Maybe you have seen some products advertised as teaching Latin American Spanish or European Spanish, and you may have thought to yourself what is the difference? Are they not the same language? So, how different is the Spanish spoken in Spain from the Spanish of Latin America?

Well, the first difference between Latin American Spanish and the Spanish of Spain is the pronunciation of a few letters. In Latin America the soft “c” and the “z” are pronounced with an “s” sound while in Spain they are pronounced more like a “th” sound. This is sometimes referred to as the “Spanish Lisp”, and there is a legend that it dates back to old Spanish king that spoke with a lisp. It is, however, not a true lisp, and this legend is most likely false. Furthermore, from what I have been told, many Spaniards take offense if you tell them they speak with a lisp, so I would advise you not to call it a “lisp.”

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