How to pronounce “quinceañera”
Hear how “quinceañera (girl's 15th birthday party)” sounds in Spanish, then read the breakdown below.
quinceañerakeen-seh-ah-NYEH-rah (Latin America) · keen-theh-ah-NYEH-rah (Spain)
Accent
Breakdown
| Meaning | girl's 15th birthday party |
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| Syllables | quin · ce · a · ñe · ra (5) |
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| Stress | Words ending in a vowel, n or s stress the second-to-last syllable: ÑE. |
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| IPA (Latin America) | /kin.se.a.ˈɲe.ɾa/ |
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| IPA (Spain) | /kin.θe.a.ˈɲe.ɾa/ |
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Tips for English speakers
Common mistake: The ñ sounds like "ny": keen-seh-ah-NYEH-rah, not "kin-see-NAIR-uh".
- The single r is a quick tap, like the "tt" in American English "butter". Don't use an English r.
- ñ sounds like "ny", as in "canyon".
- c before e or i sounds like s in Latin America and like the "th" in "think" in most of Spain.
- qu sounds like k; the u is silent.
- Keep every vowel short and pure: a = "ah", e = "eh", i = "ee", o = "oh", u = "oo". No gliding.
Learn more: Spanish R and RR · The letter Ñ · Spain vs. Latin America
Example sentences
Mi prima celebra su quinceañera en mayo.My cousin celebrates her quinceañera in May.
Fuimos a una quinceañera el sábado.We went to a quinceañera on Saturday.
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