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As Proto-Romance developed into Spanish, it underwent numerous sound changes, an approximate chronology of which is provided below.^[1]

Timeline

– The near-close vowels /ɪ ʊ/ merge with their close-mid counterparts /e o/; cf. /ˈkʊβɪtu/ > */ˈkoβedu/ > OSp. /ˈkobdo/ 'elbow'.^[2]

– Syllable-initial /k/ and /ɡ/ palatalize before front vowels.^[3]

Palatalized /k/ then affricates to /tʃ/, which subsequently fronts to /ts/; cf. /ˈkɛlu/ > */ˈtʃi͡ɛlu/ > OSp. /ˈtsjelo/ 'sky'.

Palatalized /ɡ/ spirantizes to [ʝ], thereby merging with the phoneme /j/; cf. /ˈɡɪpsu/ > */ˈjessu/ > OSp. /ˈjeso/ 'plaster'.

– /k ɡ/ before a following consonant spirantize to /x/ and then vocalize to /i̯/; /l/ in the sequence /olt/ velarizes and then vocalizes to /i̯/.^[4]

When followed by /t/, /i̯/ is simply absorbed by a preceding /i/; cf. /ˈfriktu/ > */ɸɾii̯tu/ > OSp. /ˈɸɾito/ 'fried'.
When followed by either of the consonants /t s/, /i̯/ raises preceding /a/ to /e/; cf. /'faktu/ > */'ɸai̯tu/ > OSp. /'ɸetʃo/ 'deed'.
When followed by any of the consonants /n t s/, /i̯/ raises a preceding /o/ to /u/; cf. /'lʊkta/ > /'loi̯ta/ > OSp. /'lutʃa/ 'fight'.
When followed by any of the consonants /l n t s/, /i̯/ raises preceding /ɛ ɔ/ to /e o/; cf. /'kɔksu/ > */'kɔi̯su/ > OSp. /'koʃo/ (not */'kweʃo/) 'crippled'. (The single counterexample is viejo.)
If the following consonant is not syllable-final, and does not become so as a result of syncope, then /i̯/ palatalizes it in the following manner:
- /l/ > /ʎ/
- /n/ > /ɲ/
- /t/ > /tʃ/
- /s/ > /ʃ/
After the above, /i̯/ is usually deleted.

– Various consonant clusters undergo assimilation:^[5]

– Stressed /ɛ ɔ/ diphthongize to /i͡ɛ u͡ɔ/.^[6]

Subsequently /i͡ɛ u͡ɔ/ > /je wo/, with loss of contrast between open-mid and close-mid vowels; cf. /ˈβɛrsu/ > */ˈβjessu/ > OSp. /ˈβjeso/ 'verse'.

/wo/ changes to /we/, possibly by analogy with /je/; cf. /ˈlɔku/ > */ˈlwoɡu/ > OSp. /ˈlweɡo/ 'then'.

– /ɸ/^[i] undergoes allophonic changes in the following order:^[7]

It takes on a glottal or velar articulation, [ʍ] or [hɸ], before newly-formed /w/; cf. /ˈfɔku/ >*/ˈɸwoku/ > OSp. [ˈʍweɡo] 'fire'.

It loses its bilabial quality before the rounded ('labial') vowels /o u/, resulting in [h]; cf. /ˈfɔlja/ > */ˈɸoʎa/ > OSp. [ˈhoʒa] 'leaf'.

By analogy with the above, it turns to [h] before the non-back vowels /i e a/ and possibly /j/ as well.

– /pj rj sj/ undergo metathesis to /i̯p i̯r i̯s/; cf. /ferˈrarju/ > */ɸeˈrai̯ɾu/ > OSp. [heˈreɾo] 'blacksmith'.^[8]

– [ʎ] turns to the fricative /ʒ/; cf. /ˈalju/ > *[ˈaʎu] > OSp. /ˈaʒo/ 'garlic'.^[9]

Original doubled consonants degeminate; cf. /ˈbʊkka/ > OSp. /ˈboka/ 'mouth'.
- /nn/ and /ll/ yield the palatalized outcomes /ɲ/ and /ʎ/ respectively; cf. /roˈtɛlla/ > OSp. /roˈdjeʎa/ 'knee'.
- /rr/ yields /r/, while original /r/ yields a tap /ɾ/ (thereby preserving a distinction); cf. /ˈfɛru/, /ˈfɛrru/ > OSp. /ˈɸjeɾo/, /ˈɸjero/ 'wild', 'iron'.
Original voiceless single consonants voice; cf. /ˈfikatu/ > OSp. /ˈɸiɡado/ 'liver'.
Original /-b d ɡ-/ spirantize to /-β ð ɣ-/;^[ii] cf. /ˈpɛ laɡu/ > OSp. /ˈpjelaɣo/ 'sea'.

[...]

– /j/ may develop into a postalveolar fricative, likely under French influence; cf. /ˈjustu/ > OSp. /ˈʒusto/.

^ Derived from Latin /f/. The timing of this change and its underlying causes have been the subject of extensive debate. Various scholars see in it a pre-Roman or Basque influence; some see Latin itself as having originally had a bilabial /ɸ/. Somewhat reconciling the two views, Lloyd (1987: 222) posits that there was an early variation [f~ɸ], with the influence of Basque speakers (who played a prominent role in early Castile) contributing to the 'triumph' of the latter realization in local Romance.
^ If they had not already done so previously.