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Unit 1: First StepsLesson 3 of 5

The English Alphabet & Spelling

El Alfabeto Inglés y la Ortografía
Say all 26 letters
Spell your name
Tricky letters for Spanish speakers
Ask "How do you spell that?"
Warm-up
Why the Alphabet Matters / Por Qué el Alfabeto Importa

The English alphabet has 26 letters — the same letters as Spanish, minus ñ. But many letters are pronounced very differently! Knowing the alphabet lets you spell your name, understand email addresses, and ask for spelling.

El alfabeto inglés tiene 26 letras — las mismas que el español, menos la ñ. Pero muchas letras ¡se pronuncian muy diferente! Conocer el alfabeto te permite deletrear tu nombre, entender correos electrónicos y pedir la ortografía.

Focus / Enfoque
Letters That Trick Spanish Speakers

These letters sound very different in English vs. Spanish:

A
/eɪ/ (like "ay")
En español: /a/ — ¡Muy diferente!
Tap
E
/iː/ (like "ee")
En español: /e/ — En inglés suena como "i"
Tap
I
/aɪ/ (like "eye")
En español: /i/ — En inglés suena como "ai"
Tap
H
/eɪtʃ/ (say "aitch")
En español la H es muda — ¡en inglés NO!
Tap
J
/dʒeɪ/ (say "jay")
En español: /jota/ — Sonido muy diferente
Tap
G
/dʒiː/ (say "jee")
¡Cuidado! G suena casi como J en inglés
Tap
💡 How to Ask for Spelling
EnglishEspañol
How do you spell that?¿Cómo se deletrea eso?
Can you spell your name?¿Puedes deletrear tu nombre?
It's C-A-R-L-O-S.Es C-A-R-L-O-S.
💬
Real-Life Skill
English speakers spell things out loud all the time — at the doctor, on the phone, at the hotel. If someone doesn't understand your name, just say: "It's spelled M-A-R-I-A." This is completely normal! Los angloparlantes deletrean cosas en voz alta todo el tiempo. Si alguien no entiende tu nombre, solo di: "It's spelled M-A-R-I-A." ¡Es completamente normal!
Multiple ChoiceExercise 1 of 3
How is the letter "A" pronounced in the English alphabet?
¿Cómo se pronuncia la letra "A" en el alfabeto inglés?
A
/a/ (like Spanish "a")
B
/o/ (like "oh")
C
/ei/ (like "ay")
🎉
Correct! English "A" = /ei/ like "ay." Very different from Spanish!
💡
Not quite. English "A" is pronounced /ei/ like "ay" — not like the Spanish "a."
Fill in the BlankExercise 2 of 3
You don't understand someone's name. What do you ask?
No entiendes el nombre de alguien. ¿Qué preguntas? (Hint: "How do you...")
🎉
Perfect! "How do you spell that?" is the key phrase for asking someone to spell a word.
💡
The answer is: "How do you spell that?" This is a very useful phrase for real-life conversations!
Word OrderExercise 3 of 3
Put these words in order:
"¿Cómo se deletrea eso?"
spell
that
How
you
do
🎉
Excellent! "How do you spell that?" — perfect word order!
💡
The correct order is: "How do you spell that?"
Key Takeaways
English has 26 letters (no ñ). Same letters, very different pronunciation!
Vowels (A, E, I, O, U) sound completely different than in Spanish.
"How do you spell that?" = ¿Cómo se deletrea eso?
Spelling out loud is normal and very common in English culture.
Lesson 2: Numbers Lesson 4: Phrases