This is the sixth in a series of tips for learning Spanish brought to you by Word for Word providing translations and language classes to this community (6786-0854).

Learning Spanish can seem daunting, even unattainable!  These tips are designed to ease your fears and build your understanding of Spanish:

Tip #6

The letters S, Z, and soft C are also indistinguishable (except in Spain).  You might see “poso” written instead of “pozo.”  Sometimes this creates homonyms like “sierra” and “cierra.”  When in doubt, use an S. You can ask, “Con S (aysay),Z ( zaytah), o C (say)?”

The letter H is silent and can cause confusion.  When a word begins with a vowel sound, it is impossible to know whether it begins with an H.  Again homonyms arise like “ola” and “hola.”  When in doubt, assume there is no H. You can ask, “Con H (achay)?”

The letters B and V sound identical in Spanish.  The only way to know which one is used is to see the word.  It is not uncommon for children learning to read to write “baca” instead of “vaca.”  When in doubt, guess!  You can ask, “Con B (bay) larga o V (bay) corta?”