Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "correcto" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce correcto in Spanish?

correcto is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /koˈrek.to/. It means “correct / right.” koh-RREK-toh — the double r is a full rolled trill, and the stress sits on it.

koh-RREK-toh — the double r is a full rolled trill, and the stress sits on it.

correcto /koˈrek.to/

co-RREC-to: three syllables, and the second-to-last carries the beat, following the default rule. The rr counts as one consonant for syllable division, so the split falls before it, not through it. All four gendered and plural forms keep the same stress placement.

Listen: correcto

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Sound it out

co A hard k with no aspiration and a pure "oh". Unstressed, but the vowel stays fully rounded.

rr A full trill. The tongue tip rests loosely just behind the upper teeth and flutters as air passes. This is not a lengthened tap — it is a genuinely different sound, and it is what distinguishes rr from r everywhere in Spanish.

ec A short "eh" carrying the stress, closed by a hard k sound. The c before a consonant is always hard.

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

Hear it in a sentence

Esa respuesta es correcta.

That answer is correct.

Listen: Esa respuesta es correcta.

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"Esa respuesta es correcta" makes the adjective feminine to agree with "respuesta", which is itself worth hearing: res-PWES-ta, with the ue gliding into one beat. Two words in this sentence contain an r — "respuesta" with a single tap, "correcta" with a trill — giving you both Spanish r sounds side by side.

Where English speakers slip

The trill is the hurdle, and the usual English substitute is a single bunched r, which turns the word into something closer to "co-REK-to". If you cannot roll yet, a doubled tap is a far better stopgap than an English r, because the English version pulls the tongue backward and stops the vibration before it can start. The final o then wants reducing to "uh", which Spanish does not permit.