammar/spanish-pronunciation');" data-behaviour="ga-event-entry-sharing" data-value="Twitter"><i class="transition"><svg enable-background="new 0 0 30 30" viewbox="0 0 30 30" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m15 0c-8.284 0-15 6.716-15 15 0 8.285 6.716 15 15 15 8.283 0 15-6.715 15-15 0-8.284-6.717-15-15-15m5.965 11.943c.006.132.001.264.001.397 0 4.066-3.095 8.755-8.757 8.755-1.738 0-3.356-.509-4.718-1.382.242.028.486.041.734.041 1.443 0 2.769-.489 3.821-1.314-1.345-.025-2.483-.916-2.874-2.136.188.033.38.053.579.053.281 0 .553-.039.81-.107-1.407-.284-2.468-1.527-2.468-3.02 0-.013 0-.026 0-.039.416.231.891.368 1.395.384-.825-.551-1.369-1.494-1.369-2.562 0-.564.152-1.093.417-1.547 1.517 1.863 3.786 3.087 6.342 3.215-.052-.226-.08-.459-.08-.701 0-1.699 1.377-3.076 3.079-3.076.885 0 1.685.374 2.246.97.699-.137 1.359-.394 1.955-.748-.232.719-.719 1.322-1.354 1.703.624-.073 1.217-.24 1.768-.483-.413.618-.936 1.16-1.536 1.595" fill="#38a8e0"/></svg></i></a></li> <li><a class="ico-lin" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220319151524/https://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lexico.com%2Fgrammar%2Fspanish-pronunciation" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Share on Linkedin+" onclick="javascript:window.open(this.href,'', 'menubar=no,toolbar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes,height=600,width=600'); 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Each symbol is followed by an example and a brief description of the sound, where possible by approximating it to an English sound. These approximations are intended only as a guide and should not be taken as strict phonetic equivalents.</p><h3>1 Consonants and semi-vowels</h3><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><thead><tr><td align="left"><strong>Symbol</strong><br></td><td align="left"><strong>Example</strong><br></td><td align="left"><strong>Approximation</strong><br></td></tr></thead><tbody><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-2"><td align="left">/b/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>boca</strong> /′boka/<br><strong>vaso</strong> /′baso/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>b</em> in <em>bin</em> but without the aspiration that follows it.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-3"><td align="left">/β/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>cabo</strong> /′kaβo/<br><strong>ave</strong> /′aβe/<br></td><td align="left">Very soft bilabial sound, produced with the lips hardly meeting.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-4"><td align="left">/d/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>dolor</strong> /do′lor/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>d</em> in <em>den,</em> but articulated with the tip of the tongue against the upper teeth rather than against the alveolar ridge. There is no aspiration.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-5"><td align="left">/ð/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>cada</strong> /′kaða/<br><strong>arde</strong> /′arðe/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>th</em> in <em>rather.</em><br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-6"><td align="left">/f/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>fino</strong> /′fino/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>f</em> in <em>feat.</em><br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-7"><td align="left">/g/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>gota</strong> /′gota/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>g</em> in <em>goat.</em><br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-8"><td align="left">/Ɣ/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>pago</strong> /′paƔo/<br><strong>largo</strong> /′larƔo/<br></td><td align="left">Very soft continuous sound produced in the throat like /g / but without the sudden release of air.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-9"><td align="left">/J/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>mayo</strong> /′maJo/<br><strong>llave</strong> /"Jaβe/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>y</em> in <em>yet,</em> pronounced slightly more emphatically when at the beginning of an utterance. For regional variants see points 7 and 14 of <strong>General Rules of Spanish Pronunciation</strong> below.