When it comes to Spanish and English, many sounds that are spelled the same are actually pronounced quite differently. Consequently, native Spanish speakers who learn English are unable to pronounce many English sounds with full clarity and confidence. This is also true in reverse for English native speakers who learn Spanish.
The only way to get confidence when speaking a new language is to understand the mechanical differences between the sounds in your native language and the target language. Then, it's important to practice the shape of the target sound until you gain the muscle memory for it, and it becomes second nature.
Let's explore the letter R, a key sound that is very different in Spanish versus English.
"R" Sound in Spanish Let's start with the “r” in Spanish, in Standard dialects of Latin/South American, Mexican, and Castilian Spanish.
1. Tap/Flap Sounds First, Spanish pronunciation uses a “tap” or “flap” sound, where the tongue-tip touches the hard palate (the alveolar ridge to be exact). This occurs where you see a single “r” in the spelling between vowels—including across word boundaries—and after certain consonants—p,b,t,d,c[k],g, and f sounds (with the exception of some prefixes like sub-).
2. Trill Sound A native Spanish speaker would also use a “trill” sound, where the tongue tip quickly vibrates by repeatedly touching the hard palate (the alveolar ridge again). This occurs where you see “rr” in the spelling OR when a word begins with “r.”
"R" Sound in Standard American English This English R is found in the GenAm, or General American Accent , which is the most neutral-sounding American accent.
1. Curled/Bunched Tongue R English uses a curled/bunched tongue R (a voiced, alveolar, approximant) where the tongue tip does not touch the top of the mouth. This sound doesn’t occur in Spanish. Think of the ending sound in the annoyed growling utterance, “Grrrrr!”
2. Spanish R Sound (But Not Where You Expect) It is interesting to note that American English pronunciation actually also has the Spanish "r" sound but not for an “r” spelling. It occurs in certain words with t or d like “butter” or “buddy.” The “r” in “carro” is similar to how an American would pronounce the last two syllables of “avocado” in English, namely that fast-action “d.”
How to Pronounce the American R Sound The first step is to understand that the sounds are made differently in each language, even though the spelling is the same. Congratulations -- you already did this by reading the explanation above! The second step is to actually practice this new mouth shape.
For Spanish speakers in English
The good news is, you can pronounce all “r”s this way—regardless of whether there’s one or two of them together and regardless of its position in a word.
Mastering the American R Pronunciation The R sound is one of the trickiest sounds to pronounce in the English language. However, it's definitely possible to master it! The key is learning the mouth shape of the R sound, and putting it to practice in words and sentences.
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