---
title: "How to Pronounce Spanish: IPA & Syllable Guide | Speakeroo"
description: "Pronounce Spanish as /ˈspæ.nɪʃ/ — SPA-nihsh. Say it out loud and get free AI feedback in seconds. Stress falls on the first syllable."
url: "https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce/spanish"
---

[How to pronounce](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce)

# How to pronounce Spanish

/ˈspæ.nɪʃ/

SPA-nihsh

Spanish has 2 syllables. The stress is on the first syllable, "spa". Capital letters in the respelling show where the stress falls.

## Say spanish and check it

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Accent

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Listen

Press record, say "spanish" once or twice at normal speed, then stop. You will see which syllables matched and what to change.

## Spanish syllables

Spanish has 2 syllables: SPA-nihsh.

1. SPA spæ
2. nihsh nɪʃ

Two syllables: SPAN-ish. Stress the first.

## Sounds to watch

### Short i versus ee

The short i (as in sit) is shorter and more relaxed than ee. Many learners stretch it into ee, which changes the word.

### The a in cat

Open the jaw wider than for eh and spread the lips slightly. The a in cat is a distinct vowel, not eh or ah.

### The sh sound

Sh is made further back than s, with the lips slightly rounded and the tongue lower. Keep it separate from s: "shun" is not "sun".

## Spanish in a sentence

- She speaks Spanish at home and English at work.
- The Spanish office opens an hour later than ours.

Read either sentence into the recorder above. The check judges only the target word, so the rest of the sentence can be rough.

## What Speakeroo listens for

These are the pronunciation patterns from Speakeroo’s speech feature catalog that this target tends to expose. The check above reports the ones it hears.

- 'sh' /ʃ/ too soft or unclear Round the lips slightly and produce continuous air along the centre of the tongue.
- Final consonant omitted Hold the final mouth position briefly without adding another vowel.
- /ɪ/ and /iː/ confused Make /iː/ higher, tenser and usually longer than /ɪ/.
- Every syllable stressed equally Emphasise one main syllable and reduce the others.

## Questions

### How do you pronounce spanish?

Spanish is pronounced /ˈspæ.nɪʃ/, or SPA-nihsh in plain letters. It has 2 syllables and the stress falls on the first syllable, "spa".

### How many syllables are in spanish?

2: SPA-nihsh. The capital letters mark the stressed syllable.

### How do you use spanish in a sentence?

She speaks Spanish at home and English at work. The Spanish office opens an hour later than ours.

## More words like this

[salmon](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce/salmon) [sharing](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce/sharing) [slowly](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce/slowly) [subtle](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce/subtle) [symbol](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce/symbol) [accessed](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce/accessed) [The th sound](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce/th) [The d sound](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce/d) [-ed endings](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce/ed) [-s endings](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce/s) [-ds endings](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce/ds) [All words](https://speakeroo.app/how-to-pronounce) [Pronunciation practice](https://speakeroo.app/pronunciation-practice) [Tongue twisters](https://speakeroo.app/tongue-twisters)

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