The Spanish Alphabet: Spelling Names and Unfamiliar Words

The Spanish alphabet for spelling names and unfamiliar words

The Spanish alphabet has twenty-seven letters. In this lesson, the goal is practical: recognize the names of the letters, spell your own name, understand another person spelling a word, and confirm a letter when something is unclear.

Letter names are not the same as the sounds letters make inside words. For now, learn the letter names as tools for spelling. Detailed pronunciation patterns come in other lessons.

Spanish letter names from A to Z

Letter	Spanish letter name	English meaning
A	a	the letter A
B	be	the letter B
C	ce	the letter C
D	de	the letter D
E	e	the letter E
F	efe	the letter F
G	ge	the letter G
H	hache	the letter H
I	i	the letter I
J	jota	the letter J
K	ka	the letter K
L	ele	the letter L
M	eme	the letter M
N	ene	the letter N
Ñ	eñe	the letter Ñ
O	o	the letter O
P	pe	the letter P
Q	cu	the letter Q
R	erre	the letter R
S	ese	the letter S
T	te	the letter T
U	u	the letter U
V	uve	the letter V
W	uve doble	the letter W
X	equis	the letter X
Y	ye	the letter Y
Z	zeta	the letter Z

Ñ is a separate letter in the Spanish alphabet

Ñ is its own letter, and its Spanish name is eñe — the letter Ñ. It is not simply an N with an optional mark.

• ene — the letter N
• eñe — the letter Ñ

This difference matters when someone spells a name or unfamiliar word. If you hear eñe — the letter Ñ, write Ñ rather than N.

Ch and ll are letter combinations, not separate alphabet letters

You will see ch and ll in many Spanish words, but in the modern Spanish alphabet they are combinations of two letters rather than independent alphabet letters.

• ch — the letters C + H
• ll — the letters L + L

When spelling a word letter by letter, say the individual letter names. For ch, say ce, hache — C, H. For ll, say ele, ele — L, L.

Using the alphabet for foreign names

Names can contain letters that are less common in traditional Spanish vocabulary, such as K and W. These letters are still part of the Spanish alphabet and are useful when spelling international names.

• ka — the letter K
• uve doble — the letter W

For example, the name Kevin can be spelled with Spanish letter names:

Ka, e, uve, i, ene. — K, E, V, I, N.

The name William can be spelled:

Uve doble, i, ele, ele, i, a, eme. — W, I, L, L, I, A, M.

Asking how a name or word is spelled

If you hear an unfamiliar name or word, use a short spelling question instead of guessing.

• ¿Cómo se escribe? — How is it spelled?
• ¿Cómo se escribe tu nombre? — How do you spell your name?

Treat these as complete practical questions for now. The purpose is to ask the other person to give the letters one by one.

Person A: Me llamo Sara. — My name is Sara.

Person B: ¿Cómo se escribe? — How is it spelled?

Person A: Ese, a, erre, a. — S, A, R, A.

Confirming one letter when you are unsure

Some letter names can be difficult to catch in a fast exchange. If one letter is unclear, confirm it directly.

• ¿Con be? — With B?
• ¿Con uve? — With V?
• ¿Con hache? — With H?
• ¿Con eñe? — With Ñ?

A short confirmation can prevent an error in a name or contact detail.

Person A: Víctor. — Victor.

Person B: ¿Con be? — With B?

Person A: No, con uve. — No, with V.

Recognizing common alternative names for some letters

Spanish speakers do not always use exactly the same letter names in every region. A few common alternatives are useful to recognize.

• uve — the letter V; you may also hear ve — the letter V.
• uve doble — the letter W; you may also hear doble u — the letter W.
• ye — the letter Y; you may also hear i griega — the letter Y.

You do not need to use every regional alternative yourself. Choose one standard form for your own spelling and learn to recognize the common alternatives when you hear them.

Spelling a name clearly from beginning to end

When spelling, say one letter name at a time and keep the order exact. If the listener misses a letter, repeat only the part that needs clarification.

Person A: ¿Cómo se escribe tu nombre? — How do you spell your name?

Person B: Eme, a, erre, i, a. — M, A, R, I, A.

Person A: ¿Erre? — R?

Person B: Sí, erre. — Yes, R.

This skill will become especially important when you exchange phone numbers, email addresses, and street addresses.

From the alphabet to exchanging contact details

You can now recognize the Spanish letter names, spell a name, distinguish N from Ñ, understand that ch and ll are letter combinations, and ask for or confirm spelling. The next lesson uses these skills to exchange phone numbers, email addresses, and street addresses in Spanish.