Spanish words that are spelled the same as English
Some Spanish words ask nothing of your spelling and everything of your mouth. Hotel is hotel, animal is animal, general is general — the letters sit still while the stress, the vowels and the consonants all move. These are the fastest words in the language to add and the easiest ones to say wrong for years.
How the rule works
- Spanish vowels are pure and short: the o in hotel is never the drifting English “oh”.
- Stress usually lands further right than English: ho-TEL, a-ni-MAL, ge-ne-RAL.
- Written h is silent — hotel starts on the o, hospital on the o.
- Same spelling is not the same grammar: most of these are masculine (el hotel), and a few are the opposite of what you expect.
Start with these
- video → vídeo
- decision → decisión
- hospital → hospital
- version → versión
- album → álbum
- radio → radio
Every verified word in this family (296)
Each pair below was checked on both sides: the Spanish word exists in a spell-checker and a frequency list, and the meaning was cross-checked rather than assumed from the spelling. Tap 🔊 to hear it.
- acne→acnéAncient Greek akmḗ ‘point, top’
- actor→actorLatin āctor
- actual→actualLatin actuālis
- adhesion→adhesiónLatin adhaesiō
- adorable→adorableLatin adōrābilis
- afro→afro
- album→álbumLatin album
- alcohol→alcohol
- ale→aleEnglish ale
- aloe→áloeLatin aloē
- altar→altarLatin altāre
- ancestral→ancestralLatin antecedere ‘to proceed’
- angular→angularLatin angulāris
- animal→animalLatin animal
- artificial→artificialLatin artificiālis
- atlas→atlas
- aversion→aversiónLatin āversiō ‘āversiōnem’
- badminton→bádmintonEnglish badminton
- bagel→bagelEnglish bagel
- banjo→banjoEnglish banjo
- barista→baristaItalian barista
- basal→basal
- bastion→bastiónItalian bastione
- beagle→beagle
- biceps→bícepsLatin biceps ‘double-headed’
- bilateral→bilateral
- bipolar→bipolar
- blazer→blazerEnglish blazer
- boa→boaLatin boa
- bourbon→bourbon
- bulldog→bulldogEnglish bulldog
- bunker→búnkerEnglish bunker
- burrito→burrito
- cable→cableLatin capiō
- campus→campusLatin campus
- canal→canalLatin canālis
- canon→canonLatin canōn
- cardiovascular→cardiovascularLatin vās
- casino→casino
- casual→casualLatin cāsuālis
- causal→causalLatin causa
- caviar→caviarPersian xâvyâr
- cereal→cerealLatin Cereālis ‘relating to Ceres’
- cerebral→cerebral
- cervical→cervicalLatin cervix ‘the neck, nape of the neck’
- cervix→cérvixLatin cervīx ‘cervīcem’
- cheesecake→cheesecakeEnglish cheesecake
- chocolate→chocolateNahuatl chocolātl
- civil→civilLatin cīvīlis
- clerical→clericalLatin clēricālis
- cobra→cobraLatin colubra
- cohesion→cohesión
- collage→collageFrench collage
- colon→colonLatin cōlon
- combustion→combustiónLatin combustiō ‘combustiōnem’
- comparable→comparableLatin comparābilis
- compatible→compatibleLatin compatibilis
- compulsion→compulsiónLatin compulsus
- conceptual→conceptualLatin conceptuālis
- conclusion→conclusiónLatin conclūsiō ‘conclūsiōnem’
- congestion→congestiónLatin congestiō ‘congestiōnem’
- considerable→considerable
- continental→continental
- contractual→contractualLatin contractus
- corral→corralLatin currale ‘place for keeping a chariot’
- courier→courierEnglish courier
- coyote→coyoteNahuatl coyōtl
- crater→cráterLatin crātēr ‘cup’
- crucial→crucialEnglish crucial
- cruel→cruelLatin crūdēlis
- cultural→culturalLatin colō
- curry→curryEnglish curry
- decision→decisiónLatin decisio
- dial→dialEnglish dial
- digestion→digestiónLatin dīgestiō ‘dīgestiōnem’
- digital→digitalLatin digitālis
- dimension→dimensiónLatin dīmensiō
- diploma→diplomaLatin diplōma
- doctor→doctorLatin doctor
- doctoral→doctoral
- domino→dominó
- dorsal→dorsalLatin dorsālis
- dual→dualLatin duālis
- dugout→dugoutEnglish dugout
- durable→durableLatin dūrābilis
