How to pronounce ll in castilian spanish

Spanish Consonant

The pronunciation of the Spanish letter LL varies depending on where you are in the Spanish-speaking world. On this site, as in most of Latin America and parts of Spain, it is pronounced like an English Y.*

Por ejemplo…

lloviendo   raining
cuello   neck
mejilla   cheek
rodilla   knee

Also see L lesson.

 In Spanish, LL was once considered a single letter. It’s very important to be aware of this when looking something up in an older Spanish dictionary, in which the LL section was between the L and M sections. For example, llama was located after luz.

Please note that this explanation is only a guideline for the Spanish that I know, which is Castilian Spanish. There are many regional variations in Spanish pronunciation.

 * Not demonstrated here but for your reference, it can also sound like an English Y with a hint of an L in front of it (softer than in the English words "million" or "scallion").

In Argentina and Uruguay, ll is pronounced similarly to the "zh" sound at the end of "massage." This is called yeísmo.

  • Consonants
  • Spanish alphabet
  • Spanish-speaking countries
     

 En français

  • Les lettres ll

 In italiano

  • La lettera l
     

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How to pronounce ll in castilian spanish

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How to pronounce ll in castilian spanish

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  • Spanish (Mexico)

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How to pronounce ll in castilian spanish

  • Spanish (Spain)

They sound equal, that's the only common thing.

How to pronounce ll in castilian spanish

  • English (UK)
  • Persian

@SantiagoFK really?
I read somewhere that It sounds like lli as in ((William)).
And that caballo would be pronounced Cabalyo instead of cabayo

How to pronounce ll in castilian spanish

  • Spanish (Spain)

Here's two words, Caballo = horseYoyó = yo-yo (toy)

How to pronounce ll in castilian spanish

  • Spanish (Spain)

@MHabdollahi84 There is a difference. However nowadays almost everyone in Spain pronounce LL as a Y. It's a phenomenon called "yeismo". Because the Y is easier to pronounce than the LL. I was taught in school they were pronounce differently but in real life I only heard a few people pronouncing the LL properly. It's quite common to heard it from voice actors.But I guess it depends on the region or the country. Here's a video where you can heard the difference:https://youtu.be/5HnBwTMCGik

How to pronounce ll in castilian spanish

  • Spanish (Spain)

I remember at school they teached me to say it different, similar sounds but being stronger in "y" but I think I say both in the same way. Some regions of Spain know how to make that sutile difference, and use it as two different sounds.

How to pronounce ll in castilian spanish

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How to pronounce ll in castilian spanish

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What is LL in Spanish alphabet?

The ñ or Ñ is the fifteenth letter in the Spanish alphabet. And there used to be even more Spanish letters! For example, there used to be a double L and a CH, too. But in 1994, the Spanish Royal Academy eliminated the LL and CH from the Spanish language alphabet.

What is the difference in the pronunciation of the Spanish l and ll?

In Spanish, the letter l is pronounced exactly as in English. When two of the letter ls are together, ll, the pronunciation is similar to the letter "y" in English. Juan lavó la ropa.