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-10"><td align="left">/j/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>tiene</strong> /′tjene/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>y</em> in <em>yet.</em> Only found in diphthongs and triphthongs.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-11"><td align="left">/k/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>cama</strong> /′kama/<br><strong>copa</strong> /′kopa/<br><strong>cuna</strong> /′kuna/<br><strong>que</strong> /ke/<br><strong>quiso</strong> /′kiso/<br><strong>kilo</strong> /′kilo/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>c</em> in <em>cap</em> but without the aspiration that follows it.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-12"><td align="left">/l/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>lago</strong> /′laƔo/<br></td><td align="left">English l in lid, without the vocalic resonance it often has in American English.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-13"><td align="left">/m/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>mono</strong> /′mono/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>m</em> in <em>most.</em><br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-14"><td align="left">/n/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>no</strong> /no/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>n</em> in <em>nib.</em><br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-15"><td align="left">/ŋ/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>banco</strong> /"baŋko/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>ng</em> in song.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-16"><td align="left">/ɲ/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>año</strong> /′aɲo/<br></td><td align="left">Like <em>gn</em> in French <em>soigné,</em> similar to the ni in <em>onion,</em> pronounced with the tongue flat against the palate.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-17"><td align="left">/p/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>peso</strong> /′peso/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>p</em> in <em>spin</em> (rather than the aspirated <em>p</em> in <em>pin</em>).<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-18"><td align="left">/r/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>aro</strong> /′aro/<br><strong>árbol</strong> /′arβol/<br></td><td align="left">A single flap with a curved tongue against the palate, similar to the voiced pronunciation of tt in <em>pretty,</em> <em>better</em> which is common in American English.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-19"><td align="left">/rr/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>rato</strong> /′rrato/<br><strong>parra</strong> /′parra/<br></td><td align="left">A rolled ′r′ as found in some Scottish accents.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-20"><td align="left">/s/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>asa</strong> /′asa/<br><strong>celo</strong> /′<em>selo</em>/(Latin-American-Spanish)<br><strong>cinco</strong> /′siɲko/ (Latin-American-Spanish)<br><strong>azote</strong> /a′sote/ S(Latin-American-Spanish)<br></td><td align="left">English <em>s</em> in <em>stop.</em> Some speakers of Peninsular Spanish use a sound which tends toward /ʃ /, articulated with the tip of the tongue slightly curved back.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-21"><td align="left">/θ/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>celo</strong> /′θelo/(European-Spanish)<br><strong>cinco</strong> /′θiĐko(European-Spanish)/<br><strong>azote</strong> /a′θote/(European-Spanish)<br></td><td align="left">English <em>th</em> in thin. Not used in Latin American Spanish.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-22"><td align="left">/t/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>todo</strong> /′toðo/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>t</em> in step (rather than the aspirated t in <em>toy</em>). Pronounced with the tongue against the front teeth rather than against the alveolar ridge.