- electoral→electoral
- emu→emúPortuguese ema
- episcopal→episcopalLatin episcopālis
- erosion→erosiónLatin erosio ‘erosiōnem’
- eventual→eventualLatin ēventuālis
- excursion→excursiónLatin excursio
- expansion→expansiónLatin expānsiō ‘expānsiōnem’
- experimental→experimental
- explosion→explosiónLatin explosiō ‘explosiōnem’
- factual→factual
- fatal→fatalLatin fātālis
- fedora→fedora
- femur→fémurLatin femur
- fetal→fetal
- feudal→feudal
- fiscal→fiscalLatin fiscālis
- flexible→flexibleLatin flexibilis
- floral→floralLatin flōrālis
- focal→focalLatin focālis
- formidable→formidableLatin formidābilis
- freelance→freelanceEnglish freelance
- fusion→fusiónLatin fusio
- glacial→glacialLatin glaciālis
- golf→golfEnglish golf
- gong→gong
- granola→granolaEnglish granola
- hamster→hámsterEnglish hamster
- hangar→hangarFrankish haimgard ‘enclosure around a home’
- hardware→hardwareEnglish hardware
- honorable→honorableLatin honōrābilis
- hormonal→hormonal
- horrible→horribleLatin horribilis
- hospital→hospitalLatin hospitālis ‘hospitable’
- hotel→hotelLatin hospitālis
- hummus→hummus
- iceberg→icebergEnglish iceberg
- incision→incisiónLatin incīsiō ‘incīsiōnem’
- inclusion→inclusiónLatin inclusio
- incompatible→incompatible
- indoor→indoorEnglish indoor
- industrial→industrialLatin endo
- informal→informal
- infusion→infusiónLatin infūsiō
- inspector→inspectorLatin īnspector
- instrumental→instrumental
- interpersonal→interpersonal
- interracial→interracial
- intestinal→intestinal
- intrusion→intrusión
- invasion→invasiónLatin invasiōnem
- invisible→invisibleLatin invīsibilis
- iris→irisLatin iris
- irresistible→irresistible
- jaguar→jaguar
- jeep→jeepEnglish jeep
- jersey→jerseyEnglish jersey
- judicial→judicialLatin iūdiciālis
- jumbo→jumboEnglish jumbo
- kayak→kayak
- kebab→kebab
- ketchup→ketchupHokkien Chinese kê-chiap
- kiwi→kiwiEnglish kiwi
- koala→koalaEnglish koala
- larva→larvaLatin lārva
- laser→láserEnglish laser
- latex→látexLatin latex ‘water; liquid, fluid’
- latte→latte
- lava→lavaLatin lābēs ‘a fall; a collapse; subsidence’
- legal→legalLatin lēgālis
- linebacker→linebackerEnglish linebacker
- lobby→lobbyEnglish lobby
- longitudinal→longitudinal
- magma→magma
- mango→mangoEnglish mango
- mansion→mansiónLatin mansiō ‘mānsiōnem’
- mantis→mantis
- marginal→marginal
- marital→maritalLatin marītālis
- martini→martini
- maternal→maternal
- medicinal→medicinalLatin medicīnālis
- medieval→medieval
- mediocre→mediocreLatin mediocris
- melon→melónLatin mēlō, from mēlopepō
- memorable→memorableLatin memorābilis
- mental→mentalLatin mentālis, from mēns
- menu→menúLatin minūtus ‘very small’
- metal→metalLatin metallum
- miserable→miserableLatin miserābilis
- molecular→molecular
- monumental→monumentalLatin monumentum
- mosquito→mosquitoOld Spanish mosquito
- motel→motelLatin moveō
- mozzarella→mozzarellaLatin mutilus
- muffin→muffin
- multicultural→multiculturalLatin colō
- municipal→municipalLatin municipālis
- muscular→muscularLatin mūsculāris
- mustang→mustangEnglish mustang
- nacho→nacho
- naval→navalLatin nāvālem
- nectar→néctarLatin nectar
- neural→neural
- nuclear→nuclearLatin nuculeus
- nylon→nylon
- offshore→offshoreEnglish offshore
- online→onlineEnglish online
- orbital→orbital
- outdoor→outdoorEnglish outdoor
- paintball→paintball
- pancreas→páncreasAncient Greek pánkreas
- panda→pandaFrench panda
- papal→papalLatin papa
- paranormal→paranormal
- parental→parentalLatin parentālis
- pasta→pastaLatin pasta
- peculiar→peculiarLatin pecūliāris
- pelvis→pelvisLatin pēlvis
- peninsula→penínsulaLatin paenīnsula ‘peninsula’
- pension→pensiónLatin pēnsiō
- perfume→perfume
- peso→pesoLatin pēnsum
- piano→pianoLatin plānus ‘flat, level’
- picnic→pícnicFrench pique-nique
- piston→pistón
- pizza→pizzaItalian pizza
