Pronouncing the LL of Spanish

Pronouncing the LL of Spanish More than any other letter combination, the ll of Spanish has a sound that varies with region. Even within one country, its sound can vary. The sound youre most likely to hear for the ll (and the sound youll hear in our​ audio lesson on the ll sound) is similar to the y of yellow. So in much of the Spanish-speaking world, there is no difference between the sound of the ll and of the y when it is used as a consonant. And if you pronounce the ll that way, you will be understood everywhere. In some areas, the ll sounds like the lli in million, so that calle would be pronounced something like CALL-yeh. Also common is pronouncing the ll something like the s in measure (sometimes called the zh sound), although perhaps a bit softer, and in some areas somewhat similar to the g sound of wage but softened a bit. Rarely, it can even have an sh sound. In these areas, the sounds of ll and y are differentiated. Sentences youll hear in the audio lesson are Llà ©venos al centro (take us downtown) and Ella no est en la calle (she isnt in the street).