Spanish Pronunciation Mistakes that English Speakers Make (Beginner & Advanced)

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Here are 5 pronunciation mistakes you might be making in Spanish, and what to do about it.
Some of these are subtle, others less so. But if your goal is to sound more like a native Spanish speaker, practice implementing these Spanish pronunciation tips.
Another video you might enjoy:
The 2 things you need to memorize & remember Spanish vocabulary
• The 2 things you need ...
Chapters:
0:00 - Why this matters
0:49 - #1
2:52 - Free Spanish pronunciation guide
3:20 - #2
4:43 - #3
6:02 - #4
7:07 - #5
8:17 - Improving over time

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Build more confident pronunciation step-by-step: breakthroughspanish.com/csp Free mini-lesson & guide to help you build more natural pronunciation: breakthroughspanish.com/pronunciation-guide

[@bigbo1764]

What I notice most as a speaker of Spanish, Greek, Italian, and mandarin is how people pronounce their vowels, and I’m not talking about pronouncing them completely wrong, but rather being slight higher/lower than where a vowel actually is in a given language. Despite the I in Greek being technically the same as the I in French, the I in Greek is “lower”, which is a dead giveaway that someone isn’t a native speaker; this problem isn’t something to really worry about, as simply talking to native speakers will lead you to adjust your vowel pronunciation, but if you don’t have that luxury, looking up and understanding the ipa vowel charts for languages can be helpful.

[@Mirador2]

I'm a native Spanish speaker, and here are some of my tips: Basically Spanish vowel sounds exist in English too, English has some vowel sounds that are very close. For A, E, I, O, U; you can use the vowels of Bar, Bear, Beer, Bore, Boot; or, Far, Fare, Fear, Four, Foot, respectively. (Avoid using vowels of Bit, Book, But, Back). Spanish voiceless plosives (P, T, K/Q/C) are never aspirated, nor does the voiceless affricate (CH) which is not labialized either. All Spanish voiced plosives (B/V, D, G) become approximants (weak or lazy) between vowels, they remain plosives (hard or strong) in the rest of cases. The same happens with the voiced affricate (LL/Y), but instead of becoming approximant, it becomes fricative, which is something between plosive and approximant. When turning these consonants into approximants, try not to soften them too much (just get rid of the friction), so you don't sound lazy. In standard pronunciation, the English-Y sound exists in Spanish only as part of diphthongs, represented by the letters I/Y, like in Veinte, Voy, Hay, Biósfera, Piano, Muy, Oiga, Haitiano, etc. It is never the sound for LL/Y, when LL/Y is affricate, it sounds almost identical to the English-J sound (without labialization, more precisely an affricate version of the English-Y sound) and when it is fricative, then it's an English-Y sound with friction. The decreasing diphthongs in Spanish, such as AI, EI, OI, AU, OU, etc. sound like some of the English ones, but in English the end of each diphthong is done without much effort, the vowel change is not very clear, but in Spanish they are articulated in a very clear and marked way, until they reach well-defined sounds of Y and W (EE and OO) at the end. Spanish-T and D are dental (like English-L) and Spanish-L is alveolar (like English-T and D). So, Spanish-T is a plosive version of the volceless English-TH sound, and Spansh-D is a plosive or approximant version of the voiced English-TH sound. Ñ is a nasal plosive version of the English-Y sound. Spanish-J/G sound is a fricative version of the English-K sound. It's a smooth sound, but English-H sounds too lazy. English V and Z sounds do not exist in Spanish. So B and V, and S and Z, sound the same.

[@IAmNotSnowcat]

I love this comment, although I do have a quick point. "Foot" is not pronounced with a u sound like that of Spanish, but rather with the noise /ʊ/ (also took, put, book, soot. A lot of words held onto this from older English). I think that food is probably what you intended to write, although it does get a bit drawn out.

[@Sereneis]

S and z are pronounced differently in Sp from Spain

[@CassTyson]

I’ll wager this was written by an AI bot 🧐

[@patax144]

Jut remember a lot of this also depends on the variety of Spanish, some of this sounds are different depending on the variety, for example the j, in Spain it has a way harsher sound than in latinoamerican varieties, not to mention in Spain c and Z sound like a voiced th in English, and Caribbean accents often aspirate the s at the end of words or syllables. Also Y and LL may have different sound, with the LL sounding closer to its French counterpart, my mom in particular makes this distinction and always corrects me if I use the same sound for both.

[@Mirador2]

@@patax144 Yes, those instructions apply to standard Spanish. On the other hand, I would not recommend differentiating LL and Y, since most people pronounce them the same, so it is better to pronounce them the same instead of differentiating them.

[@paulaswaim8434]

Excellent video. I am a native English speaker and I can quickly hear when another English speaker is speaking Spanish without trying to use a decent accent. Greetings from Montana.

