Spanish Diphthongs and Hiatus - Spanish Vowels

e Learn Spanish Language Free Spanish Lessons Online language learning with Laura K. Lawless

e Learn Spanish Language > Spanish Lessons > Pronunciation > Diphthongs and Hiatus

Menu

Subscribe to
the free
e Learn Spanish Language
weekly
newsletter

Diptongos e hiato - Spanish Diphthongs and Hiatus

When a Spanish word has two vowels side by side, various pronunciation issues come into play: syllable division, diphthongs, and hiatus.

In terms of syllable division, Spanish vowels are divided into two categories: strong vowels (A, E, O) and weak vowels (I, U). To pronounce Spanish correctly, you need to understand strong and weak vowels and how they affect pronunciation.


1.	Two strong vowels		empleado estéreo europeo impermeable
	Pronounced as a hiatus* with normal rules of word stress (see lesson)

2.	Strong vowel + weak vowel (most common)		abierto australiano baile estudioso fuerte guasón ingenuo
	Pronounced as a diphthong* with emphasis on the strong vowel.

3.	Two weak vowels
	Pronounced as a diphthong with emphasis on the second vowel.		suizo cuidado

4.	Exceptions	asiático frío jardinería miércoles natación patriótico policía televisión
	When the pronunciation of a word does not follow these rules, an acute accent is placed on the stressed vowel.

*Notes

Hiatus - Two vowels pronounced as two distinct syllables.

Diphthong - Two vowels pronounced as a single syllable. When this happens, the unstressed weak vowel has a special sound: the letter I sounds like Y (as in yet) and U sounds like W (as in will).

The letter U - When U's purpose in a word is to make a consonant hard rather than soft (see lesson) as in portugués and guisantes, it does not count as a vowel and thus the above rules do not apply.

Please note that this lesson is only a guideline for the Spanish that I know, which is Castilian Spanish. There are many regional variations in Spanish pronunciation.

Spanish Pronunciation Spanish for Beginners

Advertise on
e Learn Spanish Language
Options & Rates

LKL's sites
	Learn English
	Learn French
	Veggie Table
	LKL homepage