285+ Common Spanish Nouns and How to Use Them (With Examples!)

Spanish nouns, which are Spanish words that identify a person, place, thing, or idea, are indispensable building blocks of communication. Sentences in Spanish might contain several nouns, allowing you to name what you’re referring to. That’s why the Spanish word for “noun” is el nombre (name), but you may also hear it called sustantivo/substantivo.

In this guide, we’ll share several Spanish nouns lists, explain how to know if nouns are feminine or masculine, and give you some tips for using them in sentences. Ready to learn even more? Rosetta Stone can teach you how to learn Spanish no matter what level you’re already at, with bite-sized lessons and an immersive learning environment!

Identifying Spanish nouns

Within the general category of naming words, Spanish nouns also come in several types. Knowing the attributes of these different categories can help you put together sentences following Spanish grammar rules and understand the language at a deeper level.

Noun Type	Definition	Examples
*el nombre propio* (proper noun)	the specific name of an individual, a place, or a unique thing; begins with a capital letter	Victoria El Salvador La Sagrada Familia (a specific basilica in Barcelona)
*el nombre común* (common noun)	the generic name for a class or category of person, place, thing, or concept; does not refer to a specific individual or unique thing	*la mujer* (the woman) *el país* (the country) *la basílica* (the basilica)
*el nombre contable* (countable noun)	a quantity of the noun can be determined; it can be preceded by a cardinal number (e.g., six, fourteen, ninety)	*tres hombres* (three men) *cincuenta estrellas* (fifty stars) *mil pesos* (a thousand pesos)
*el nombre incontable* (uncountable noun/mass noun)	cannot be counted or preceded by a number since it is abstract, or can be divided infinitely; not a countable noun	*el agua* (water) *la arena* (sand) *la felicidad* (happiness)
*el sustantivo compuesto* (compound noun)	can be divided into two or more distinct words; the combination of these words forms a new meaning	*el abrelatas* (the can opener; literally “open cans”) *el rompecabezas* (the puzzle; literally “break heads”) *el limpiaparabrisas* (the windshield wiper; literally “clean stop breezes”)
*el sustantivo masculino* (masculine noun)	a noun having masculine grammatical gender	*el cuchillo* (the knife) *el coche* (the car) *el periódico* (the newspaper)
*el sustantivo feminino* (feminine noun)	a noun having feminine grammatical gender	*la cuchara* (the spoon) *la fresa* (the strawberry) *la botella* (the bottle)
*el sustantivo singular* (singular noun)	refers to only one person or thing, or a collective noun treated as a single unit	*el rey* (the king) *la reina* (the queen) *el equipo* (the team)
*el sustantivo plural* (plural noun)	refers to more than one person or thing	*los reyes* (the kings) *las reinas* (the queens) *los jugadores* (the players)
*el sustantivo concreto* (concrete noun)	refers to something you can experience with your senses, including material or physical objects	*el piano* (the piano) *la lámpara* (the lamp) *la cama* (the bed)
*el sustantivo abstracto* (abstract noun)	refers to a quality or non-material concept; something intangible	*la paz* (peace) *la niñez* (childhood) *el amor* (love)

Feminine nouns in Spanish

The categories of feminine or masculine Spanish nouns seldom have much to do with gender. They are best thought of as arbitrary grammatical categories and a remnant of Latin, from which Spanish and other Romance languages have evolved.

Still, since grammatical gender is often important for following Spanish gender rules, it’s critical to be able to identify feminine vs. masculine nouns in Spanish.

While there are exceptions, one of the easiest guidelines is that if a noun ends in “-a” it’s most likely a feminine noun.

Feminine Spanish Noun Ending in “-a”	English Meaning
la alegría	joy
la cámara	the camera
la chica	the girl
la escuela	the school
la hoja de papel	the sheet of paper
la hora	the time
la marca	the brand
la oruga	the caterpillar
la puerta	the door
la risa	laughter
la ventana	the window
la vida	life

There are exceptions, though! As you learn Spanish, take note of when Spanish nouns don’t follow expected patterns. These, for example, end in “-o,” so it’d be easy to incorrectly categorize them as masculine, but they are decidedly feminine nouns in Spanish.

Feminine Spanish Noun Ending in “-o”	English Meaning
la demo	the demo
la foto	the photograph
la mano	the hand
la moto	the motorcycle
la radio	the radio
la soprano	the soprano

When nouns don’t end in “-a” or “-o,” it’s important to simply memorize their grammatical gender. Nouns that end in “-e” can be either masculine or feminine.

