The Catalan Alphabet - Vowels, Consonants, Accented Letters & more

Q: How many letters are in the Catalan alphabet?

The Catalan alphabet uses the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet [3] , plus additional accented vowels (à, è, é, í, ò, ó, ú, ü) and the cedilla ç for complete representation of Catalan sounds.

Q: What are those accent marks in Catalan?

Catalan uses lots of accent marks to show how to pronounce vowels correctly: • Grave accents : à, è, ò - make sounds more open • Acute accents : é, í, ó, ú - make sounds more closed/sharp • Diaeresis : ü - makes the u sound separate • Cedilla : ç - makes a soft "s" sound They're not just decoration - they change how words sound !

Q: Where is Catalan spoken?

Catalan is spoken in several cool places: • Catalonia (northeast Spain) - where Barcelona is! • Valencia - they call it Valencian there • Balearic Islands - Mallorca, Ibiza, etc. • Andorra - tiny country where it's the official language Over 9.8 million people speak Catalan worldwide [1] !

Q: Is Catalan similar to Spanish?

They're related but different ! Think of them as cousins: • Both come from Latin (like French and Italian) • Catalan sounds more like French in some ways • Different grammar rules and vocabulary • Spanish: "buenos días" vs Catalan: "bon dia" (good day) It's its own unique language , not a dialect!

Q: Why does Catalan have so many accented letters?

Great question! Catalan accents help because: • Pronunciation guide - they tell you exactly how to say words • Word meaning - accents can change what a word means • Stress patterns - show which part of the word to emphasize • Historical reasons - evolved from how Latin changed over time Think of them as helpful pronunciation hints !

Catalan Alphabet at a Glance

26 letters from Latin script with distinctive accented vowels and cedilla
Accented vowels: à, è, é, í, ò, ó, ú, ü and cedilla (ç)
Romance language spoken in Catalonia, Valencia, Balearic Islands, and parts of France
Understood by 94.4% of Catalonia population ^[1]
Spoken by over 9.8 million people across multiple regions ^[2]
Rich literary tradition dating back to medieval troubadours

Vowels (Uppercase):

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[ah]

Uppercase vowel A (A) pronounced as "ah". Local pronunciation: "A". Used in words like "Amor" (Love).

[ah]

Capital A with grave accent (À). Local pronunciation: "A greu".

[eh]

Uppercase vowel E (E) pronounced as "eh". Local pronunciation: "E". Used in words like "Europa" (Europe).

[eh]

Capital E with grave accent (È). Local pronunciation: "E greu".

[eh]

Capital E with acute accent (É). Local pronunciation: "E aguda".

[ee]

Uppercase vowel I (I) pronounced as "ee". Local pronunciation: "I". Used in words like "Itàlia" (Italy).

[ee]

Capital I with acute accent (Í). Local pronunciation: "I aguda".

[ee]

Capital I with diaeresis (Ï). Local pronunciation: "I trema".

[oh]

Uppercase vowel O (O) pronounced as "oh". Local pronunciation: "O". Used in words like "Òpera" (Opera).

[oh]

Capital O with grave accent (Ò). Local pronunciation: "O greu".

[oh]

Capital O with acute accent (Ó). Local pronunciation: "O aguda".

[oo]

Uppercase vowel U (U) pronounced as "oo". Local pronunciation: "U". Used in words like "Un" (One).

[oo]

Capital U with acute accent (Ú). Local pronunciation: "U aguda".

[oo]

Capital U with diaeresis (Ü). Local pronunciation: "U trema".

Vowels (Lowercase):

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[ah]

Vowel A (a) pronounced as "ah". Local pronunciation: "a". Used in words like "casa" (house).

[ah]

A with grave accent (à) pronounced as open "ah". Local pronunciation: "a greu". Used in words like "parà" (word).

[eh]

Vowel E (e) pronounced as neutral "eh". Local pronunciation: "e". Used in words like "terra" (earth).

[eh]

E with grave accent (è) pronounced as open "eh". Local pronunciation: "e greu". Used in words like "després" (after).

[eh]

E with acute accent (é) pronounced as closed "eh". Local pronunciation: "e aguda". Used in words like "cafè" (coffee).

[ee]

Vowel I (i) pronounced as "ee". Local pronunciation: "i". Used in words like "fins" (until).

