English Pronunciation for Spanish Speakers: 7 Sound Fixes
ESL Pronunciation • QuickPronounce Team • 9 min read • August 21, 2026
Spanish has five clean vowels and no /h/ sound, which shapes how Spanish speakers hear and produce English. The mistakes below are predictable, which is good news: predictable mistakes are fixable mistakes.
The Seven Sound Fixes
Each fix targets a sound English uses that Spanish does not, or uses differently. Work through one sound per day rather than all seven at once.
/ʃ/ vs /tʃ/
The mistake: Saying “chip” for “ship” because most Spanish dialects have no /ʃ/.
The fix: For /ʃ/, pull the tongue slightly back and let air flow over the sides without stopping it. For /tʃ/, stop the air completely first, then release.
Practise with: ship, shop, sure, wish
/h/
The mistake: Dropping English /h/ because written h is silent in Spanish (“hotel” becomes “o-tel”).
The fix: English h is a real breathy sound. Practise with a mirror: exhale like fogging glass, then add the vowel: ha, he, hi, ho, hu.
Practise with: hotel, happy, behind, perhaps
/v/ vs /b/
The mistake: Merging them into one sound: “bery” for “very” or “bane” for “vane”.
The fix: For /v/, rest your top teeth lightly on your lower lip and buzz. Keep the lip-to-teeth contact the whole time; never close both lips.
Practise with: very, vase, love, drive
/ɪ/ vs /iː/
The mistake: Pronouncing both the same, so “ship” and “sheep” sound identical.
The fix: /ɪ/ is short, relaxed and slightly lower; /iː/ is long with a smile-wide mouth. Alternate pairs slowly: sit-seat, fill-feel, live-leave.
Practise with: sit, big, this, beach
Final consonants
The mistake: Softening or dropping final stops: “dog” becomes “dah”, “and” becomes “an”.
The fix: End every word with full tongue or lip contact, even if you release it quietly. Tap the final T/D/K/P/B deliberately at first.
Practise with: dog, about, first, job
Consonant clusters
The mistake: Adding an e before s-clusters: “eschool”, “espeak”, “estop”.
The fix: Start the cluster directly with /s/. Practise holding a hiss then sliding into the next consonant with no vowel between: s-kool, s-pik.
Practise with: school, speak, stop, special
/dʒ/ and /j/
The mistake: “Jump” sounds like “yump”; /j/ in yes creeps into /dʒ/ words.
The fix: /dʒ/ starts with a stopped d-like contact plus friction; /j/ is pure glide with no friction. Contrast slowly: jam-yam, joke-yoke.
Practise with: job, enjoy, change, large
Daily Drill
Read this aloud twice daily, exaggerating every marked sound: “Vera has a very heavy silver van. She ships fresh fish and chips to the ship. Her dog sits on the big red seat.” Record yourself on day 1 and day 7 and compare.
Check Every Word by Ear
All practice words above exist on QuickPronounce. Search any word, play the audio in both American and British accents, then repeat it three times before moving on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which mistake matters most to fix first?
The /v/–/b/ merge and dropped final consonants, because they change meaning most often (berry vs very, dog vs dock). Fix those two and listeners understand you noticeably better within days.
Is my accent a problem?
No. Listeners accept accents easily when sounds are distinct and stress is correct. This guide targets only the differences that create misunderstandings.
Related pronunciation guides
- IPA Guide: Master Pronunciation Symbols
- Connected Speech Guide for Natural Rhythm
- Word Stress Rules Guide
About the author
Krishna Golwala — Founder, QuickPronounce