Pronunciation of O

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1. Lesson 1

16 questions

2. Lesson 2

17 questions

3. Lesson 3

16 questions

Explanation

Quick Answer

The letter oin Spanish is pronounced like the letter o in words like not, but shorter and with rounded lips. It is also quite similar to the o in low, but shorter and without any trace of the u sound at the end. Compare the sound of o in not and low with the o sound in their Spanish translations, noand bajo.

Written Vowels vs. Vowel Sounds

In Spanish, each written vowel corresponds to a single vowel sound, called a phoneme (fonema). There are five vowels: a, e, i, o, u.

Although y is considered a consonant, it has the same sound as i in certain words and positions, such as hoy(today).

Remember that the h is almost always silent in Spanish, so it does not make any sound in the word hoy above.

The Sound of the Letter “O”

How to Pronounce "O" in Spanish

The letter o represents the Spanish vowel sound, or phoneme, /o/. Vowel sounds are made with your mouth open and not blocked by your tongue in any way.

To properly pronounce the vowel o in Spanish, your mouth should be a little open—but not wide open. Your lips should be slightly rounded, and the back part of your tongue should get close to your soft palate. Check out how the o sounds in these words: oasis(oasis), orden(order), sol(sun), punto(point), and indio(Indian).

So, the Spanish "O" Is Similar to the English "O", Right?

Yes. The Spanish o is like the English o that can be heard in words like top or lock, but even shorter. Compare the sound of o in the English word topping and the similarly spelled Spanish word topo(mole), or the English locker and the Spanish loco(crazy).

The Spanish o is also like the sound of the letter o in the words lord or low, only much shorter in duration. You can hear this in their translations, señorand bajo.

Let’s look at some examples of words containing the letter o, whether the letter is stressed or unstressed, what position the letter is in, and what vowel the o is combined with.

Spanish	English	Stress	Position-Combination
ópera	opera	stressed	beginning of word
operar	operate on	unstressed	beginning of word
coma	comma	stressed	inside word
comer	eat	unstressed	inside word
dominó	dominoes	stressed	end of word
camino	path	unstressed	end of word
ahora	now	stressed	combined with a
oasis	oasis	unstressed	combined with a
león	lion	stressed	combined with e
Noé	Noah	unstressed	combined with e
coima	bribe	stressed	combined with i
río	river	unstressed	combined with i
cuota	fee	stressed	combined with u
estadounidense	American	unstressed	combined with u

It’s A Word Too!

Finally, be prepared to find o regularly in speech and written texts as a word in its own right! That’s because it is the conjunction o(or) used in phrases such as café o té(coffee or tea) or ¿Prefieres la ciudad o el campo? (Do you prefer the city or the countryside?).

One Letter, One Sound

The pronunciation of the letter o varies little throughout the Spanish-speaking world, so there shouldn’t be much difference between the way oso(bear) sounds in California, the River Plate area, or the Balearic Islands.

In informal contexts, you may hear some native speakers pronounce the letter o almost like a u when it’s in contact with the letter a, as in Joaquínor chao. But remember—that's informal Spanish, and you’re advised to avoid this pronunciation.