Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "rápido" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce rápido in Spanish?

rápido is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈra.pi.ðo/. It means “fast.” RRAH-pee-thoh — a rolled r to open, and the accent pins the stress to the first syllable.

RRAH-pee-thoh — a rolled r to open, and the accent pins the stress to the first syllable.

rápido /ˈra.pi.ðo/

Three syllables, RÁ-pi-do, and the accent is mandatory. The word ends in a vowel, so the default would give ra-PI-do. The mark drags the beat back to the third-from-last syllable, and Spanish writes an accent on every single word stressed that far back — no exceptions, which makes these the most predictable accents in the language.

Listen: rápido

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Sound it out

rá At the start of a word Spanish r is a full trill: the tongue tip rests loosely behind the upper teeth and flutters as air passes. Then a wide-open "ah" carrying the accent.

pi An unaspirated p and a tight "ee". English speakers puff their p heavily; hold a palm to your mouth and check nothing moves.

do A soft d between vowels — the tongue brushes the upper teeth without sealing them, close to the th of "those" — plus a pure "oh".

Hear it in a sentence

Ese auto es muy rápido.

That car is very fast.

Listen: Ese auto es muy rápido.

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"Ese auto es muy rápido" pairs the adjective with "auto", where the au glides into one syllable: OW-to. Spanish uses ser here because speed is treated as a property of the car. Say "muy rápido" and the y glide runs straight into the trilled r, which gives you a good running start at the roll.

Where English speakers slip

The English "rapid" pulls the vowel toward a flat "a" and the r toward the bunched American version, producing "RAP-i-doh". Both are wrong: the a is wide open, and the r must trill because it opens the word. If you cannot roll yet, a doubled tap is a better stopgap than an English r. The d then needs softening toward a th, and in fast speech many native speakers reduce it almost to nothing.