Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "la silla" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce la silla in Spanish?

la silla is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /la ˈsi.ʝa/. It means “chair.” lah SEE-yah — the double l is a y sound, so this is nothing like English "silly".

lah SEE-yah — the double l is a y sound, so this is nothing like English "silly".

la silla /la ˈsi.ʝa/

Two syllables — SI-lla — with the stress on the first, which is the default placement. The ll counts as a single consonant for syllable division, so the break falls before it rather than between the two l's. The plural "sillas" keeps the same stress.

Listen: la silla

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Sound it out

la A bright forward l and a wide "ah". Note the contrast: this is a genuine l, while the ll in the noun is not.

si A voiceless hiss and a tight "ee" as in "see", carrying the stress.

lla The double l is one sound: a firm "y" as in "yes" across Latin America, made with the middle of the tongue rising toward the roof of the mouth. Then a wide-open "ah".

Hear it in a sentence

Esta silla está rota.

This chair is broken.

Listen: Esta silla está rota.

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"Esta silla está rota" uses estar for a broken state and makes the participle feminine. "Rota" opens with a trilled r, since it begins the word — a nice contrast with the y sound of the ll just before it. Say "está rota" and the two words link with the trill giving the phrase its punch.

Where English speakers slip

The English "silly" is the false friend that does the damage: readers produce "SILL-ah" with a real l. The ll is a y. The stressed i then wants slackening toward "ih", and the final a wants reducing. Having a true l in the article immediately before makes the contrast harder to hear, so practise the pair as a unit: lah-SEE-yah.