[ee]

I with acute accent (í) pronounced as stressed "ee". Local pronunciation: "i aguda". Used in words like "país" (country).

[ee]

I with diaeresis (ï) indicates separate syllable. Local pronunciation: "i trema". Used in words like "veïna" (neighbour).

[oh]

Vowel O (o) pronounced as neutral "oh". Local pronunciation: "o". Used in words like "home" (man).

[oh]

O with grave accent (ò) pronounced as open "oh". Local pronunciation: "o greu". Used in words like "història" (history).

[oh]

O with acute accent (ó) pronounced as closed "oh". Local pronunciation: "o aguda". Used in words like "acció" (action).

[oo]

Vowel U (u) pronounced as "oo". Local pronunciation: "u". Used in words like "un" (one).

[oo]

U with acute accent (ú) pronounced as stressed "oo". Local pronunciation: "u aguda". Used in words like "núvol" (cloud).

[oo]

U with diaeresis (ü) indicates separate syllable. Local pronunciation: "u trema". Used in words like "qüestió" (question).

Consonants (Uppercase):

[BEH]

[SEH]

[SE TRENCADA]

[DEH]

[EFE]

[GEH]

[HACHE]

[JOTA]

[KA]

[ELE]

[EME]

[ENE]

[PE]

[KU]

[ERRE]

[ESE]

[TE]

[UVE]

[UVE DOBLE]

[IKS]

[I GREGA]

[ZETA]

[BEH]

Uppercase consonant B (B) pronounced as "b". Local pronunciation: "Be". Used in words like "Barcelona".

[SEH]

Uppercase consonant C (C) pronounced as "k" or "s". Local pronunciation: "Ce". Used in words like "Catalunya" (Catalonia).

[SE TRENCADA]

Capital C with cedilla (Ç) pronounced as "s". Local pronunciation: "Ce trencada". Used in words like "França" (France).

[DEH]

Uppercase consonant D (D) pronounced as "d". Local pronunciation: "De". Used in words like "Diumenge" (Sunday).

[EFE]

Uppercase consonant F (F) pronounced as "f". Local pronunciation: "Efa". Used in words like "França" (France).

[GEH]

Uppercase consonant G (G) pronounced as "g" or "zh". Local pronunciation: "Ge". Used in words like "Girona".

[HACHE]

Uppercase consonant H (H) is silent in Catalan. Local pronunciation: "Hac". Used in words like "Hotel".

[JOTA]

Uppercase consonant J (J) pronounced as "zh". Local pronunciation: "Jota". Used in words like "Joan" (John).

[KA]

Uppercase consonant K (K) pronounced as "k". Local pronunciation: "Ca". Used in loanwords.

[ELE]

Uppercase consonant L (L) pronounced as "l". Local pronunciation: "Ela". Used in words like "Lleida".

[EME]

Uppercase consonant M (M) pronounced as "m". Local pronunciation: "Ema". Used in words like "Madrid".

[ENE]

Uppercase consonant N (N) pronounced as "n". Local pronunciation: "Ena". Used in words like "Nadal" (Christmas).

[PE]

Uppercase consonant P (P) pronounced as "p". Local pronunciation: "Pe". Used in words like "París" (Paris).

[KU]

Uppercase consonant Q (Q) pronounced as "k". Local pronunciation: "Cu". Used in words like "Quan" (When).

[ERRE]

Uppercase consonant R (R) pronounced as "r". Local pronunciation: "Erra". Used in words like "Roma" (Rome).

[ESE]

Uppercase consonant S (S) pronounced as "s". Local pronunciation: "Essa". Used in words like "Setembre" (September).

[TE]

Uppercase consonant T (T) pronounced as "t". Local pronunciation: "Te". Used in words like "Tarragona".

[UVE]

Uppercase consonant V (V) pronounced as "v". Local pronunciation: "Ve baixa". Used in words like "València".

[UVE DOBLE]

Uppercase consonant W (W) used in foreign words. Local pronunciation: "Ve doble". Used in words like "Web".

[IKS]

Uppercase consonant X (X) pronounced as "ks" or "sh". Local pronunciation: "Ics". Used in words like "Xarxa" (Network).

[I GREGA]

Uppercase consonant Y (Y) used in foreign words. Local pronunciation: "I grega". Used in words like "Yoga".

