Spanish Letters Guide
Complete guide to special Spanish characters: ñ, á, é, í, ó, ú
The Spanish Alphabet
The Spanish alphabet has 27 letters: the same 26 as English, plus ñ. Spanish also uses accented vowels (á, é, í, ó, ú) to indicate stress and pronunciation.
Spanish Alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, Ñ, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
Ñ - The Spanish Letter
About Ñ
The letter ñ (called "eñe") is unique to Spanish and a few other languages. It's not just an "n" with decoration—it's a completely separate letter with its own sound.
Common Words with Ñ:
- mañana (tomorrow/morning)
- señor (mister)
- pequeño (small)
- compañía (company)
- montaña (mountain)
Accented Vowels (Vocales Acentuadas)
Á - A with Acute Accent
É - E with Acute Accent
Í - I with Acute Accent
Ó - O with Acute Accent
Ú - U with Acute Accent
Why Spanish Uses Accents
Spanish accents serve important purposes:
- Indicate Stress: Accents show which syllable to emphasize when pronouncing
- Distinguish Meaning: "si" (if) vs "sí" (yes), "tu" (your) vs "tú" (you)
- Mark Questions: "como" (like) vs "cómo" (how?)
How to Type Spanish Characters
On Windows
Alt + 164 = ñ
Alt + 160 = á
Alt + 130 = é
Alt + 161 = í
Alt + 162 = ó
Alt + 163 = ú
On Mac
Option + n, then n = ñ
Option + e, then a/e/i/o/u = á/é/í/ó/ú
On Mobile
Long-press any vowel to see accent options. Long-press "n" to get "ñ".
On Chromebook
Right Alt + n = ñ
Right Alt + vowel = accented vowel
Spanish Letter Frequency
Understanding which letters appear most often in Spanish helps with word games:
- Most Common: E, A, O, S, R, N, I, D, L, C
- Least Common: W, K, X, Q, J
- Ñ Frequency: Moderately common, appears in ~1% of Spanish words
Historical Note: CH, LL, and RR
Until 1994, Spanish considered CH and LL as separate letters. They're now considered digraphs (two-letter combinations) rather than independent letters, but they still have unique sounds:
- CH: Like "ch" in "church" (mucho, ocho)
- LL: Like "y" in "yes" in most dialects (llamar, calle)
- RR: Rolled "r" sound (perro, carro)
Common Mistakes
- Omitting accents: "ano" means "anus" while "año" means "year"
- Using tilde (~) instead of accent (´): They're different marks
- Confusing ñ with n: They represent different sounds
- Not knowing when accents are required: Some words change meaning without them