Phonics. It sure was a big part of learning to read and write back in your primary and middle school. You have learned the sounds that consonant, vowels, and various letter combinations these make, so that you could recognize words on the printed page and, yes, spell them correctly.

And there are spelling “rules” too. “I” before “e” except after “c” or when pronounced like an “a” is a famous one that every elementary school kid learns.

But here’s the thing: in every country, and in every language, there are great, average, and poor spellers.

And just as there are typical mistakes in English, there are also common Spanish spelling mistakes – mistakes made by native speakers as well as those who are learning it as a second language.

Mastering Spanish Phonics

If you ever took Spanish classes at school, you probably did some phonics drills.

You were taught that in terms of vowel sounds, “e” is pronounced like the long “a” in English. “I” is pronounced like the long “e” sound of English. “H” is silent, and a double “l” (ll) is pronounced like a “y.”

These are the basics you should remember to develop the right accent.

There are also a number of Spanish spelling rules. The most common, of course, is that feminine nouns usually end in “a” and masculine nouns usually end in “o.”

And because Spanish spelling has fewer exceptions than English spelling does, many believe that it is easier to get things right in that language.

Yet there are certainly challenges in spelling words in Spanish.

Let’s go back to nursery school for a bit and listen (and sing along) to this Alphabet song in the following video:

Common Spelling Challenges in Spanish To Remember

Here are just a few of the typical mistakes that result in commonly misspelled words in Spanish.

The “V” and the “B” Mix-up

“B” and “V” sounds are pronounced exactly the same in Spanish.

This means that the spelling of many words will just have to be memorized.

What, you think this is too cumbersome? How many words in English must just be memorized because their spellings are a bit crazy? Try the word “ketchup” for example. Or is it catsup?

When you hear the word “bendito,” (used as an adjective to mean blessed or a noun to mean a simple or fortunate person), it is impossible to hear whether that word begins with a “v” or a “b.” And that is exactly why so many people spell it “vendito.”

There is also an issue with the juxtaposition of these two letters in verb conjugations. Check out the verb conjugations for “estar” and you will understand. Some are spelled with a v;” others with a “b” And because the pronunciations are the same, these forms are commonly misspelled. Again, memorization is the only way to fix this.

Check the video below where Lluisa Astruc attempts to explain the b and ‘v’ sounds…

The Infamous “Y” and “LL”

Okay. These have the exact same pronunciation, and it is obviously very easy to confuse the two when writing.

Think of the same type of situation in English. The “f” sound is the same as the “ph” sound. So, someone learning English might spell “phone” as “fone.” And someone spelling Spanish might spell “valle,” the word for valley, as “vaye,” or the word “vaya,” meaning “go,” with “valla.”

Is there a fix for this?

Again, it is a question of more experience with the language and just learning how words are spelled. There are no “rules” about when to use the “y” or when to use the “ll.”

check out this very informative below where the excellent butterfly channel on Youtube attempts to explain it.

That Silent “H”

This one is a big challenge, because the “h” in Spanish is mostly silent. Thus, you might say, “Hola, que tal?” as a greeting. In writing, however, you might make the mistake of spelling “hola,” “ola.” The first word means hello; the second word means wave.

And if you think that this is unique to the language, think again. Consider the words “hotel” or “ham” in English. The “h” sound is obvious. Now, consider the words “hour” or “honest.” How did you learn to spell these correctly? You saw them enough times and you read them enough times until your brain registered and remembered the spellings.

It will be the same for you in Spanish. One of the best ways to learn spelling in Spanish will be to see the words, read the words, and practice spelling the words correctly in your writing.

This is how the brain registers and remembers things.

Misspelling “C,” “S,” and “Z”

In speaking, it is often hard to distinguish between the pronunciations of these three letters.

Sometimes, the spelling will be clear, because a “c” will have the hard “c” sound. In English, we say “clear” the Spanish word for this is “claro” and the “C” is hard. It will never be confused with “s” or “z.”

Now think about the English words “dance,” “cell,” or “ice.” The “c” has a sound that is almost indistinguishable from “s.” Now think of the words “raise” or “lose.” Here the “s” sounds like a “z.”

In Spanish, there are the same issues. “Necesito”(I need) might be misspelled as “nesecito.” In Spanish, when “c” is combined with and “e” or an “I,” it is the soft sound. When it is combined with “a” or “o,” it has a hard sound.

So pay attention to those little mind-bogglers!

The “J” and “G” Sounds

Think of the word “garage” in English. The word begins with a hard “g” sound but toward the end, there is the soft “g” sound that is more like the “j” sound. Now consider the word “gelatin.” Here the word begins with a “j” sounding “g.”

In Spanish, this can be even more confusing. The “g” and “j” often sound like an English “h” sound, and it is almost impossible to distinguish between the two.

So, the word for orange, the color or the fruit (naranja), might be misspelled as “naranga.”

Here are two videos that talk about the sounds of the J & G sounds in Spanish. First let’s start with the J sounds.

And the G sounds…

The Solution For Spanish Spelling Troubles

We all make spelling mistakes, in our own language and in languages we are learning. There is no need to stress over this.

People who become good spellers n their native languages do so because they tend to read a lot and see correct spellings a lot. It will be the same in Spanish.

The more exposure you have to reading in Spanish, the more your own spelling will improve. And with that continued exposure, you will be able to spot misspellings far easier!