LingoDrop
Spanish · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "el mundo" in Spanish?
el MOON-doh — the u is a rounded "oo", not the flat vowel of English "mud".
Two syllables: MUN-do, stressed on the first, which is where the default rule puts it for a vowel-final word. The adjective "mundial" adds a syllable and shifts the beat to the end because it finishes in l — mun-DIAL, with the ia gliding into one final sound. Same root, opposite rhythm.
Listen: el mundo
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
Quiero viajar por el mundo.
I want to travel around the world.
Listen: Quiero viajar por el mundo.
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"Quiero viajar por el mundo" uses "por" for movement through or around a space, which is the right preposition here — "para el mundo" would mean for the world's benefit. "Viajar" has a v as a b sound and the throaty j, and is stressed at the end because of its r ending.
Where English speakers slip
English "mundane" supplies a flat, unrounded vowel, and the word loses its roundness as a result. The final o then wants reducing to "uh". And the d after the n should soften rather than pop — English speakers make it a full stop, which gives the word a harder edge than it has in Spanish.