7 Secrets To Spanish Spelling: The 27-Letter Alphabet And Why 'CH' Is Gone

As of December 2025, the most direct and useful way to ask "How do you spell that?" in Spanish is *¿Cómo se deletrea?* (How is it spelled?) or the slightly more common *¿Cómo se escribe?* (How is it written?). Spanish spelling, or *ortografía*, is often touted as purely phonetic—you write what you hear—but this simplicity is misleading, as the language contains a complex web of homophones, silent letters, and crucial accentuation rules that separate a beginner from a fluent speaker. This deep dive into the modern *abecedario* (alphabet) and the latest rules from the *Real Academia Española* (RAE) will give you the foundational knowledge to master Spanish spelling, ensuring you not only know the letters but also understand the specific phonetic traps that confuse millions of learners worldwide.

The 27-Letter Spanish Alphabet: Your Essential Spelling Guide

The foundation of Spanish spelling is the alphabet, officially called the *abecedario*. Unlike English, which often has unpredictable letter sounds, each of the 27 Spanish letters has a consistent name (*el nombre de la letra*) and a highly consistent sound, making the act of spelling a word out loud—*deletrear*—a critical skill. The following is the complete, modern list of letters and their names, which you must know to ask someone to spell a word for you.

• A: a (ah)
• B: be (beh) - Often pronounced identically to 'V'.
• C: ce (seh/theh) - Hard 'K' sound before a, o, u; soft 'S' or 'TH' sound before e, i.
• D: de (deh)
• E: e (eh)
• F: efe (eff-eh)
• G: ge (heh) - Hard 'G' sound before a, o, u; aspirated 'H' sound before e, i.
• H: hache (ah-cheh) - Always silent (the most common spelling trap).
• I: i (ee)
• J: jota (hoh-tah) - Always an aspirated 'H' sound, like the 'ch' in Scottish "loch."
• K: ka (kah) - Only used for foreign words.
• L: ele (ell-eh)
• M: eme (emm-eh)
• N: ene (enn-eh)
• Ñ: eñe (enn-yeh) - A unique letter with the 'ny' sound from "canyon."
• O: o (oh)
• P: pe (peh)
• Q: cu (koo) - Always followed by 'u' (e.g., *que*, *quién*).
• R: erre (air-reh) - The single 'R' sound.
• RR: doble erre (DOH-bleh air-reh) - The rolled 'R' sound.
• S: ese (ess-eh)
• T: te (teh)
• U: u (oo)
• V: uve (oo-veh) - Officially pronounced identically to 'B' (be).
• W: uve doble (oo-veh DOH-bleh) - Only used for foreign words.
• X: equis (eh-kees)
• Y: ye or i griega (yeh/ee GREE-eh-gah) - Acts as a vowel or a consonant.
• Z: zeta (seh-tah/theh-tah) - Always pronounced like 'S' or 'TH'.

When spelling out a name or word, the primary challenge for English speakers is the consistent use of the Spanish letter names, especially for homophonous letters like B (be) and V (uve), which sound the same in standard Spanish. To differentiate them, native speakers often specify: *B de burro* (B of donkey) or *V de vaca* (V of cow).

The RAE's Controversial 2010 Update: Why 'CH' and 'LL' Are Gone

For decades, the Spanish alphabet was taught as having 29 letters, including the digraphs 'ch' and 'll' as separate entities. This is a critical point that makes current spelling guides unique and fresh.

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In 2010, the *Real Academia Española* (RAE), the institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language, made a significant, yet controversial, ruling: the digraphs 'ch' (che) and 'll' (elle) were officially removed from the alphabet.

This change was made to align Spanish with the international standards of other Romance languages, which treat multi-character combinations as simple letter sequences, not individual letters.

The removal means that while the sounds for 'ch' (as in "cheese") and 'll' (as in "tortilla") still exist and are fundamental to the language, they are no longer alphabetized separately. For example, a dictionary now lists *chico* under 'C' and *llave* under 'L', not under their own sections. This is the single most important modern spelling convention to be aware of when learning the Spanish alphabet today.