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-23"><td align="left">/tʃ/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>chapa</strong>/′tʃapa/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>ch</em> in <em>church</em> but without the aspiration that follows it.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-24"><td align="left">/w/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>cuatro</strong> /′kwatro/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>w</em>. Only found in foreign words or diphthongs and triphthongs.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-25"><td align="left">/x/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>jota</strong> /′xota/<br><strong>general</strong> /xene"ral/<br><strong>gigante</strong> /xi"Gante/<br></td><td align="left"><em>ch</em> in Scottish <em>loch</em> or German <em>auch</em>.<br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-26"><td align="left">/z/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>desde</strong> /′dezθe/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>s</em> in <em>is</em>. Only occurs in some dialects of Spanish.<br></td></tr></tbody></table><h3>2 Vowels</h3><p>The five Spanish vowels are uniformly pronounced throughout the Spanish-speaking world but none of them corresponds exactly to an English vowel.</p><p>It should be noted that Spanish vowels are not noticeably weakened when in unstressed positions as they are in English. They have the same quality as stressed vowels. The slight variations that can be heard are allophonic i.e. they are determined by their context, but never serve to distinguish one word from another (e.g. the /e/ in <strong>perro</strong> is slightly more open than that in <strong>pero</strong> but it is the difference between /rr/ and /r/ that distinguishes the noun from the conjunction).</p><table cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><thead><tr><td align="left"><strong>Symbol</strong><br></td><td align="left"><strong>Example</strong><br></td><td align="left"><strong>Approximation</strong><br></td></tr></thead><tbody><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-28"><td align="left">/a/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>casa</strong> /′kasa/<br></td><td align="left">Shorter than <em>a</em> in <em>father</em>, slightly more open than <em>u</em> in <em>cup.</em><br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-29"><td align="left">/e/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>seco</strong> /′seko/<br></td><td align="left">English <em>e</em> in <em>pen.</em><br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-30"><td align="left">/i/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>fin</strong> /fin/<br></td><td align="left">Shorter than English <em>ee</em> in <em>seen,</em> longer and more closed than English <em>i</em> in <em>sin.</em><br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-31"><td align="left">/o/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>oro</strong> /′oro/<br></td><td align="left">Shorter than English <em>o</em> in <em>rose,</em> and without the /℧/ sound. When in a syllable which ends in a consonant, it is closer to British English <em>o</em> in <em>dot.</em><br></td></tr><tr id="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-row-32"><td align="left">/u/<br></td><td align="left"><strong>uña</strong> /′uɲa/<br></td><td align="left">Shorter than English <em>oo</em> in <em>boot,</em> longer and pronounced with more rounded lips than English <em>oo</em> in <em>foot.</em><br></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The symbol /∧/, (the English <em>u</em> in <em>cup</em>), has also been used in the transcription of certain words which maintain their English pronunciation</p><h3>3 Diphthongs and triphthongs</h3><p>These are combinations of the above vowels and the semi-vowels /j/and/w/:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><ul><li><strong>cuando</strong> /′kwando/</li><li><strong>tiene</strong> /′tjene/</li><li><strong>indio</strong> /′indjo/</li><li><strong>fui</strong> /fwi/</li><li><strong>actuáis</strong> /ak′twajs/</li></ul><h3>4 The stress mark</h3><p>When phonetic transcriptions of Spanish headwords are given in the dictionary, the symbol ′ precedes the syllable that carries the stress:</p><p><strong>footing</strong> /′futin/</p><p>For information about where other words should be stressed, see section <a href="#OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-div3-6">2 Stress</a> .