The Catalan alphabet uses the same 26 basic letters as English, but it assigns them differently. It also relies on digraphs such as ny, ll, rr, ss, gu, and qu, plus the special signs ç, l·l, and the diaeresis in ï/ü. Reading Catalan accurately therefore means learning spelling patterns, not importing English or Spanish letter values.
This page gives a contemporary Central Catalan baseline. Unlabelled examples are neutral standard Catalan; regional realizations are labeled. The table is a practical map rather than a complete account of every loanword or phonetic detail.
Letter names
The standard names below are useful when spelling a name aloud, giving an email address, or discussing an unfamiliar word.
| Letters | Standard Catalan names |
|---|---|
| a, b, c, d, e | a, be, ce, de, e |
| f, g, h, i, j | efa, ge, hac, i, jota |
| k, l, m, n, o | ca, ela, ema, ena, o |
| p, q, r, s, t | pe, cu, erra, essa, te |
| u, v, w, x, y, z | u, ve, ve doble, ics, i grega, zeta |
Alternative letter names occur: ve baixa for v and doble ve for w are familiar in parts of the Catalan-speaking territory (regional). The letters k, w, and y occur mainly in loanwords, symbols, and proper names. Ç is called ce trencada, but it is not a separate alphabetic letter.
El meu cognom s'escriu amb ce trencada: Gonçal.
My surname is spelled with c-cedilla: Gonçal.
La paraula quilòmetre comença amb cu.
The word quilòmetre begins with the letter q.
The stable consonant mappings
Several consonant letters are comparatively dependable. f, m, n, p, t normally have values close to their familiar European counterparts. h is silent in native vocabulary, while j represents the sound /ʒ/ in the Central baseline—the middle consonant of English vision, not English j.
| Spelling | Usual Central value | Example |
|---|---|---|
| f | /f/ | foc |
| m | /m/ | mare |
| n | /n/, adjusted before some consonants | nas |
| p | /p/ initially; final behavior depends on context | pa |
| t | /t/ initially; final behavior depends on context | tarda |
| h | silent | hora |
| j | /ʒ/ | jove |
A quina hora hem quedat?
What time did we agree to meet?
Neither h in hora nor h in hem is pronounced. English speakers sometimes add /h/; Spanish speakers generally know that h is silent, but must still avoid applying Spanish values to the surrounding vowels and consonants.
La Júlia menja peix cada dijous.
Júlia eats fish every Thursday.
The j in Júlia, menja, and dijous is normally /ʒ/ in Central Catalan. (regional: Valencian) it is commonly realized as the affricate /dʒ/ in these positions.
C and g depend on the following vowel
The “hard/soft” pattern is systematic:
| Spelling | Before a, o, u | Before e, i |
|---|---|---|
| c | /k/: casa, cosa, curt | /s/: cent, ciutat |
| g | /g/: gat, got, gust | /ʒ/: gel, gir |
To keep /k/ before e/i, Catalan writes qu; to keep /g/ there, it writes gu. The u is normally silent in these digraphs.
Aquest paquet és per a la Quimeta.
This parcel is for Quimeta.
The qu of aquest, paquet, and Quimeta represents /k/; do not pronounce a separate u.
En Guillem guarda la guitarra a l'habitació.
Guillem keeps the guitar in the bedroom.
The gu of Guillem and guitarra represents /g/ before i. In guarda, the written u is an ordinary pronounced vowel because gu is followed by a, not e/i.
When u really is pronounced between g/q and e/i, the spelling marks it with a diaeresis: gü, qü.
La qüestió és lingüística, no política.
The issue is linguistic, not political.
The diaereses in qüestió and lingüística prevent the reader from treating u as silent. This is a pronunciation instruction, not decoration.
S, ss, c, ç, and z
Catalan contrasts voiceless /s/ and voiced /z/. Initial s is usually /s/, intervocalic s is usually /z/, and intervocalic ss preserves /s/. C before e/i and ç before a/o/u also represent /s/. Initial z and intervocalic z represent /z/ in native and established vocabulary.
La Rosa passa sovint per aquesta plaça.
Rosa often passes through this square.
In the Central baseline, Rosa has /z/, passa has /s/, and plaça has /s/. Reading all three spellings as the same Spanish-like voiceless sound erases a real Catalan contrast.
A casa cacen mosquits a l'estiu.
At home they hunt mosquitoes in summer.
The near-minimal forms casa /ˈkazə/ “house” and caça /ˈkasə/ “hunt” show why voicing matters. The dedicated s and z page develops the contextual alternations.
The major digraphs
A digraph uses two letters for one consonant category or one tightly integrated sound. It must be read as a unit.
| Spelling | Central value | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ny | /ɲ/ | any |
| ll | /ʎ/ in the traditional standard | lluna |
| rr | trill /r/ between vowels | carrer |
| ss | /s/ between vowels | passar |
| tx | /tʃ/ | cotxe |
| tg, tj | /dʒ/ in Central Catalan | metge, platja |
| ig | commonly /tʃ/ word-finally after a vowel | maig |
Many Central speakers merge traditional /ʎ/ with /j/, a widespread phenomenon called ieisme (informal and regional variation). The traditional distinction remains useful for careful pronunciation and for understanding the spelling. Likewise, exact affricate voicing and distribution vary by region.
