How to pronounce “gracias” in Spanish

How to pronounce "gracias" in 3 Spanish accents

Slashes show the phonetic spelling (IPA) — how it sounds, not how it’s written. . separates syllables; ˈ marks the stressed one.

Voices are generated separately from the transcription and may not reflect it exactly. Real speakers vary.

About "gracias"

One of the very first words you'll learn in Spanish, "gracias" is your all-purpose expression of thanks, used everywhere from casual conversations to formal settings without any adjustment needed. To pronounce it, think of three syllables: GRAH-syahs, with the stress landing firmly on that first syllable. The g is soft here since it comes before an a, so no problem there, but watch out for the c in the middle, which trips up a lot of English speakers. In Latin American Spanish, including Mexican Spanish, that c before i produces a plain s sound, so the whole word flows as GRAH-syahs. In Castilian Spanish, though, you'll hear the famous distinción, where that c shifts to a th sound, giving you GRAH-thyahs. Rioplatense Spanish, spoken in Argentina and Uruguay, largely follows the Latin American s pattern here, though you may catch slight aspiration on that final s in casual, fast speech. Etymologically, gracias traces back to the Latin gratia, meaning favor or goodwill, the same root that gives English words like grace and gratitude, which can help the meaning stick in your memory.