Introduction - Add to your vocabulary
In my articles on French words found in English, I said that English borrows from other languages.
There are quite a few words in English that originate from the Spanish language.
As you will see, the spelling of these words differs very little, if at all from the original Spanish.
Here are fifteen Spanish words that are worthwhile becoming familiar with.
Learning them will help develop your English vocabulary.
1 Patio
Spanish word: patio
Meaning: An open area attached to a house, a small courtyard or balcony.
2 Avocado
Spanish word: aguacate
Meaning: A dark green pear-shaped fruit with smooth, light green pulp and a large seed in the centre.
3 Stampede
Spanish word: estampida
Meaning: A sudden frenzied rush of animals or people.
4 Cockroach
Spanish word: cucaracha
Meaning: A brown or black crawling and flying insect with antennae, wings, and legs. They are household pests.
5 Tornado
Spanish word: tornado
Meaning: A powerful, destructive windstorm. Tornados are capable of destroying trees, buildings etc. and harming people.
6 Plaza
Spanish word: plaza
Meaning: A public area usually a building with shops and stores.
It comes from the Spanish meaning ‘place’.
7 Macho (even 'machismo')
Spanish word: macho
Meaning: To have manly characteristics and qualities. Macho men are strong, aggressive, unemotional, etc.
In Spanish, macho means male.
8 Cargo
Spanish word: cargo
Meaning: Goods transported via plane, ship, or motor vehicles (trucks and lorries).
Originates from the Spanish 'cargo' and 'cargar' – to load.
9 Ranch (rancher)
Spanish word: rancho
Meaning: A large farm to raise livestock or crops; a cattle ranch.
The word in Spanish means a group of people who eat together.
10 Lasso
Spanish word: lazo
Meaning: A rope with a knot that forms a ring for people to catch horses and cattle.
From the Spanish 'lazo', based on the Latin 'laqueus' meaning ‘noose’.
11 Canyon
Spanish word: cañón
Meaning: A deep narrow gorge with steep sides
Comes from the Spanish for 'tube' - cañón.
12 Guerrilla
Spanish word: guerrilla
Meaning: Someone who belongs to a small group fighting against larger forces.
Taken from the Spanish word for war: guerra.
13 Mustang
Spanish word: mestengo
Meaning: A small, lightly built horse.
The word comes from a blend of Spanish 'mestengo' (from mesta ‘company of graziers’) and 'mostrenco'. Both words mean wild or masterless cattle but more often applied to horses.
14 Vanilla
Spanish word: vainilla
Meaning: A sweet substance extracted from vanilla pods. Vanilla is a flavouring in food (ice cream, biscuits, desserts) and perfumes.
From the Spanish word 'vainilla' or 'little pod'.
15 Breeze
Spanish word: brisa
Meaning: A gentle wind
This word originates from Old Spanish 'briza'.
Conclusion
In this article, I have introduced 15 words from the Spanish language used in English. Some are more common than others.
The aim of the article was to teach you words to add to your English vocabulary.
Be on the lookout for more Spanish words that you come across in English and let me know in the comments.
Further Reading
To continue learning about other Spanish words in English, you can read the other article I have written here.
© Apex English Tutoring Jan 2022 - Updated January 2024
About Me
Hello and welcome!
My name is Michael Finemore and I am the owner-operator of Apex English Tutoring.
As an experienced English Teacher, I'm passionate about helping people turn their 'poor' English into great English, with easy and effective ways to practice.
If you liked this article tell your 'tribe' about it. Click any of the 'socials' below to share it.
Let's connect!
Comments