Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "alto" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce alto in Spanish?

alto is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈal.to/. It means “tall / high.” AHL-toh, stress on the first syllable, with a wide "ah" and a bright l.

AHL-toh, stress on the first syllable, with a wide "ah" and a bright l.

alto /ˈal.to/

Two syllables: AL-to, stressed on the first, as the rule for this ending requires. All four forms keep it. Worth knowing that "alto" also appears as a road sign meaning stop in much of Latin America, and as a musical voice part — same spelling, same stress, three different jobs.

Listen: alto

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Sound it out

al A wide-open "ah" as in "father", closed by a bright forward l. English darkens an l before a consonant — feel what happens in "salt" — and Spanish never does.

to A dental t with no puff of air and a pure "oh".

Hear it in a sentence

Ese edificio es muy alto.

That building is very tall.

Listen: Ese edificio es muy alto.

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"Ese edificio es muy alto" uses ser because height is an inherent property. "Edificio" is four beats, e-di-FI-cio, with a soft c before i and the io fusing into one final syllable. Say "muy alto" and the y glide runs straight into the a, giving mwee-AL-to with no break.

Where English speakers slip

The l is the giveaway: English speakers pull the tongue back before the t and produce a dark "AHW-toh", swallowing the consonant. Keep the tongue tip firmly behind the upper teeth. The opening vowel also gets flattened toward the English "alto" of music, which uses a different a. And the t must stay dry and dental rather than picking up an English puff.