[@user-oo2jo4ik4o]

This was an excellent lesson! I have never seen this explained so clearly. I don't expect to speak Spanish with no accent whatsoever, but the closer I can get to that, the better!

[@user-ot1gy6rv5x]

Brilliant! What an eye opener your explanation was for me. Especially the tips on avoiding using English plosives and how to pronounce the G. Thank you!

[@karah6011]

This is so helpful, actually getting the "d" in the word "madre" makes pronouncing the R Sound so much easier

[@franceshall7127]

perfecto gracias

[@boundlesslife]

Great tips, thank you so much! I speak Spanish fluently and live in Spain, but an obstacle for me has been reducing my accent. These insights are very helpful!

[@jem4u_]

This was soooooooooooo helpful!! I've felt like I hit a plateau with my accent and these are exactly the little tips I was looking for. TYSM.

[@joseeduardotrejorodiguez3028]

Es excelente que traten de pronunciar el Español de forma más como un nativo y eso se puede apreciar la compleja forma de conjugar los verbos y eso es muy pero muy complejo y entender los artículos y entender la diferencia entre ser y estar ya que en inglés sólo es 'be' y aquí son dos verbos pero así como muchos videos que enseñan inglés enfatizan que debemos pronunciar bien el inglés es bueno que los que hablen español siendo angloparlantes es de admirar

[@gailbudd6720]

Fantastico 🎉❤

[@lizteague6855]

Marvellous. Super helpful. Thanks so much. Telling us about tongue positions etc really, really helps

[@dthomson8619]

Fantastic! The details of using the mouth/breath/tongue is exactly what we need. Details matter! Mughas gracias.

[@EggyDavi]

Excellent!!!!!!! Thank you for this video ❤

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching

[@KevinJonasx11]

Very helpful, thank you. An hispanohablante friend of mine told me that my "D" sound was off, this video helped to correct that some more.

[@chavezedrums]

Ty! Some of these sounds/pronunciations I was having trouble trying to do. I never thought about the relation between how I move my tongue and breath can make such a big difference. 👍🏽

[@dogs2birds]

Excellent video. Thanks!

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Thanks Susan! Glad you liked it

[@florjacobs]

I love this because it works the other way around. I'm trying to get better at my English pronunciation and this video helped me to notice subtle things. For example, I had no idea about the "air" that you talked about in section 2 and applying that to my English sentences, made me sound better immediately. So thank you!

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

that's great! the air thing is fun because it's pretty easy to change. Your written English is excellent by the way. Keep it up, thanks for watching

[@rvdareyet7201]

I never realized how difficult English is to learn until I came to Ecuador and started living around mostly native Spanish speakers. Many of them struggle to learn English. For example, if you look at the title "Pacific Ocean", the "c" is pronounced in 3 separate ways! Thankfully, Spanish is much more straightforward.

[@missnurse78]

I didn't even realize I was saying peso like pay-so .... thanks ❤

[@alonzocrawford3212]

Dam good clarification 😊❤❤

[@chrisf247]

This is excellent stuff here!

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

thanks Chris!

[@EricLovrien]

muchas gracias!

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@AtticBoy68]

Brilliant lesson Connor. Very few if any lessons on KZbin explain these aspects so clearly.

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Thanks! Glad you liked it

[@Mike_Oscar]

V and B would also be good to include

[@J-cy8hq]

Agree! Is it a v or a b???!! So confusing

[@andreszapata4972]

Uy necesito esto, pero de español a inglés... para saber qué errores comúnmente cometemos los nativos del español cuando intentamos pronunciar las palabras en inglés, con el fin de sonar más nativo del inglés.

[@mrsmalkanimalkani]

Nice content, muy bien 👍

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Thanks!

[@soniakane5583]

This is so very helpful, Connor. I am working to train my ear, but a couple of the examples were a bit too nuanced for my ear right now. Your videos inspire me to keep at it though!

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Keep it up! 🙂

[@tvinht1]

Thanks Connor for making this video!! I was hoping you would share a video helping us with pronunciation. This was extremely helpful because I find myself making these mispronunciations especially with the “o” sound. Would you please do a video for the “r” and “rr” caro vs carro and any tips you have for rolling the r’s? Thanks so much! 🙏

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Thanks Trang! Yes, one about the letter R is on my list. One simple way to trill your R (in caro) is to picture a D, because if we said "cado" in English, we'd trill in the same way as "caro" in Spanish. Once you can say "caro", take "carro" and break it up into two sounds. Car + ro, each with a simple trilled r. Then repeat, bringing the two sounds closer and closer together, until eventually the rr is rolled. That's just one of many ways I've come across (not my own idea, but I'm unsure where I first heard it). Be patient and practice lots!

