Hoy hay huevos.
OY-AY-UE-vos
Today there are eggs.
🔊 Listen & Practice
Start with slow speed to master pronunciation, then gradually increase to challenge yourself.
🎨 Visualization
Hoy hay huevos! Notice how the words flow together smoothly.
🎯 Pronunciation Focus
The Silent 'h' (La hache muda)
—In Spanish, the letter 'h' is always silent. You simply ignore it and pronounce the vowel that follows. So 'hoy' sounds like 'oy' and 'huevos' sounds like 'uevos'.
Vowel Linking (Sinalefa)
/ˈoi̯ˈai̯/This is the core challenge. When one word ends in a vowel and the next begins with a vowel (or a silent 'h'), you blend them into one smooth sound. 'Hoy hay' sounds like 'oy-ay', not two separate words.
The 'hue-' Diphthong
/ˈwe.βos/The 'h' is silent, so 'huevos' starts with a 'ue' sound. It's a quick glide from 'u' to 'e', almost like the 'we' in the English word 'well'. So, 'huevos' sounds like 'WEH-bos'.
📝 Practice Breakdown
Start here. Ignore the 'h' in both words. Blend them together so it sounds like one word: 'oy-ay'.
Now link 'hay' and 'huevos'. Remember the 'h' in 'huevos' is silent too. It should sound like 'ay-WEH-vos'. Smooth and connected.
Put it all together in one fluid motion: 'OY-AY-WEH-vos'. Don't pause between the words. The goal is a seamless flow of vowel sounds.
Key Words in This Tongue Twister:
📚 Background
This short phrase isn't a traditional tongue twister but is a fantastic exercise for a core Spanish pronunciation skill: 'sinalefa', or linking vowel sounds between words. It's a classic for beginners to master how Spanish flows.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Pronouncing the 'h'
Mistake: "Saying the 'h' sound like in the English words 'hello' or 'have'."
Correction: The Spanish 'h' is always completely silent! Pretend it isn't there. 'Hoy' is pronounced 'oy', and 'huevos' is pronounced 'uevos' (WEH-vos).
Pausing Between Words
Mistake: "Saying 'Hoy... hay... huevos' as three separate, distinct words."
Correction: The key to natural Spanish is linking words. Since 'hoy' ends in a vowel sound and 'hay' starts with one, they merge into 'oyay'. Same for 'hay' and 'huevos', which become 'ay-uevos'. Aim for one continuous, smooth sound.
🌎 Where It's Used
General Spanish
This phrase and the pronunciation rules it teaches are universal across all Spanish-speaking regions.
🔗 Related Tongue Twisters
The Smooth Flow Challenge
Say 'Hoy hay huevos' five times in a row without any pauses. Can you make it sound like one long, smooth word? Record yourself and listen back!
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do Spanish speakers link words together like this?
It's a natural feature of the language called 'sinalefa'. It helps the language flow rhythmically and smoothly. Learning to do it will make your Spanish sound much more natural and less robotic.
Are there other silent letters in Spanish?
The 'h' is the main silent letter. The letter 'u' can also be silent in specific combinations, like in 'que' (keh), 'qui' (kee), 'gue' (geh), and 'gui' (gee), where it just makes the 'g' or 'q' sound hard.