[ZETA]

Uppercase consonant Z (Z) pronounced as "z". Local pronunciation: "Zeta". Used in words like "Zona" (Zone).

Consonants (Lowercase):

[beh]

[seh]

[deh]

[feh]

[zheh]

[hah]

[zhoh]

[kah]

[leh]

[meh]

[neh]

[peh]

[koo]

[reh]

[seh]

[teh]

[veh]

[weh]

[sheh]

[yeh]

[zeh]

[beh]

Consonant B (b) pronounced as "b". Local pronunciation: "be". Used in words like "bé" (well).

[seh]

Consonant C (c) pronounced as "k" or "s". Local pronunciation: "ce". Used in words like "casa" (house) or "cent" (hundred).

[seh]

C with cedilla (ç) pronounced as "s". Local pronunciation: "ce trencada". Used in words like "plaça" (square).

[deh]

Consonant D (d) pronounced as "d". Local pronunciation: "de". Used in words like "dia" (day).

[feh]

Consonant F (f) pronounced as "f". Local pronunciation: "efa". Used in words like "foc" (fire).

[zheh]

Consonant G (g) pronounced as "g" or "zh". Local pronunciation: "ge". Used in words like "gat" (cat).

[hah]

Consonant H (h) is silent in Catalan. Local pronunciation: "hac". Used in words like "hora" (hour).

[zhoh]

Consonant J (j) pronounced as "zh". Local pronunciation: "jota". Used in words like "jove" (young).

[kah]

Consonant K (k) pronounced as "k". Local pronunciation: "ca". Used in loanwords like "kebab".

[leh]

Consonant L (l) pronounced as "l". Local pronunciation: "ela". Used in words like "llum" (light).

[meh]

Consonant M (m) pronounced as "m". Local pronunciation: "ema". Used in words like "mare" (mother).

[neh]

Consonant N (n) pronounced as "n". Local pronunciation: "ena". Used in words like "nit" (night).

[peh]

Consonant P (p) pronounced as "p". Local pronunciation: "pe". Used in words like "pare" (father).

[koo]

Consonant Q (q) pronounced as "k". Local pronunciation: "cu". Used in words like "quan" (when).

[reh]

Consonant R (r) pronounced as "r". Local pronunciation: "erra". Used in words like "rosa" (rose).

[seh]

Consonant S (s) pronounced as "s". Local pronunciation: "essa". Used in words like "sol" (sun).

[teh]

Consonant T (t) pronounced as "t". Local pronunciation: "te". Used in words like "temps" (time).

[veh]

Consonant V (v) pronounced as "v". Local pronunciation: "ve baixa". Used in words like "veure" (to see).

[weh]

Consonant W (w) used in foreign words. Local pronunciation: "ve doble". Used in words like "web".

[sheh]

Consonant X (x) pronounced as "ks" or "sh". Local pronunciation: "ics". Used in words like "xarxa" (network).

[yeh]

Consonant Y (y) used in foreign words. Local pronunciation: "i grega". Used in words like "yoga".

[zeh]

Consonant Z (z) pronounced as "z". Local pronunciation: "zeta". Used in words like "zona" (zone).

A a

[AH/ah]

B b

[BEH/beh]

C c

[SEH/seh]

Ç ç

[SE TRENCADA/se trencada]

D d

[DEH/deh]

E e

[EH/eh]

F f

[EFE/efe]

G g

[GEH/geh]

H h

[HACHE/hache]

I i

[EE/ee]

J j

[JOTA/jota]

K k

[KA/ka]

L l

[ELE/ele]

M m

[EME/eme]

N n

[ENE/ene]

O o

[OH/oh]

P p

[PE/pe]

Q q

[KU/ku]

R r

[ERRE/erre]

S s

[ESE/ese]

T t

[TE/te]

U u

[OO/oo]

V v

[UVE/uve]

W w

[UVE DOBLE/uve doble]

X x

[IKS/iks]

Y y

[I GREGA/i grega]

Z z

[ZETA/zeta]

A a

[AH/ah]

Letter A (A) pronounced as "ah". Local pronunciation: "A". It can be uppercase (A) or lowercase (a). Used in words like "casa" (house).