[@tvinht1]

@@BreakthroughSpanish Thank you!! That’s really helpful to think about “cado” and splitting the double r’s to help roll the tongue. I’ll keep practicing. 😀 Looking forward to more videos and thank you for making these awesome videos and teaching us!

[@MegF142857]

Helpful. I can't do the "g".

[@longnamenocansayy]

it is a very important step. i've heard for a long time the differences, but i can't find anyone sympathetic to my cause. i will download the freebie. maybe that will help

[@buckwylde7965]

Great channel!. I am a native English speaker but can identify Chicanos speaking Spanish many times by their dragging of vowels, I guess by their Spanish with an English accent,.

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Interesting! Yes, I'm sure there are some differences among native Spanish speakers born in the US, but I assume it depends a lot on where in the US you live. I really don't know much about this though - worth exploring for sure. Glad you're liking the channel!

[@cosnyaxtros1821]

La r es la mas difícil de hacerlo bien ya que aunque puedee ser suave o fuerte segun que palabras las hacermos mas cortas o lamas largas o bien mas fuertes o mas suaves y eso en cada palabra diferente.

[@danielkover7157]

Thanks for these tips! I know Spanish speakers would probably understand one's Spanish with less-than-perfect pronunciation, but the added nuance takes your Spanish to the next level. I'm always looking to improve my speech. ^_^

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

exactly! thanks for watching

[@msmendes214]

Oh I love the idea of the D being close to a TH sound. And I've always noticed the Spanish T is soft, like a soft D. I'm now obsessed at looking at the mouths of Spanish speakers & it's really amazing how different the mouth moves for even the same letters! And I was confused about the G sound in the word Igual. I swear I hear it being said by native speakers both ways... With a harder G sound and sometimes with a silent G. There's a song called "ojos marrones" with a chorus "nada es igual" and it sounds like "e-wall" ??

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Thanks for your comment! The D is a good one to practice. As you point out, the G is a tricky one (not for being understood, but for sounding a bit more like a native speaker). In some words - especially at the beginning of words, or if it's being emphasized for some reason - the G is a bit harder/more like the English G in 'ago', but still not identical. *Most* of the time, it's softer than the English G. Especially when between vowels. Words like 'Igual' can easily turn into "iwal" if people are speaking quickly, although this depends on where someone is from, too.

[@msmendes214]

@@BreakthroughSpanish ah, thanks! I wasn't sure if I was just going crazy with hearing a semi- silent G!!

[@whybecuzimme]

Thanks! Please a video blending letters like the D with the R in Madre .. Help pronouncing

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

good idea, thanks! In the meantime, you can check out the video I have on rolling R's

[@Ellie-br3nu]

Good tips! It is just worth noting that in particular for the vowel sounds, such as drawing out the e in mesa and peso, that is more so an issue for those speaking with an Amercian accent. British vowels are different. :)

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

True! Great point.

[@markcitybus90]

Even though English is not my fist language and I don't need to worry about those typical English sounds, some of those those pointers about the characteristics in Spanish are very useful to me, as well.

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

That’s great to hear! Thanks for watching

[@Tweety_likethebird]

Why when I seen queso, I said kayso, not you calling me out on the first one lmfaooo 😂😂😂

[@scottlarson1548]

The general rule I've found for pronouncing Spanish is to say every sound as short and as quickly as possible.

[@xh7i]

Since I’m an Arab, I can pronounce all the sounds of any letter. And since I know English, Spanish is much easier than other languages, bc most of the Spanish words are from Arabic and English (w little changes). And what makes it even easier is that the letters have only one pronunciation, unlike English

[@nittus]

As a native speaker. The ñ is quite similar to the R in English. The tongue just stays in the middle of your mouth. The sound comes from pronouncing a very nasal N. you have to feel a vibration at the back of your nosetrils. Do you even kinda wanna contract your nose a bit while doing it. I hope it helps.

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Interesting! Hadn’t considered that. Good tip

[@nittus]

​@@BreakthroughSpanish the way you pronounce it. It's quite good and native alike. So your teaching technique works great nonetheless. Cheers!

[@marianabahamonde1994]

funny thing with the G sound is, if you say "agua" fast enough you could even pronounce it as "ahua"

[@fernandoaldekoa2436]

Para pronunciar la D no hay que poner la lengua entre los dientes. Eso es un error que muchos nativos cometen.

[@RaquelSantos-hj1mq]

I hate it when people respond in English just because I'm a little slow. Also, they assume I can't understand them when I can, although sometimes there's a slight delay.