La Laia treballa lluny del centre.
Laia works far from the center.
In a traditional careful model, the ll in treballa and lluny is /ʎ/, not an English dark l and not automatically a Spanish y.
Al maig anirem a la platja amb cotxe.
In May we'll go to the beach by car.
This sentence contrasts final ig in maig, tj in platja, and tx in cotxe. Their historical spellings differ, but each points toward an affricate in the Central baseline.
X and ix: one spelling family, several values
The letter x is the least predictable common consonant letter. It can represent /ʃ/ in words such as xarxa, /ks/ in taxi, and /gz/ in words such as examen. The sequence ix often represents /ʃ/ after a vowel, as in peix and caixa; in some regions the i is more audible.
Deixa la caixa del peix aquí.
Leave the fish box here.
In the Central baseline, ix in deixa, caixa, and peix has the characteristic /ʃ/ outcome, with details conditioned by the word and variety. English x = /ks/ is therefore not a safe default.
B/v and r: spelling distinctions with regional or positional effects
Most Central speakers merge b and v as one phoneme. After a pause or nasal it is typically a stop-like [b]; between vowels it is often a softer approximant [β]. This is a contextual alternation, not an English /b/–/v/ lexical contrast.
El vi blanc és ben bo.
The white wine is really good.
For most Central speakers, the initial consonants of vi, blanc, ben, and bo belong to the same underlying b/v category, though position affects their realization. (regional: parts of Valencian and Balearic Catalan) b and v may remain distinct.
Single r between vowels is a tap, while initial r and intervocalic rr are trills in the reference model. Final r is often silent in Central Catalan, especially in infinitives, but is more consistently pronounced in Valencian (regional: Valencian). These details are covered on r and rr.
Slow form, connected form, and dialogue
First use a careful form that keeps the word boundaries perceptible:
Els avis han arribat ara.
Slow practice form: The grandparents have arrived now.
Then say the same sentence as one ordinary intonation group. In natural Central speech, consonants link to following vowels and the repeated vowel boundaries are smoothed:
Els avis han arribat ara!
Natural connected form: The grandparents have arrived now!
The orthography remains identical because connected-speech processes are predictable phonetic outcomes, not alternative spellings.
—Com s'escriu això? —Amb ela geminada: col·legi.
—How do you spell that? —With geminate l: col·legi.
This short exchange is everyday Catalan (informal) and illustrates why knowing letter names and special signs has immediate practical value.
Common Mistakes
1. Pronouncing every qu or gu with /u/.
❌ La guitarra, amb una u separada després de la ge.
Incorrect — u is normally silent in gu before e/i.
✅ En Guillem toca la guitarra.
Guillem plays the guitar — gu keeps /g/ before i.
2. Ignoring the diaeresis.
❌ Qüestió, com si s'escrivís questió.
Incorrect — the diaeresis says that u is pronounced.
✅ És una qüestió lingüística.
It's a linguistic issue — pronounce the u in qüe and güi.
3. Reading Catalan j like English j or Spanish j.
❌ La Júlia, amb el so anglès de John.
Incorrect in the Central baseline — Catalan j is normally /ʒ/.
✅ La Júlia menja peix.
Júlia eats fish — use Central /ʒ/ in Júlia and menja.
4. Confusing ll and l·l.
❌ Col·legi, pronunciat com si tingués ll palatal.
Incorrect — the middle dot separates a geminate or strengthened lateral.
✅ La filla va al col·legi.
The daughter goes to school — filla has ll, while col·legi has l·l.
5. Giving intervocalic s the value /s/.
❌ Casa, pronunciada igual que caça.
Incorrect — intervocalic s is voiced /z/ here.
✅ La casa és prop de la plaça.
The house is near the square — casa has /z/, plaça has /s/.
Key Takeaways
Start with the following vowel when reading c/g/qu/gu, treat digraphs as units, preserve the distinction between s and ss/ç, and never discard the information carried by ç, the diaeresis, apostrophes, hyphens, or the middle dot. Catalan orthography is context-sensitive, not chaotic: its apparent exceptions become manageable when letters are read in groups rather than in isolation.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- Catalan Pronunciation: A Practical MapA1 — A practical overview of how stress, vowel quality, consonants, syllable rhythm, and connected speech work together in Central Catalan.
- Syllables and Word RhythmA1 — Learn how Catalan builds syllables, divides consonant clusters, handles vowel sequences, and maintains rhythm in connected speech.
- Word Stress and the Written AccentA1 — Predict Catalan word stress and use acute and grave accents to identify exceptional stress and stressed vowel quality.
- B and V in Standard PronunciationA2 — Master the Central Catalan merger of b and v, their contextual pronunciations, and the regional varieties that preserve /b/–/v/.
- Voiced and Voiceless SA2 — Hear and produce the Catalan contrast between /s/ and /z/, read its main spellings, and apply voicing across word boundaries.
- G, J, GU, QU, and the DiaeresisA2 — Read Catalan g, j, gu, and qu by context, and use the diaeresis to know when written u is pronounced.