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Mastering the Stress: The 3 Golden Rules of Spanish Accent Marks

The greatest difference between Spanish and English spelling is the required use of the written accent mark (*la tilde* or *el acento ortográfico*). These marks are not decorative; they are essential spelling elements that indicate where the stress falls in a word, and omitting them is a spelling error (*una falta de ortografía*).

Spanish words are categorized based on where the stress falls, and the accent mark is only used when a word *breaks* the default stress rules.

1. Rule 1: *Llanas* (Paroxytone Words)
   The default rule: If a word ends in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), 'n', or 's', the stress naturally falls on the second-to-last syllable. If the stress falls elsewhere, an accent mark is required.
2. Rule 2: *Agudas* (Oxytone Words)
   The default rule: If a word ends in a consonant other than 'n' or 's', the stress naturally falls on the last syllable. If the stress falls elsewhere, an accent mark is required.
3. Rule 3: *Esdrújulas* (Proparoxytone Words)
   This is the simplest rule: All words with the stress on the third-to-last syllable (or earlier) MUST be marked with an accent. Examples include *teléfono* and *sábado*.

Accent marks also serve a vital role in distinguishing homographs—words spelled the same but with different meanings, such as *sí* (yes) vs. *si* (if), and *tú* (you) vs. *tu* (your).

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7 Common Spanish Spelling Mistakes That Trip Up Even Native Speakers

Despite Spanish being largely phonetic, the existence of homophonous letters and silent letters creates numerous spelling pitfalls. Mastering these entities is key to achieving true topical authority in Spanish writing.

1. The B/V Confusion: *B* (*be*) vs. *V* (*uve*)
   Because 'B' and 'V' are pronounced almost identically (a bilabial sound) across the Spanish-speaking world, spelling words like *vaca* (cow) or *botar* (to throw) is a matter of memorization, not sound. This is arguably the most common spelling error.
2. The Silent 'H' (*hache*)
   The letter 'H' is always silent in Spanish, which leads to confusion with homophones that sound the same but are spelled differently. For example, *hola* (hello) vs. *ola* (wave).
3. The *Hay*, *Ahí*, and *¡Ay!* Trap
   These three words are pronounced identically but have completely different meanings and spellings: *Hay* (there is/there are), *Ahí* (there, location), and *¡Ay!* (Ouch/Oh no!).
4. The *Haber* vs. *A Ver* Distinction
   *Haber* is the auxiliary verb "to have" (e.g., *ha llovido* - it has rained), while *a ver* means "let's see" or "to see." They sound similar in fast speech but are spelled differently.
5. *Echo* vs. *Hecho*
   *Echo* comes from the verb *echar* (to throw), while *hecho* is the past participle of the verb *hacer* (to do/make). The silent 'H' is the only difference, making this a frequent error.
6. The C/S/Z Regional Divide
   In most of Latin America, 'C' (before e/i), 'S', and 'Z' are all pronounced like the English 'S' (*seseo*). However, in most of Spain, 'C' (before e/i) and 'Z' are pronounced like the English 'TH' (*ceceo*). This difference in pronunciation is crucial when spelling out words like *casa* (house) vs. *caza* (hunt).
7. Misplacing the Tilde on Interrogatives/Exclamatives
   Words like *qué* (what), *cómo* (how), *cuándo* (when), and *dónde* (where) always require an accent mark when used in a question or exclamation, but they lose the accent when used as conjunctions or relative pronouns. E.g., *¿Qué quieres?* (What do you want?) vs. *Quiero que vengas* (I want you to come).

Mastering Spanish spelling is less about rote memorization and more about understanding the logical system that governs the language. By focusing on the 27-letter alphabet, the RAE's modern rules, and the non-negotiable laws of accentuation, you will quickly move past simply asking *¿Cómo se deletrea?* to confidently spelling any word yourself.