</p><h2>General rules of Spanish pronunciation</h2><h3>1 &nbsp;Consonants</h3><p>&nbsp;</p><ul><li><a name="OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-item1-6"></a>1. &nbsp;<em>B,V</em> The letters <em>b</em> and <em>v</em> are pronounced in exactly the same way: /b/ when at the beginning of an utterance or after <em>m or n</em> (<strong>barco</strong>/′barko/, <strong>vaca</strong>/′baka/, <strong>ambos</strong> /′ambos/, <strong>en vano</strong> /em′bano/) and /β/ in all other contexts (<strong>rabo</strong> /′rraβo/, <strong>ave</strong> /′aβe/, <strong>árbol</strong> /′arβol/, <strong>Elvira</strong> /el′βira/).</li><li>2. &nbsp;<em>C</em> is pronounced /k/ when followed by a consonant other than <em>h</em> or by <em>a</em>, <em>o</em> or <em>u</em> (<strong>acto</strong>/′akto/, <strong>casa</strong>/′kasa/, <strong>coma</strong> /′koma/, <strong>cupo</strong> /′kupo/). When it is followed by <em>e</em> or <em>i,</em> it is pronounced /s/ in Latin America and parts of southern Spain and /θ/ in the rest of Spain (<strong>cero</strong> /′sero/, /′θero/; <strong>cinco</strong> /′siŋko/, /′θiŋko/).</li><li>3. &nbsp;<em>D</em> is pronounced /d/ when it occurs at the beginning of an utterance or after <em>n</em> or <em>l</em> (<strong>digo</strong> /′diƔo/, <strong>anda</strong> /′anda/, <strong>el dueño</strong> /el′dweɲo/) and /ð/ in all other contexts (<strong>hada</strong> /′aða/, <strong>arde</strong> /′arðe/, los dados /loz′ðaðos/). It is often not pronounced at all at the end of a word (<strong>libertad</strong> /liβer′ta(ð)/, <strong>Madrid</strong> /ma′ðri(ð)/).</li><li>4. &nbsp;<em>G</em> is pronounced /x/ when followed by <em>e</em> or <em>i</em> (<strong>gitano</strong> /xi′tano/, <strong>auge</strong> /′awxe/). When followed by <em>a, o, u, ue</em> or <em>ui</em> it is pronounced /g/ if at the beginning of an utterance or after <em>n</em> (<strong>gato</strong> /′gato/, <strong>gula</strong>/′gula/, <strong>tango</strong> /′taŋgo/, <strong>guiso</strong> /′giso/) and /Ɣ/ in all other contexts (<strong>hago</strong> /′aƔo/, <strong>trague</strong> /′traƔe/, <strong>alga</strong> /′alƔa/, <strong>águila</strong> /′aƔila/). Note that the <em>u</em> is not pronounced in the combinations <em>gue</em> and <em>gui</em>, unless it is written with a diaeresis (<strong>paragüero</strong> /para′Ɣwero/, <strong>agüita</strong> /a′Ɣwita/).</li><li>5. &nbsp;<em>H</em> is mute in Spanish, (<strong>huevo</strong> /′ weβo/, <strong>almohada</strong> /almo′aða/) except in the combination <em>ch,</em> which is pronounced /tʃ/ (<strong>chico</strong> /′tʃiko/, <strong>leche</strong> /′letʃe/).</li><li>6. &nbsp;<em>J</em> is always pronounced /x/ <strong>(jamón</strong> /xa′mon/, <strong>jefe</strong> /′xefe/).</li><li>7. &nbsp;<em>LL</em> The pronunciation of <em>ll</em> varies greatly throughout the Spanish-speaking world.<br>(<em>a</em>) It is pronounced rather like the y in English <em>yes</em> by the majority of speakers, who do not distinguish between the pronunciation of <em>ll</em> and that of <em>y</em> (e.g. between <em>haya</em> and <em>halla).</em> The sound is pronounced slightly more emphatically when at the beginning of an utterance.<br>(<em>b</em>) In some areas, particularly Bolivia, parts of Peru and Castile in Spain, the distinction between <em>ll</em> and y has been preserved. In these areas <em>ll</em> is pronounced with the tongue against the palate, the air escaping through narrow channels on either side. (The nearest sound in English would be that of <em>lli</em> in <em>million).</em><br><em>(c)</em> In the River Plate area <em>ll</em> is pronounced /Ʒ/ (as in English <em>measure</em>), with some speakers using a sound which tends toward /ʃ / (as in <em>shop).</em><br>When phonetic transcriptions of Spanish headwords containing <em>ll</em> are given in the dictionary, the symbol /J/ is used to represent the range of pronunciations described above.</li><li>8. Ñ is always pronounced /ŋ/.</li><li>9. &nbsp;<em>Q</em> is always followed by <em>ue</em> or <em>ui.