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About Single Vowels In Spanish
►They are shorter and tenser than English vowels.
►They show a much greater consistency between sound and spelling than in English.
►When they occur alone (not before or after another vowel), they are not preceded or followed by a y or w sound, as happens in English may [mei], toe [tow], cute [ kyuwt]. |
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| Pronunciation of the Five Vowels |
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Vowel |
Description, Errors to avoid |
Examples |
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a |
ah as in father |
papá; trabaja |
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avoid: æ (hat); ɘ (comma); ā (base) |
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e |
eh as in bet |
es, se, Pepe |
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avoid: ē (feet); ɘ (novel); ā (say) |
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i |
like ee in feet, but shorter |
ti, mí, civil |
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avoid: ĭ (fit); ī (fight) |
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o |
as in note, but shorter |
como, poco |
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avoid: following w sound (note [nowt]) |
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u |
as in flute, but shorter |
mucho, Uruguay |
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avoid: preceding y, following w (cute [kyuwt]) |
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