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 !

The Catalan alphabet uses the same 26 letters as the standard Latin alphabet but includes additional accented vowels that are essential for proper pronunciation. Catalan features 8 vowel sounds represented by various accented forms: à, è, é, í, ò, ó, ú, and ü, as well as the cedilla ç for the soft "c" sound. The language belongs to the Romance family and is understood by 94.4% of the population in Catalonia and spoken by over 9.8 million people^[1] across Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, and parts of France and Italy^[2]. These diacritical marks are crucial for distinguishing meaning and ensuring correct pronunciation in Catalan.

Vowels (Uppercase):

Vowels (Lowercase):

Consonants (Uppercase):

Consonants (Lowercase):

A a

B b

C c

Ç ç

D d

E e

F f

G g

H h

I i

J j

K k

L l

M m

N n

O o

P p

Q q

R r

S s

T t

U u

V v

W w

X x

Y y

Z z

l·l

;

–

—

(

)

[

]

{

}

€

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 https://llengua.gencat.cat/en/el-catala/coneixement-i-us/
[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 https://www.llull.cat/english/aprendre_catala/certificats_intro.cfm