Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "el aeropuerto" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce el aeropuerto in Spanish?

el aeropuerto is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /el a.e.ɾoˈpweɾ.to/. It means “airport.” el ah-eh-roh-PWEHR-toh, five beats — the a and e are separate syllables.

el ah-eh-roh-PWEHR-toh, five beats — the a and e are separate syllables.

el aeropuerto /el a.e.ɾoˈpweɾ.to/

Five syllables: a-e-ro-PUER-to, stressed on the second-to-last, which is where the default rule puts it. The a-e hiatus at the front adds a beat that English readers routinely lose, while the ue in the middle fuses into one — so the word has a hiatus and a diphthong pulling in opposite directions.

Listen: el aeropuerto

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Sound it out

a-e Two strong vowels side by side, each getting its own beat: "ah" then "eh". Spanish never merges these, and no accent is needed to keep them apart.

ro A single tap of the tongue tip and a pure "oh". One flick, not a roll, since the r sits between vowels.

puer An unaspirated p, then the u gliding into the e as a w, closed by a second single tap. One beat, "pwehr", carrying the stress.

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

Hear it in a sentence

Llegamos al aeropuerto a tiempo.

We arrived at the airport on time.

Listen: Llegamos al aeropuerto a tiempo.

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"Llegamos al aeropuerto a tiempo" uses "al", the compulsory contraction of a plus el, and "a tiempo" for on time. "Llegamos" opens with the double l as a y sound. Say "al aeropuerto" and the l links straight into the a.

Where English speakers slip

Squash the opening ae into one syllable, on the model of English "aero-", and you get "AIR-o-puerto". Both vowels are strong and each takes a beat: ah-eh. The ue then gets split, which is the opposite error in the same word. And the two r's both want the English curl instead of forward flicks.