Feminine Spanish Noun (Other Endings)	English Meaning
la carne	meat
la clase	class
la gente	people
la juventud	youth
la llave	the key
la luz	light
la mujer	the woman
la noche	night
la sangre	blood
la tarde	the afternoon

@profesoramacias
This is an easy way to remember when a noun is masculine or feminine. Masculine nouns have el/los as their article and feminine nouns have la/las. #spanish #spanish1 #spanishtiktok #spanishteacher #gender #noun #noungender
♬ original sound – Brenna Macias

Masculine nouns in Spanish

Knowing if a noun is masculine or feminine in Spanish is important for following grammar rules, such as choosing the correct Spanish pronouns so you avoid repetition.

Generally, if you encounter a Spanish noun that ends in “-o,” your safest assumption is that it’s a masculine Spanish noun.

Masculine Spanish Noun Ending in “-o”	English Meaning
el año	the year
el bolígrafo	the pen
el colegio	the school
el futuro	the future
el juego	the game
el mundo	the world
el negocio	the business
el precio	the price
el sentimiento	the feeling
el sueño	sleep/the dream
el tiempo	the weather
el trabajo	the work

Most words ending in “-a” appear to be feminine nouns in Spanish, but many words ending in “-ma,” “-pa,” and “-ta” are the exception. Being of Greek origin, they remain in the masculine category, even though they end in “-a.”

Words with the suffix “-ista” can also be masculine if they refer to a male. It’s best to think of these as exceptions and not the rule!

Masculine Spanish Noun Ending in “-a”	English
el alma	the soul
el atleta	the athlete
el clima	the weather/the climate
el idioma	the language
el planeta	the planet
el poeta	the poet
el problema	the problem
el tema	the theme/topic
el dentista	the dentist
el deportista	the sportsman
el electricista	the electrician
el periodista	the journalist

When Spanish nouns end in something other than “-o” or “-a,” it’s important to learn their gender as you’re learning the word.

Masculine Spanish Noun (Other Endings)	English
el aceite	the oil
el chocolate	the chocolate
el coche	the car
el lápiz	the pencil
el pez	the fish
el reloj	the watch/the clock
el sartén	the pan
el tiburón	the shark

Spanish nouns that change meaning with gender

Most of the time, you’ll probably be understood even if you make a mistake in a noun’s gender. For example, if you order el pizza instead of la pizza (pizza), you’ll probably still be served without a second thought. However, a few nouns in Spanish actually change meaning depending on the gender. When in doubt, the Spanish Dictionary can help you determine the correct noun for your situation.

Masculine Spanish Noun	Feminine Spanish Noun
*el capital* (the capital of a country or state)	*la capital* (the money/financial capital)
*el coma* (the coma; state of unresponsiveness)	*la coma* (the comma; punctuation)
*el cometa* (the comet)	*la cometa* (the kite)
*el corte* (the cut)	*la corte* (the court)
*el cura* (the priest)	*la cura* (the cure/treatment)
*el final* (the ending)	*la final* (the final; last game in a tournament)
*el frente* (the front; war or meteorological)	*la frente* (the forehead)
*el Papa* (the Pope)	*la papa* (the potato)

Spanish nouns that differ from English in number

Sometimes we use nouns in the singular in Spanish that are typically used in the plural in English, and vice versa. Here are a few examples to keep in mind.

Typically plural in Spanish but singular in English

los celos (jealousy)
los consejos (advice)
los muebles (furniture)
las vacaciones (vacation)

Typically singular in Spanish but plural in English

la batería (the drums)
el contenido (the contents)
la escalera (the stairs)
la gente (people)
la ropa (clothes)
la vajilla (dishes)

Spanish nouns lists for everyday words

When you start to master the basics of Spanish and put your own sentences together, you’ll need a lot of vocabulary for people, places, and things. Most of our everyday interactions will center around these common Spanish nouns.

The more nouns you know in Spanish, the better you’ll be able to hold a conversation, make plans, get directions, and identify items in your immediate environment. There are plenty more categories to be sure, but these lists will help give you a foundation of common people, places, and things.

Common Spanish nouns: people

Family cooking together discussing Spanish nouns

Spanish nouns for people typically come in two forms—one masculine and one feminine. There are exceptions, however, such as la persona (the person) and la gente (people), which are always masculine nouns in Spanish.

Spanish	English
el amigo/la amiga	the friend
el chico/la chica	the boy/the girl
el hombre	the man
la gente	the people
el joven/la joven	the young person
el muchacho/la muchacha	the teenager
la mujer	the woman
el niño/la niña	the child
la persona	the person
el señor/la señora	the adult man/woman
el vecino/la vecina	the neighbor

Common Spanish nouns: places in the city

When you’re traveling or making plans, knowing Spanish nouns for common places and buildings can help you get directions and gain access to services. Some of the most common Spanish nouns for buildings and locations can help you build your itinerary.