B b

[BEH/beh]

Letter B (B) pronounced as "b". Local pronunciation: "Be". It can be uppercase (B) or lowercase (b). Used in words like "bé" (well).

C c

[SEH/seh]

Letter C (C) pronounced as "k" or "s". Local pronunciation: "Ce". It can be uppercase (C) or lowercase (c). Used in words like "casa" (house).

Ç ç

[SE TRENCADA/se trencada]

Letter Ç (C cedilla) pronounced as "s". Local pronunciation: "Ce trencada". It can be uppercase (Ç) or lowercase (ç). Used in words like "plaça" (square).

D d

[DEH/deh]

Letter D (D) pronounced as "d". Local pronunciation: "De". It can be uppercase (D) or lowercase (d). Used in words like "dia" (day).

E e

[EH/eh]

Letter E (E) pronounced as "eh". Local pronunciation: "E". It can be uppercase (E) or lowercase (e). Used in words like "terra" (earth).

F f

[EFE/efe]

Letter F (F) pronounced as "f". Local pronunciation: "Efa". It can be uppercase (F) or lowercase (f). Used in words like "foc" (fire).

G g

[GEH/geh]

Letter G (G) pronounced as "g" or "zh". Local pronunciation: "Ge". It can be uppercase (G) or lowercase (g). Used in words like "gat" (cat).

H h

[HACHE/hache]

Letter H (H) is silent in Catalan. Local pronunciation: "Hac". It can be uppercase (H) or lowercase (h). Used in words like "hora" (hour).

I i

[EE/ee]

Letter I (I) pronounced as "ee". Local pronunciation: "I". It can be uppercase (I) or lowercase (i). Used in words like "fins" (until).

J j

[JOTA/jota]

Letter J (J) pronounced as "zh". Local pronunciation: "Jota". It can be uppercase (J) or lowercase (j). Used in words like "jove" (young).

K k

[KA/ka]

Letter K (K) pronounced as "k". Local pronunciation: "Ca". It can be uppercase (K) or lowercase (k). Used in loanwords.

L l

[ELE/ele]

Letter L (L) pronounced as "l". Local pronunciation: "Ela". It can be uppercase (L) or lowercase (l). Used in words like "llum" (light).

M m

[EME/eme]

Letter M (M) pronounced as "m". Local pronunciation: "Ema". It can be uppercase (M) or lowercase (m). Used in words like "mare" (mother).

N n

[ENE/ene]

Letter N (N) pronounced as "n". Local pronunciation: "Ena". It can be uppercase (N) or lowercase (n). Used in words like "nit" (night).

O o

[OH/oh]

Letter O (O) pronounced as "oh". Local pronunciation: "O". It can be uppercase (O) or lowercase (o). Used in words like "home" (man).

P p

[PE/pe]

Letter P (P) pronounced as "p". Local pronunciation: "Pe". It can be uppercase (P) or lowercase (p). Used in words like "pare" (father).

Q q

[KU/ku]

Letter Q (Q) pronounced as "k". Local pronunciation: "Cu". It can be uppercase (Q) or lowercase (q). Used in words like "quan" (when).

R r

[ERRE/erre]

Letter R (R) pronounced as "r". Local pronunciation: "Erra". It can be uppercase (R) or lowercase (r). Used in words like "rosa" (rose).

S s

[ESE/ese]

Letter S (S) pronounced as "s". Local pronunciation: "Essa". It can be uppercase (S) or lowercase (s). Used in words like "sol" (sun).

T t

[TE/te]

Letter T (T) pronounced as "t". Local pronunciation: "Te". It can be uppercase (T) or lowercase (t). Used in words like "temps" (time).

U u

[OO/oo]

Letter U (U) pronounced as "oo". Local pronunciation: "U". It can be uppercase (U) or lowercase (u). Used in words like "un" (one).

V v

[UVE/uve]

Letter V (V) pronounced as "v". Local pronunciation: "Ve baixa". It can be uppercase (V) or lowercase (v). Used in words like "veure" (to see).

W w

[UVE DOBLE/uve doble]

Letter W (W) used in foreign words. Local pronunciation: "Ve doble". It can be uppercase (W) or lowercase (w). Used in words like "web".

X x

[IKS/iks]

Letter X (X) pronounced as "ks" or "sh". Local pronunciation: "Ics". It can be uppercase (X) or lowercase (x). Used in words like "xarxa" (network).

