Pronouncing Spanish - start at the beginning (W)

In English this is a double-U. In Spanish this is a double-VV (see?). If a V is an uve, then an uve doble, is a double-u. Right? Kind of. Just click on the image and see what we mean (but you'll have to look up the illustrative word in tyour dictionary: we haven't a clue). This letter is not 'native' to Spanish and was adopted relatively recently because of foreign influences. Therefore, in words that are of Germanic origin (e.g. Wagner, wagneriano) it is pronounced as a V. In words of English origin such as vagón (wagon), vals (waltz) and vatio (watt), it has also become a V. One exception is the word for whiskey (of decidedly Scottish origin), which is officially spelt güisqui, but you needn't worry about it as the original will be understood perfectly. We'll leave the two dots over the U, called a diéresis in Spanish, until later (phew!).