Spanish for American Speakers
Your personalised pronunciation map based on the American English accent. 6% of coached Spanish sounds transfer directly from your accent.
1
Direct Transfer
Sounds you already make
13
Small Adjustment
Close — needs a tweak
2
New Sounds
Focus practice here
Your accent gives you a 6% head start — 1 sounds you already make
Sounds That Transfer Directly (1)
You already make these Spanish sounds in your American accent. Recognition, not learning.
Sounds That Need Adjustment (13)
Close to sounds in your accent — small modifications will get you there.
Tapped r (single)
You already make this sound — it's the quick flap you use for 't' and 'd' in 'butter', 'ladder', and 'water'. That Ameri...
Spanish ñ
The Spanish ñ is a palatal nasal /ɲ/ — similar to the 'ny' in 'canyon' or 'onion'. To produce it, press the flat of your...
5 pure vowels
Spanish has only 5 vowels and they NEVER glide. English 'go' slides from 'oh' to 'oo' — Spanish 'o' stays pure. English ...
b/v merger
In Spanish, b and v are IDENTICAL. There is no 'v' sound. Both are pronounced as [b] after a pause or nasal (m/n), and a...
Intervocalic d /ð/
You already make this sound — it's the 'th' in 'this', 'the', and 'father'. In Spanish, d becomes this soft 'th' between...
Spanish ll/y
In most Spanish dialects, ll and y are both pronounced like a STRONGER version of English 'y' in 'yes'. More friction, m...
No vowel reduction
In English, unstressed vowels collapse to 'uh' (schwa): 'banana' = buh-NAN-uh. In Spanish, EVERY vowel keeps its full qu...
Dental t and d
English t and d are alveolar — tongue touches the ridge BEHIND your upper teeth. Spanish t and d are dental — tongue tou...
Syllable-timed rhythm
English is stress-timed: stressed syllables are long and loud, unstressed syllables are crushed. Spanish is syllable-tim...
Spanish clear l
American English uses a 'dark L' (velarized, with the tongue pulled back) in many positions, especially at the end of wo...
Intervocalic g /ɣ/
After a pause or nasal, use hard /ɡ/ like 'go' — gato, tengo. Between vowels, soften it into a fricative /ɣ/ — tongue ap...
Rising diphthongs (ie, ue)
English has falling diphthongs (buy = a→i, cow = a→u). Spanish has RISING diphthongs — the tongue starts high and opens:...
Silent h
You know silent h in 'hour' and 'honest'. In Spanish, h is ALWAYS silent — every word, no exceptions. 'Hola' = 'ola', 'h...
Genuinely New Sounds (2)
No equivalent in American English. These deserve your focused practice time.
Your American Advantages
Flapped t = single r tap (difficulty 2 vs 5 for trill)
th sounds transfer directly (Castilian z AND intervocalic d)
Familiar with Spanish loanwords
b/v merger is a simple un-learning
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is Spanish for American English speakers?▾
What Spanish sounds do American speakers already make?▾
What are the hardest Spanish sounds for American speakers?▾
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