Y y

[I GREGA/i grega]

Letter Y (Y) used in foreign words. Local pronunciation: "I grega". It can be uppercase (Y) or lowercase (y). Used in words like "yoga".

Z z

[ZETA/zeta]

Letter Z (Z) pronounced as "z". Local pronunciation: "Zeta". It can be uppercase (Z) or lowercase (z). Used in words like "zona" (zone).

[zero]

[oo]

[dos]

[tres]

[kwah-treh]

[sinek]

[sis]

[set]

[voot]

[noh]

[zero]

Digit 0 (zero) pronounced as "zero". Local pronunciation: "zero". Used in numbers and mathematics.

[oo]

Digit 1 (one) pronounced as "u". Local pronunciation: "u". Used in counting and numbers.

[dos]

Digit 2 (two) pronounced as "dos". Local pronunciation: "dos". Used in counting and numbers.

[tres]

Digit 3 (three) pronounced as "tres". Local pronunciation: "tres". Used in counting and numbers.

[kwah-treh]

Digit 4 (four) pronounced as "quatre". Local pronunciation: "quatre". Used in counting and numbers.

[sinek]

Digit 5 (five) pronounced as "cinc". Local pronunciation: "cinc". Used in counting and numbers.

[sis]

Digit 6 (six) pronounced as "sis". Local pronunciation: "sis". Used in counting and numbers.

[set]

Digit 7 (seven) pronounced as "set". Local pronunciation: "set". Used in counting and numbers.

[voot]

Digit 8 (eight) pronounced as "vuit". Local pronunciation: "vuit". Used in counting and numbers.

[noh]

Digit 9 (nine) pronounced as "nou". Local pronunciation: "nou". Used in counting and numbers.

[nyeh]

[yeh]

l·l

[leh-leh]

[rreh]

[seh]

[sheh]

[djeh]

[nyeh]

Digraph ny pronounced like Spanish "ñ" or English "ny". Local pronunciation: "eny". Used in words like "any" (year).

[yeh]

Digraph ll pronounced as palatal "y" sound. Local pronunciation: "ela geminada". Used in words like "lluna" (moon).

l·l

[leh-leh]

Geminated l·l pronounced as double "l". Local pronunciation: "ela punt ela". Used in words like "col·legi" (school).

[rreh]

Digraph rr pronounced as strongly rolled "r". Local pronunciation: "erra doble". Used in words like "serra" (mountain).

[seh]

Digraph ss pronounced as "s". Local pronunciation: "essa doble". Used in words like "massa" (mass).

[sheh]

Digraph ix pronounced like "sh". Local pronunciation: "ics". Used in words like "caixa" (box).

[djeh]

Digraph tg pronounced like "dj". Local pronunciation: "te ge". Used in words like "jutge" (judge).

[djeh]

Digraph dj pronounced like "dj". Local pronunciation: "de jota". Used in words like "adjudicar" (to adjudicate).

[punt]

[coma]

;

[punt i coma]

[dos punts]

[interrogant]

[exclamacio]

[apostrofe]

[cometes]

[cometes obertes]

[cometes tancades]

[guio]

–

[guio llarg]

—

[ratlla]

[guio baix]

(

[parentesi obert]

)

[parentesi tancat]

[

[claudator obert]

]

[claudator tancat]

{

[clau oberta]

}

[clau tancada]

[barra]

[barra inversa]

[barra vertical]

[arrova]

[coixinet]

€

[euro]

[percent]

[circumflex]

[ampersand]

[asterisc]

[mes]

[igual]

[menor que]

[major que]

[accent greu]

[titlla]

[punt volat]

Expand All Collapse All

How many letters are in the Catalan alphabet?

What are those accent marks in Catalan?

Where is Catalan spoken?

Is Catalan similar to Spanish?

Why does Catalan have so many accented letters?

References:

[1] Generalitat de Catalunya. "Knowledge and use. Catalan Language". Retrieved from Catalan Language Policy
[2] Ethnologue. "Catalan Language (CAT) - L1 & L2 Speakers, Status, Map". Retrieved from https://www.ethnologue.com/language/cat/
[3] Institut Ramon Llull. "Learning catalan - Catalan language certificates". Retrieved from Ramon Llull Institute