</em> It is pronounced /K/, and the <em>u</em> is silent <strong>(quema</strong> /′kema/, <strong>quiso</strong> /′kiso/).</li><li>10. &nbsp;<em>R</em> is pronounced /r/ when it occurs between vowels or in syllable-final position <strong>(aro</strong> /′aro/, <strong>horma</strong> /′orma/, <strong>barco</strong> /′barko/, <strong>cantar</strong> /kan′tar/). It is pronounced /rr/ when in initial position <strong>(rama</strong> /′rrama/, <strong>romper</strong> /rrom′per/). The double consonant <em>rr</em> is always pronounced /rr/.</li><li>11. &nbsp;<em>S</em> is pronounced /s/ but it is aspirated in many dialects of Spanish when it occurs in syllable-final position <strong>(hasta</strong> <em>/′ahta/,</em> <strong>los cuatro</strong> /loh′kwatro/). In other dialects it is voiced when followed by a voiced consonant (mismo/′mIzmo/, <strong>los dos</strong> /loz′ðos/).</li><li>12. &nbsp;<em>V</em> see <a href="#OLDO-Spanish-supp-01-item1-6">1 above</a> .</li><li>13. &nbsp;<em>X</em> is pronounced /ks/, although there is a marked tendency to render it as /s/ before consonants, especially in less careful speech <strong>(extra</strong> /′ekstra/, /′estra/, or in some dialects /′ehtra/, see 11 above).<br>In some words derived from Nahuatl and other Indian languages it is pronounced /x/ <strong>(México</strong> /′mexiko/) and in others it is pronounced /s/ <strong>(Xochlmllco</strong> /sotʃi′milko/).</li><li>14. &nbsp;<em>Y</em> (a) When followed by a vowel within the same syllable <em>y</em> is pronounced rather like the <em>y</em> in English <em>yes</em> (slightly more emphatically when at the beginning of an utterance). In the River Plate area it is pronounced /Ʒ/ (as in English <em>measure),</em> with some speakers using a sound which tends toward /ʃ/ (as in <em>shop</em>).<br>When phonetic transcriptions of Spanish headwords containing <em>y</em> are given in the dictionary, the symbol /J/ is used to represent both pronunciations described above. (<em>b</em>) As the conjunction <em>y</em> and in syllable-final position, <em>y</em> is pronounced /i/.</li><li>15. &nbsp;<em>Z</em> is pronounced /s/ in Latin America and parts of southern Spain and /θ/ in the rest of Spain.</li></ul><h3>2 &nbsp;Stress</h3><p>When no phonetic transcription is given for a Spanish headword, the following rules determine where it should be stressed:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><ul><li>1. If there is no written accent:<br>(a) &nbsp;a word is stressed on the penultimate syllable if it ends in a vowel, or in <em>n</em> or <em>s</em>:<br><strong>arma</strong> /′arma/<br><strong>mariposas</strong> /mari′posas/<br><strong>ponen</strong> /′ponen/<br>(b) &nbsp;words which end in a consonant other than <em>n</em> or <em>s</em> are stressed on the last syllable:<br><strong>cantar</strong> /kan′tar/<br><strong>delantal</strong> /delan′tal/<br><strong>libertad</strong> /liβer′ta(ð)/<br><strong>maguey</strong>/ma′Ɣei/<br><strong>perdiz</strong> /per′dis/ (in Latin America) /per′diθ/ (in Spain)</li><li>2. If a word is not stressed in accordance with the above rules, the written accent indicates the syllable where the emphasis is to be placed:<br><strong>balcón</strong> /bal′kon/<br><strong>salí</strong> /sa′li/<br><strong>carácter</strong> /ka′rakter/<br><strong>hágase</strong> /′aƔase/<br>It should be noted that unstressed vowels have the same quality as stressed <em>vowels</em> and are not noticeably weakened as they are in English. For example, there is no perceptible difference between any of the e’s in <em>entenderé</em> or between the a’s in <em>Panamá</em>.</li></ul><h3>3 &nbsp;Combinations of vowels</h3><p>A combination of a strong vowel (<em>a, e</em> or <em>o</em>) and a weak vowel (<em>i</em> or <em>u</em>) or of two weak vowels forms a diphthong and is therefore pronounced as one syllable. The stress falls on the strong vowel if there is one. In a combination of two weak vowels, it falls on the second element:</p><p><strong>cuando</strong> /′kwando/ (stressed on the /a/)</p><p><strong>aula</strong> /′awla/ (stressed on the /a/)</p><p><strong>viudo</strong> /′bjuðo/ (stressed on the /u/)</p><p>A combination of two strong vowels does not form a diphthong and the vowels retain their separate values. 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