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This variation of the Latin alphabet has been used since 1803. Since this date,ch and ll have been in the alphabet to represent themselves with individual sounds.However, in 1994 it was decided that words beginning with ch and ll should be alphabetized in the same place as the letters c and l respectively. This reform only affects the process in which the words are alphabetized and not the composition of the alphabet.

If you have textbooks or dictionaries prior 1994, you will notice that rr is included in the alphabet. Unlike ch and ll, the double letter rr was found to have the same sound as the r placed at the beginning of the words or before the consonants n, l, s. As a result it is not considered to be part of the alphabet.

You will find as you learn Spanish that vowels are often written with accents, as in tablón, and the U is sometimes topped with a dieresis or umlaut, as in vergüenza. However, vowels with such diacritical marks are not considered separate letters as they can be in some other languages.

SOUNDS OF THE LETTERS
A: a
B: be
C: ce
CH: che
D: de
E: e
F: efe
G: ge
H: hache
I: i
J: jota
K: ka
L: ele
LL: elle
M: eme
N: ene
Ñ: eñe
O: o
P: pe
Q: cu
R: ere
S: ese
T: te
U: u
V: ve or uve
W: doble ve or uve doble
X: equis
Y: i griega
Z: zeta

Please go to the video presentation to find an audio file with the sounds of the letters in the Spanish Alphabet (1994).

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