Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "cerca" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce cerca in Spanish?

cerca is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈseɾ.ka/. It means “near / close by.” SEHR-kah — the first c is an s and the second is a k, decided by the vowel after each.

SEHR-kah — the first c is an s and the second is a k, decided by the vowel after each.

cerca /ˈseɾ.ka/

Two syllables: CER-ca, stressed on the first, the placement the default rule gives for a vowel-final word. As an adverb it never changes form. The related adjective "cercano" adds a syllable and moves the beat to CA, again second-to-last, which shows the rule working consistently across the family.

Listen: cerca

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Sound it out

ce Before an e, the c is a plain "s" in Latin American Spanish, followed by a short "eh". This is the stressed beat.

r A single quick tap of the tongue tip. It closes the first syllable without colouring the vowel before it.

ca Before an a, the same letter c is a hard k with no puff of air, followed by a wide-open "ah".

Hear it in a sentence

El hotel está cerca.

The hotel is nearby.

Listen: El hotel está cerca.

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"El hotel está cerca" uses estar, since proximity is a matter of position rather than identity. The h in "hotel" is silent, so the article and noun run together as e-lo-TEL. Note that Spanish needs "cerca de" when a specific thing follows — "cerca del hotel" — but bare "cerca" when nothing does.

Where English speakers slip

The two c's are the puzzle, and learners tend to make both the same, giving either "KER-ka" or "SER-sa". Spanish decides by the following vowel: c before e or i is an s, c before a, o or u is a k. The r in the middle then gets the English curl, which bends the "eh" into "ur" — it should be a single flick with the vowel left clean.