Spanish Syllables and Syllabification
Knowing how syllables in Spanish work is important as it help us to pronounce and spell them correctly.

3 basic principles of syllabification in Spanish words.
Consonant Plus Vowel
It is important to know how to separate the words to make sure that each of the syllables is made of a consonant and vowel. When 1 consonant appears between 2 vowels, the consonant will be assigned to the second vowel, which means it belongs to the second syllable.

Structure

WORD	SYLLABIFICATION
Naranja	Na - ran - ja	Nar - an - ja ❌

Example

WORD	SYLLABIFICATION
mamá	ma - má
olla	o - lla
rama	ra - ma
búfalo	bú - fa - lo
pájaro	pá - ja - ro

 

Two Consecutive Consonants
When 2 consonants meet, they will be separated to form 2 syllables. But there is case when the second consonant in the pair is r, l or ch, they will not be split into 2 syllables.

Structure

WORD	PAIR	SYLLABIFICATION
helado	la + do	he - la - do	hel - a - do ❌
regreso	g + re	re - gre - so	reg - re - so ❌

Example

WORD	PAIR	SYLLABIFICATION
chamarra	ma + rra	cha - ma - rra
garaje	ra + je	ga - re - je
señora	ño + ra	se - ño - ra
cabra	b + ra	ca - bra
enchufe	c + hu	en - chu - fe

 

Three Consecutive Consonants
When 3 consonants come together, the first consonant will definitely belong to the first syllable.

Structure

WORD	PAIR	SYLLABIFICATION
postre	s + t + r	pos-tre	po - stre ❌
salchicha	l + c + h	sal - chi - cha	salc - hi - cha ❌
sombrero	m + b + r	som - bre - ro	somb - re - ro ❌

Example

WORD	PAIR	SYLLABIFICATION
compresar	m + p + r	com - pre - sar
constante	n + s + t	con - stan - te
escribiendo	s + c + r	es - cri - bien - do
inglés	n + g + l	in - glés
sorprendido	r + p + r	sor - pren - di - do

Spanish Word Stress
Exact Spanish pronunciation requires not only the ability to replicate the correct sound for each letter but also the application of the appropriate emphasis to each syllable in specific words. Incorrect stress can make it more difficult for listeners to comprehend what you're expressing, and in certain situations, it can even affect the meaning of words.

A. Basic Word Stress
Words Ending with a Vowel or Consonant “n” or “s”
When the word ends with a consonant “n” or “s”, or a single vowel, the stress normally falls on the second-to-last syllable.

WORD	PRONUNCIATION	ENGLISH
botón		button
sobrar		leftover
máscara		mask
palomitas		popcorn

 

Words ending in a Consonant Other Than “n” or “s”
When the word ends with a consonant that is not “n” or “s”, the stress normally falls on the last syllable.

WORD	PRONUNCIATION	ENGLISH
castor		beaver
caracol		snail
comunidad		community
ferrocarril		railroad

When the stress rule is not applicable, the stress is indicated by the accent mark. The stress falls on the syllable with an accent mark on the vowel.

WORD	PRONUNCIATION	ENGLISH
música		music
hexágono		hexagon
suéter		sweater
difícil		difficult

B. Stress on Combination of Vowels
Spanish vowels can be divided into 2 groups which are strong vowels “a, e, and o”, and weak vowels “i and u”.

2 Strong Vowels
When 2 strong vowels meet, they will be separated into 2 syllables.
When the word ends with a consonant “n” or “s”, or a single vowel, the stress normally falls on the second-to-last syllable.

EXAMPLE
chimenea	impermeable	león	océano

2 Weak Vowels
When 2 weak vowels meet, they will be combined into single syllable (diphthong).
In this case, the second vowel will be emphasized when the syllable is stressed.

EXAMPLE
gui - ta	diur - no	ma - ri - qui - ta	dis - tri - bui - do

Combination of Strong and Weak Vowels
When the strong vowel meets the weak vowel, they will mostly be combined as a single syllable (diphthong).
The strong vowel is usually emphasized more.

EXAMPLE
gua - pa	he - roi - co	eu - ro	dien - tes

C.Diphthongs
A diphthong is formed by combining 2 vowels in a syllable, which are:
strong vowels “a, e, and o” and weak vowels “i and u”, or 2 weak vowels “i and u”.

DIPHTHONG		PRONUNCIATION	DIPHTHONG		PRONUNCIATION
au		ow	ai (ay)		ay
eu		ehoo	ei (ey)		ey
ia		yah	ie		yeh
io		yoh	iu		yoo
oi (oy)		oy	ua		wah
ue		weh	ui		wee
uo		woh

D.Hiatus
A hiatus is formed by combining 2 vowels in a syllable, which are:
strong vowels “a, e, and o” and accented weak vowels “í and ú”, or 2 strong vowels “a, e, and o”.

HIATUS		PRONUNCIATION	HIATUS		PRONUNCIATION
aí		ah - EE	aú		ah - OO
oí		oh - EE	eí		eh - EE
eú		eh - OO	ía		EE - ah
íe		EE - eh	ío		EE - oh
úa		OO - ah	úe		OO - eh
úo		OO - oh	ae		ah - eh
ao		ah - oh	aa		ah - ah
ea		eh - ah	eo		eh - oh
ee		eh - eh	oa		oh - ah
oe		oh - eh	oo		oh - oh