Spanish	English
el aeropuerto	the airport
el apartamento/el piso	the apartment
la avenida	the avenue
el banco	the bank
el bar	the pub/the bar
la biblioteca	the library
la calle	the street
la carnecería	the butcher
la casa	the house
el centro	the city center
el cine	the movie theater
la ciudad	the city
el colegio	the school
el correo/los correos	the post office
la escuela	the school
la estación	the station
la farmacia	the pharmacy
el hospital	the hospital
el hotel	the hotel
la librería	the book store
el mercado	the market
el museo	the museum
la oficina	the office
la panadería	the bakery
el parque	the park
la peluquería/el salón de belleza	the hairdresser/the salon
la piscina	the pool
la plaza	the square
el restaurante	the restaurant
el supermercado	the supermarket
el taller	the workshop
el teatro	the theater
la tienda	the store/the shop
la universidad	the university/college

Common Spanish nouns: house and home

If you have the opportunity to visit a Spanish speaker at home, stay with a host, or even if you’re just browsing real estate listings, it’s important to be able to identify various home items in Spanish using the correct nouns.

Spanish	English
la alfombra	the rug/the carpet
la almohada	the pillow
el armario	the wardrobe/the closet/the cupboard
el ático	the attic
la bañera/la tina	the bath/the tub
el baño	the bathroom
la cama	the bed
la cocina	the kitchen
el comedor	the dining room
el dormitorio/el cuarto/la habitación	the bedroom
la ducha	the shower
la escalera	the stairs
el fregadero	the kitchen sink
el garaje	the garage
el inodoro/el retrete	the toilet
la lámpara	the lamp
el lavabo	the sink
la lavadora	the washing machine
el lavaplatos	the dishwasher
la mesa	the table
el salón/la sala (de estar)	the living room
la secadora	the dryer
la silla	the chair
el sillón	the armchair
el sofá	the sofa/the couch
el sótano	the basement

Common Spanish nouns: classroom and office objects

Specific nouns for everyday classroom and office objects may vary according to the regional dialect of Spanish, but the standard words are usually understood.

Spanish	English
la bandera	the flag
el bolígrafo/la pluma	the pen
la carpeta	the folder/the binder
la computadora/el ordenador	the computer
el cuaderno	the notebook
el diccionario	the dictionary
el escritorio	the (large) desk
el estudiante/la estudiante/el alumno/la alumna	the student/the pupil
el lápiz	the pencil
el libro	the book
el mapa	the map
el marcador	the marker
la pantalla	the screen
el papel	the paper
el pegamento	the glue
la pizarra	the whiteboard
el profesor/la profesora/el maestro/la maestra	the teacher
el pupitre	the student desk
la tarea/los deberes	the homework
las tijeras	the scissors

Common Spanish nouns: nature

Woman hiking in Spain looking at a lake in the distance

This list of common Spanish nouns will help you identify your outdoor surroundings. Explore the landscape and plan an excursion with the correct nouns for these nature nouns.

Spanish	English
el árbol	the tree
el bosque	the forest
el campo	the countryside
el cielo	the sky
el desierto	the desert
la estrella	the star
la flor	the flower
las hojas	the leaves
el lago	the lake
la luna	the moon
el mar	the sea
la montaña	the mountain
el océano	the ocean
el paisaje	the landscape
la planta	the plant
la playa	the beach
la reserva natural	the reserve
el río	the river
el sol	the sun
la tierra	the land
la Tierra	the Earth
el valle	the valley

Common Spanish nouns: money and payment

These common money-related nouns can help you with basic transactions in Spanish.

Spanish	English
el billete/el boleto	a ticket
la caja	the cash register/the till
el cajero automático	the ATM
el cambio	the change
el cheque	the check
el descuento/la rebaja	the discount
el dinero	the money
el dinero en efectivo	cash
la etiqueta	the tag
la moneda	coin
el precio	the price
la propina	the tip
el recibo	the receipt
la tarifa	the rate/the fare/the fee
la tarjeta de crédito	the credit card
la tarjeta regalo	the gift card

Common Spanish nouns for learning Spanish

You’ll probably pay more attention to the specifics when you’re learning Spanish than in your first language. Breaking down the details of each language skill can improve your communication. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Spanish	English
el acento	the accent (regional way of pronouncing)
la comprensión	comprehension
la conversación	conversation
la frase	the sentence
el idioma	the language
la lectura	reading
la palabra	word
el párrafo	the paragraph
la pregunta	the question
la pronunciación	pronunciation
el significado	meaning
la tilde	the accent (written punctuation)
la traducción	the translation

Master common Spanish nouns with Rosetta Stone

Vocabulary lists are helpful when you’re learning a language, especially when you’re learning lists of Spanish nouns to help you communicate.

To truly solidify your ability to comprehend and use Spanish nouns, Rosetta Stone uses a natural method of introducing each noun in meaningful contexts, meaning you won’t need to rely solely on memorizing long lists to learn a new language. Find out how Rosetta Stone works to help you keep growing your exciting new vocabulary!

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