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

definitely, sometimes it takes a second to process. It's pretty unavoidable but good pronunciation tends to make you sound more fluent than you are, which helps people give you the benefit of the doubt and speak more Spanish with you

[@RaquelSantos-hj1mq]

Here's another one: If it's similar to an English wotd that starts with U, English speakers put a Y in front of the U (Think united, useful, etc,) I hate it when I accidentally do this. I often do it with Estados Unidos because it's so similar to the English word. Also, switching back and forth between Cuba and the American pronunciation is difficult.

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Definitely! That’s a tricky one for English speakers for sure

[@BlazeLycan]

Huh, I've heard different things regarding the Spanish D. I've mainly heard that it isn't aspirated (I:E air gets noticeably through the pronounciation), but I have heard on occasion some Spanish speaker make it into a TH sound in words like THat and THis. Is this a dialectal thing? If so, is it particularly European/Castillian Spanish that does that, or is it some other dialect that does that? Other than that, I'm a bit confused on the Spanish Bs and Vs. What I think I know is that they're practically the same in spoken form, and that they're pronounced as unaspirated Bs at the beginning of a word, and as a special V made with both the lips rather than bottom lip and top teethe when next to 2 vowels which ends up sounding like a mix between B and V. I'm also wondering if the Spanish F is the same as the English one, i:e similar to an English in terms of lip and teeth position, or if Spanish speakers just blow out air similar to blowing out a candle. Lastly, as a Swede I do know how to roll my Rs (Trill), and the tap is not too difficult. Though I wonder whether the rr sound is specifically made near the teeth like with the R-tap, or if it is made further back of the mouth.

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

Great questions. For me at least, the rr sound happens a little farther back, not against my teeth. You're right that the D is not aspirated. It's not super different from region to region, but there are some differences. For example in some places (notably the Caribbean and Chile) it's often very soft or inaudible. Check out Forvo.com to listen to examples of speakers from different countries pronouncing different words. What you said about B/V is correct for most varieties of Spanish. I plan to make a video on this sound in the future. There is a great video on this sound by @Linguriosa, I'd check that out. And yes, the F is the same in Spanish and English.

[@BlazeLycan]

@@BreakthroughSpanish Excellent, and I just watched the video by Linguriosa that you mentioned. That helped solve a confusion I had with why the B in Cabeza did not seem to follow the rule, but being well explained with Latins P's turning into B's. I do have a question regarding double LL's which I forgot to include. I know this is a sound that varies a LOT between dialectal regions, but studying Spanish from Duolingo, I was taught that it made the same sound as the J in "Jam", as in "Strawberry Jam", which for me registers as a sort of "dj" diphthong. Though, my Bolivio-Spanish ex-girlfriend told me that's wrong. Thus my questions are this; is the "dj" pronunciation wrong? And if it is; which LL-sound would be better for me to learn as someone who is learning Spanish to be understood by mainly Latin American Spanish speakers? I'm guessing it wouldn't be the European/Castillian "y" nor the Argentine-Uruguayan "sh".

[@drayyoutube5843]

Another common mistake that you forgot about is with the Spanish letter J. For so long, I thought it was used with the phoneme /h/ (voiceless glottal fricative) , when really it’s used with /x/ (voiceless velar fricative).

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

depends on where you are! In the Caribbean (among other places), it tends to be aspirated like an H, and on the other end of the spectrum in Spain it is frequently the /x/ sound that you're describing. And in other places it's somewhere in between

[@Said_w_the_G]

I have discovered that Spanish is spoken in the middle of the mouth, toward the back sometimes. English is a very, front-of-mouth language.

[@sallywright8065]

Are there not two ways of pronouncing ‘g’ in Spanish? I’m sure I’ve heard the ‘hard’ pronunciation in words where g is followed by ‘u’.

[@saraandkoda]

Careful with your e sound. In spanish we dont have the open é and ó like in portuguese. E and o in spanish are low sounds. People will understand you obviously but it sounds a little odd

[@daniel_cabj88]

And don't forget the pronunciation of "U", they tend to make it like a "iu".

[@BreakthroughSpanish]

true! that is definitely common

[@minakshitiwari1000]

He looks like famous KZbinr Dhurv Rathee😅

[@amarillasolo5864]

'E' egg

[@grzegorzbrzeczyszczykiewic8158]

peYso queYso 😂

[@andreszapata4972]

Yes, they do that!

[@Sereneis]

Ñ and ny sound practically the same, no need to make this point in my native Spanish view

[@danielbenavides1906]

If you are from Argentina sure but for the vast majority of Spanish speakers that is not the case. The N is a different sound.

[@garthhunt7238]

Without distinguishing between ñ and ny, one can be understood, it’s true. But that is not the point of this video, and there is a difference.

[@andreszapata4972]

Yeah, there's a difference, and it's better to follow what he says.

[@paolasolis5961]

Vine para ver si pronunciaba bien 😂