Spanish for American Speakers
Your personalised pronunciation map based on the American English accent. 8% of coached Spanish sounds transfer directly from your accent.
1
Direct Transfer
Sounds you already make
10
Small Adjustment
Close — needs a tweak
2
New Sounds
Focus practice here
Your accent gives you a 8% 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 (10)
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
Same as French gn — compress the 'ny' in 'onion' into a single sound. Press the middle of your tongue against the hard p...
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
Same as French and German — all l's must be light. Tongue tip behind upper front teeth, back of tongue stays LOW. No dar...
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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