Spanish English Alphabet Chart

Twenty-six English-Spanish word pairs — anchor/ancla through zigzag — form a bilingual alphabet chart where each Spanish word's first sound teaches the matching English letter sound.
Grades
Preschool–Grade 1
File type
PDF
Preparation
Print ready

Updated Sep 27, 2026

Subject
Strategies, ELA
Topic
Translanguaging, Multilingual
Resource types
Charts
Preparation
Print ready

From the author

About this resource

This two-page bilingual alphabet resource connects an A–Z picture chart with corresponding English and Spanish words. Use the chart to draw on learners’ Spanish vocabulary while introducing English words and comparing selected initial sounds.

The picture chart is on the first page; the paired word list and bilingual directions are on the second. Model pronunciation in both languages and explain differences instead of assuming every Spanish initial sound transfers to English. For example, the h in helicóptero is silent, while helicopter begins with /h/.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

  • Produce the primary sound of each English letter by anchoring it to a familiar Spanish word

  • Connect English words to their Spanish counterparts, including close cognates such as elefante/elephant and robot/robot

  • Use the chart as a reference when decoding or writing English words

Teaching tips

  • Post the chart during phonics and writing time so multilingual learners can self-serve letter sounds instead of waiting for support

  • Read a pair aloud together — say the Spanish word first, isolate its first sound, then attach it to the English letter — following the bilingual direction printed on the chart

  • Slip a copy into student folders or send one home; the instructions appear in Spanish as well, so families can practice the same routine

  • Point out the cognate pairs (cámara/camera, insecto/insect, unicornio/unicorn) to build vocabulary confidence alongside letter sounds

Skills covered

  • Letter-sound correspondence — each of the 26 entries ties an English letter's sound to the first sound of a Spanish anchor word.

  • Cross-language transfer — students use Spanish phonology (barco, limón, pingüino) as the bridge into English letter sounds, the translanguaging strategy the chart is built on.

  • Bilingual vocabulary — every letter presents a matched English-Spanish word pair, many of them cognates.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

How does the chart use Spanish to teach English letter sounds?

The first sound of every Spanish word on the chart makes the corresponding letter's sound in English — so a student who says 'barco' already has the /b/ sound for the letter B. The chart states this rule in both English and Spanish right at the top.

Are the words the same in both languages?

Many are close cognates — cámara/camera, elefante/elephant, insecto/insect, robot, yoga, zigzag — while others differ (barco/boat, nido/nest, sol/sun), which is exactly what lets the Spanish first sound carry over to the English letter.

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