Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "entrar" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce entrar in Spanish?

entrar is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /enˈtɾaɾ/. It means “to enter / to go in.” en-TRAR, stress on the second syllable, with two crisp taps of the r.

en-TRAR, stress on the second syllable, with two crisp taps of the r.

entrar /enˈtɾaɾ/

Two syllables, en-TRAR, beat at the end because the word finishes in r. The verb is regular, so the present tense pulls the stress onto the stem: EN-tro, EN-tras, EN-tra — all following the default rule for words ending in a vowel or s, with nothing written to mark them.

Listen: entrar

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Sound it out

en A short "eh" as in "bed" and a fully released n. Unstressed but clear — no reduction toward "un".

tra A dry dental t joined immediately to a single tap of the r, then a wide-open "ah". English fuses t and r into a "ch"-like sound; Spanish keeps them separate and clean.

r A second single tap at the end of the word. Neither r in this word is trilled — the trill belongs to rr and to word-initial r only.

Hear it in a sentence

No podemos entrar sin boleto.

We can't go in without a ticket.

Listen: No podemos entrar sin boleto.

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"No podemos entrar sin boleto" strings three unstressed e vowels through the sentence, none of which may be reduced. "Sin" is one tight syllable, seen, and "boleto" is stressed on LE. Notice "entrar sin" links the final tap into the s that follows, so the two words share one continuous breath.

Where English speakers slip

The tr cluster is the difficulty. Say the English word "train" and you will hear a "ch" creeping in between the two consonants — Spanish has none of that, so the t stays a clean dental stop and the r is a single forward flick. The other habit is front-stressing to "EN-trar" by analogy with the English "enter", when the word's r ending puts the beat firmly at the end.