Spanish for English speakers House · Lesson 2

Spelling a name

Spell a name in Spanish using city names — 'B' como Barcelona (B as in Barcelona) — the Spanish equivalent of NATO phonetic.

Conversation

  1. Lindo Lindo

    Disculpa, ¿cómo deletreas Bolin?

    Excuse me, how do you spell Bolin?

    Tip: <deletreas> you spell

  2. Cassian Cassian

    "B" como Barcelona

    B as in Barcelona

    Tip: To make spelling easier to understand, it is common to name Spanish-speaking city names, when possible.

  3. Lindo Lindo

    "O" como Oviedo

    O as in Oviedo

  4. Cassian Cassian

    "L" come Lima

    L as in Lima

  5. Lindo Lindo

    "I" come Iquitos

    I as in Iquitos

  6. Cassian Cassian

    "N" come Nicaragua

    N as in Nicaragua

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How do you spell names clearly in Spanish?

Use a city or common name as a reference: B como Barcelona, A como Andalucía. Helps disambiguate similar sounds.

How do you ask 'how do you spell ...?' in Spanish?

¿Cómo deletreas ...? (informal) or ¿Cómo se deletrea ...? (impersonal). Deletrear = to spell.

Spanish letters with tricky sounds?

B and V sound similar (often called 'be larga' / 've corta'). G before e/i sounds like 'h'. J sounds like a guttural 'h'.

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