- placenta→placentaLatin placenta ‘cake’
- plausible→plausibleLatin plausibilis
- polar→polarLatin polāris
- popular→popularLatin populāris
- postal→postal
- precision→precisiónLatin praecīsiō ‘praecīsiōnem’
- pretzel→pretzel
- primate→primateLatin primas
- propulsion→propulsiónLatin prōpulsus
- provision→provisiónLatin provisio ‘provisiōnem’
- provisional→provisional
- pus→pusLatin pūs
- racial→racialEnglish racial
- radar→radarEnglish radar
- radio→radioLatin radius
- random→randomEnglish random
- rectangular→rectangular
- regional→regionalLatin regiōnālis
- renal→renalLatin rēn ‘rēnēs’
- reputable→reputable
- revision→revisiónLatin revīsiō
- ringtone→ringtoneEnglish ringtone
- robot→robotEnglish robot
- rodeo→rodeo
- romance→romanceLatin rōmānicus
- rural→ruralLatin rūrālis ‘rural’
- saliva→salivaLatin salīva
- salmon→salmónLatin salmō ‘salmōnem’
- samurai→samuráiJapanese さむらい, samurai
- sauna→sauna
- sedan→sedánEnglish sedan
- sensual→sensualLatin sēnsuālis
- sentimental→sentimental
- sheriff→sheriffEnglish sheriff
- similar→similar
- societal→societal
- solar→solarLatin sōlāris
- soluble→solubleLatin solubilis
- spa→spaEnglish spa
- squash→squash
- superficial→superficialLatin superficiālis
- susceptible→susceptibleLatin susceptus
- sushi→sushiJapanese sushi
- taco→tacoNahuatl tlahco
- tangible→tangibleLatin tangō
- taxi→taxiLatin taxa ‘charge’
- television→televisiónLatin vīsiō ‘vīsiōnem’
- tension→tensiónLatin tensiō ‘tēnsiōnem’
- tequila→tequila
- terrible→terribleLatin terribilis
- textual→textual
- tiara→tiaraLatin tiāra
- tofu→tofu
- tornado→tornadoEnglish tornado
- torpedo→torpedoLatin torpēdō ‘a torpedo fish’
- torso→torsoLatin thyrsus
- tractor→tractorLatin tractus
- trailer→tráilerEnglish trailer
- trance→tranceEnglish trance
- trendy→trendy
- triangular→triangularLatin triangulāris
- tribal→tribal
- trivial→trivial
- tropical→tropical
- tumor→tumorLatin tumor
- tutu→tutúFrench tutu
- unilateral→unilateral
- usual→usualLatin ūsuālis
- vascular→vascularLatin vasculāris
- verbal→verbalLatin verbālis
- version→versiónLatin versiōnem
- viable→viable
- video→vídeoEnglish video
- viola→violaLatin viola
- viral→viralLatin vīrus
- virtual→virtualLatin virtuālis
- visible→visibleLatin vīsibilis, from vīsus
- visual→visualLatin visus
- vital→vitalLatin vitālis
- vulgar→vulgarLatin vulgāris
- vulnerable→vulnerableLatin vulnerō ‘to wound’
- waffle→waffleEnglish waffle
- webcam→webcam
- yak→yak
- yoga→yogaSanskrit yóga ‘yoking, union’
Traps in this family
- sensible is not sensible — it means sensitive. For “sensible” say sensato.
FAQ
If the spelling is identical, is there anything to learn?
Yes — the pronunciation, which is exactly where identical words trip people up. Because nothing looks new, learners read them with English sounds and the habit sets hard. Say each one aloud from the first exposure.
Are identical-looking words ever false friends?
Sometimes. Spanish actual means current, not real, and ropa is clothes rather than rope. The false-friends list covers the traps worth memorising.
Other Spanish word keys
- Spanish words ending in -ción (from English -tion)
259 verified words - Spanish words ending in -dad (from English -ty)
299 verified words - Spanish words ending in -ico (from English -ic)
212 verified words - Spanish words ending in -ista (from English -ist)
96 verified words - Spanish words ending in -ncia (from English -nce)
144 verified words - Spanish words ending in -ente (from English -ent)
112 verified words - Spanish words ending in -ario (from English -ary)
86 verified words - Spanish words ending in -ismo (from English -ism)
169 verified words - Spanish words ending in -al (spelled exactly like English)
276 verified words - Spanish words starting with es- (from English s + consonant)
72 verified words