Spelling Words in Spanish: Lists and Lessons with the Letter G

Green grapes are great! And so is learning spelling words in Spanish! Spelling isn’t just for kids who want to participate in a spelling bee; it’s for every level and age of learner! Using spelling words in Spanish helps your reading, pronunciation, and comprehension skills.

Today, let’s learn about one of the few Spanish letters with two different sounds: the G.

Spelling Words in Spanish: Letter G

Two Different Pronunciations

One of the great things about the Spanish language is straightforward pronunciation. However, two letters change their pronunciation based on the letters that follow them: C and G. Learn more about “C” spelling words in Spanish here! 

The Spanish G has a hard and soft sound. When followed by an A, O, U, or a consonant, the G has a hard sound, like the G in “great.” When the G is followed by an E or I, it has a soft sound, like the H in “here.” Here are some examples:

Hard G

Followed by A: gato (gah-toh)

Followed by O: goma (goh-mah)

Followed by U: guitarra (gee-tahr-rah)

Followed by consonants: globo (gloh-boh)

grande (grahn-day)

Soft G

Followed by E: gelatina (hel-ah-teen-ah)

Followed by I: girar (here-ahr)

The Silent U

Take a closer look at the word guitarra. The G is actually followed by two vowels. When a U comes after a G and before a vowel, it acts as a placeholder so a hard G can be followed by a soft vowel. In these circumstances, the U is silent and makes the G have a hard sound. If the word guitarra did not have the U, it would be pronounced hee-tahr-rah. The silent U is a spelling tool that makes the spelling match the pronunciation.

Practice with Spelling Words in Spanish

Now that you know all about the letter G in Spanish, it’s time to practice spelling with it! For Spanish spelling exercises, it’s important to practice spelling the words out loud to prepare for when someone asks you how to spell a word (like your name!). For these spelling lists, we will just review the sounds of a few letters, the ones that appear the most in the following words.

G: hay

A: ah

E: ay

I: ee

O: oh

U: oo

L: ele

R: airray

You are ready to start spelling! Here are some tips to make the most out of these spelling lists:

• Practice one list at a time so you can master the beginning sounds.
• Start with the short words first, and make sure you really have them down before moving on to the longer words.
• Pick some words you are struggling with to hang up in your house or study area. Every time you see them, try and spell them.
• Always say the word and its spelling out loud. This will help you relate the pronunciation of the word with its spelling.

Spanish Spelling Lists: G-

GA- Spelling Words in Spanish

3-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gas	gahs	Gas

4-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gana	gah-nah	Desire / hankering
Gasa	gah-sah	Gauze
Gato	gah-toh	Cat

5-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gafas	gah-fahs	Glasses
Galán	gah-lahn	Heartthrob
Gallo	gah-yoh	Rooster
Ganar	gah-nahr	To win
Ganga	gahn-gah	Bargain
Garra	gah-rrah	Claw
Gasto	gahs-toh	Expense

6-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gancho	gahn-choh	Hook
Garaje	gah-ray-hey	Garage
Gastar	gahs-tahr	To spend

7-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Galaxia	gah-lahk-see-ah	Galaxy
Galleta	gah-yay-tah	Cookie

GE- Spelling Words in Spanish

3-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gel	hel	Gel

4-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gema	hay-mah	Gem
Gene	hay-nay	Gene

5-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Genio	hayn-yoh	Genius
Gente	hayn-tay	People
Geoda	hay-oh-dah	Geode
Gesto	hays-toh	Gesture

6-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gemelo	hay-may-loh	Twin
Género	hain-air-oh	Gender
Genial	hain-ee-ahl	Great
Gentil	hain-teel	Courteous

7-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
General	hain-air-ahl	General
Generar	hain-air-ahr	To generate

GI- Spelling Words in Spanish

4-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Giba	hee-bah	Camel hump
Gira	hee-rah	Tour

5-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gilvo	heel-boh	Honey-colored
Girar	hee-rahr	To turn, spin

6-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gitano	hee-tahn-oh	Gypsy

7-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gigante	hee-gahn-tay	Giant
Giralda	heer-ahl-dah	Weather vane
Girasol	heer-ah-sohl	Sunflower

GO- Spelling Words in Spanish

3-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gol	gohl	Goal

4-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Goma	goh-mah	Glue
Gota	goh-tah	Drop
Gozo	goh-soh	Joy

5-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Golpe	gohl-pay	Hit
Gordo	gohr-doh	Fat
Gorra	gohr-rah	Cap
Gozne	gos-nay	Hinge

6-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gorila	goh-ree-lah	Gorilla
Gotera	goh-tair-ah	Leak
Gozoso	goh-soh-soh	Joyful

7-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Golpear	gohl-pay-ahr	To hit

GU- Spelling Words in Spanish

4-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Guao	gwaow	Wow
Guía	gee-ah	Guide
Gula	goo-lah	Guttony

5-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Guapo	gwah-poh	Handsome
Guiar	gee-ahr	To guide
Guion	gee-ohn	Hyphen, script
Guiso	gee-soh	Stew
Gusto	goos-toh	Liking

6-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Guante	gwahn-tay	Glove
Guerra	Gaihr-rah	War
Guiñar	Geeh-nyahr	To wink
Gustar	goos-tahr	To like

7-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Guácala	gwah-kah-lah	Gross
Guardar	gwahr-dahr	To save

*Remember how we said that the U between a G and a vowel is silent? This is only true when the U precedes a soft vowel, E or I. When the U separates a G and a hard vowel (usually A), it has a W sound. Take, for example, the following words:

• Guante (gwahn-tay)
• Guatemala (gwah-tay-mah-lah)
• Guardia (gwahr-dya)

GR- Spelling Words in Spanish

4-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gran	grahn	Large, great
Gris	grees	Gray

5-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Grada	grah-dah	Step
Grama	grah-mah	Grass
Gramo	grah-moh	Gram
Grapa	grah-pah	Staple
Grasa	grah-sah	Grease
Grave	grah-bay	Serious
Gripe	gree-pay	Flu

6-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Grabar	grah-bahr	Record
Gracia	grah-syah	Grace
Grande	grahn-day	Large
Granja	grahn-hah	Farm
Gritar	gree-tahr	To yell
Grueso	grway-soh	Thick

7-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Gracias	grah-syahs	Thank you
Gradual	grah-dwahl	Gradual
Graduar	grah-dwahr	To graduate

GL- Spelling Words in Spanish

5-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Globo	gloh-boh	Balloon

6-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Global	gloh-bahl	Global
Gloria	gloh-ryah	Glory
Gluten	glooh-tain	Gluten

7-letter words

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Glaciar	glah-syahr	Glacier

Practice Spelling Words in Spanish!

You have a lot of words to practice! Take it slowly at first, and pronounce the whole word to practice the hard and soft G sounds. Once you feel like you have the hang of it, try practicing these words with a friend, or better yet, with your Spanish teacher!

Try a free Spanish class with us and show off your Spanish spelling skills! They can help you perfect your spelling and provide even more exercises for you. ¡La práctica hace al maestro!

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