Pronunciation of G in Spanish

Let's learn how to pronounce the letter g in Spanish!

G Is a Consonant

The letter g represents the Spanish consonant sounds, or phonemes, /g/, /x/, and /χ/. When a consonant sound is uttered, the flow of air out of the mouth is partially or completely blocked at some point.

The name of this letter is pronounced ge.

The Three Sounds of G

Pronunciation 1

The first pronunciation of the letter g is similar to the English g in government or England when it is found at the beginning of a word or after the letter n. This can be heard, for example, in gobierno(government) and Inglaterra(England).

In other word positions (except before an e or i), you may perceive the Spanish g as softer than the English g. That’s because the tongue doesn’t actually stop the air from flowing out. This variant sound of g, which is not found in English, is represented by linguists as [ɣ]. You may hear it inside a word between vowels and/or consonants (except after n), for example: mago(wizard), conseguir(get), vergüenza(embarrassment), agrio(sour), largo(long), etc.

Tongue Position in Mouth

This sound of the Spanish g is velar, which means it is pronounced by pressing the back of the tongue against the soft palate to stop the flow of air completely for an instant. Then the air is let out abruptly.

Unlike the sound of the Spanish letter c or letter group qu—which are similar sounds—the vocal cords vibrate when uttering g, so linguists classify it as voiced, or sonorain Spanish. Check out how the g is pronounced in these words: gota(drop), globo(balloon), and inglés(English).

When Is G Pronounced This Way? Always, Except When Followed Directly by E or I

This pronunciation of the letter g is found:

• before the letter a, as in galaxia(galaxy) or pagar(to pay)
• before the letter o, as in gol(goal) or agosto(August)
• before the letter u, as in gusto(taste) or agua(water)
• before the silent u, as in guerrero(warrior) or Guillermo(William)
• before the non-silent ü, as in nicaragüense(Nicaraguan) or pingüino(penguin)
• before any consonant, as in glándula(gland), agradable(pleasant), or rugby(rugby)
• at the end of a word, as in iceberg(iceberg)

Pronunciation 2

The second pronunciation of the letter g is like the English h in here or history. Compare the pronunciation of the h in those two English words with the sound of g in Spanish words like gemelo(twin) or gimnasio (gym). To hear this Spanish sound, please select the Latin American pronunciation option.

Linguists represent this sound, or phoneme, with the symbol /x/.

Tongue Position in Mouth

This second sound of the Spanish g is also velar, which means it is pronounced by lifting the back of the tongue against the soft palate. But, unlike the /g/ in Pronunciation 1, there is always a narrow opening for the air to come out, resulting in an aspirated sound.

Additionally, the vocal cords do not vibrate when uttering this g, so linguists classify it as voiceless, or sordain Spanish.

When Is G Pronounced This Way? Only When Followed by E or I

This sound of the letter g is used only:

• before the letter e, as in gema(gem), coger(to take), or cónyuge(spouse) (please select the Latin American pronunciation option)
• before the letter i, as in gigante(giant), agitar(to shake), or Golgi(Golgi) (please select the Latin American pronunciation option)

Pronunciation 3

The third pronunciation of the letter g might sound strange to English speakers. That's because there isn’t a common similar sound in English, although it is very similar to the Scottish pronunciation of ch in the word loch, or to the German ch in nacht. Compare those pronunciations with the sound of the g in ágil(agile). For this sound, please select the Spain pronunciation option.

Linguists represent this sound, or phoneme, with the symbol /χ/.

Tongue Position in Mouth

The third sound of the Spanish g is similar to the g in Pronunciation 2, but it sounds stronger and more vibrant.

When Is G Pronounced This Way? Only When Followed by E or I

This sound of the letter g is used in the same positions as Pronunciation 2:

• before the letter e, as in gesto(gesture), ángel(angel), or faringe(pharynx) (please select the Spain pronunciation option)
• before the letter i, as in ginebra(gin) or frágil(fragile) (please select the Spain pronunciation option)

Examples

Let’s look at some examples of words containing the letter g, with their different pronunciation types and phoneme symbols, in different word positions and letter combinations. Please note that types 2 and 3 may be heard by selecting either the Latin American or Spain pronunciation options.