S is the twentieth letter and the sixteenth consonant of the Spanish alphabet. It is a very frequent letter in Spanish.
¡Nos vemos la semana próxima!
See you next week!¿Este barrio es seguro para quedarse?
Is this neighborhood safe to stay?
The letter S may appear in initial, middle, or final position in the word:
- Words starting with S: sonido (sound), sabor (taste), sudor (sweat).
- Words with S in them: casa (house), mesa (table), cosa (thing).
- Words ending in S: anteojos (glasses), país (country), mes (month).
Pronunciation tip: The Spanish letter S is pronounced much like its English counterpart, but softer. It is a voiceless alveolar fricative, meaning that the blade of the tongue approaches the alveolar ridge (the upper part of the front teeth). It is also a voiceless sound, which means that the vocal cords do not vibrate to produce it:
Most Spanish accents do not have the strong “hissing” quality of the English /s/ sound, except in Spain, where it is pronounced as a sibilant, making it is a much stronger sound.
Quick tips:
- The -s and -es endings are used to form the plural of nouns and certain pronouns: hojas (leaves), semáforos (traffic lights), mujeres (women).
- Though different in spelling, Spanish S, C, and Z are pronounced in the same way in many regions.
- See also: Spanish alphabet
Spanish nouns that start with S
| sol sun | salida exit | señal signal |
| silla chair | sobre envelope | sandalia sandal |
| suerte luck | sábana sheet (bed) | sensación feeling |
| sombra shadow, shade | soledad loneliness | superficie surface |
| sonrisa smile | sierra hill | suegra mother-in-law |
| sed thirst | sueldo salary | suelo ground, floor |
| sofá couch | sueño sleep, dream | sensibilidad sensitivity |
| salón hall, parlor | soldado soldier | sorpresa surprise |
| sombrero hat | solución solution | sangre blood |
| semilla seed | suspiro sigh | sal salt |
Animals starting with S: serpiente (snake), sapo (sapo), sardina (sardine), suricata (meerkat), saltamontes (grasshopper).
Foods starting with S: sandía (watermelon), setas (mushrooms), soja (soybean), sésamo (sesame), salchicha (sausage), salame (salame), sándwich (sandwich).
Jobs starting with S: secretario (secretary), sacerdote (priest), sociólogo (sociologist), supervisor (supervisor), soldador (welder).
Names starting with S: Sofía, Sara, Sabrina, Soledad, Santiago, Sebastián, Salvador, Simón.
Se sentaron en el sofá a mirar una película.
They sat on the couch to watch a movie.¿Has encontrado una solución al problema?
Have you found a solution to the problem?Mi suegra nació en Italia.
My mother-in-law was born in Italy.Quédate al sol y yo me sentaré a la sombra.
Stay in the sun and I’ll sit in the shade.
- See also: Spanish nouns
Spanish adjectives that start with S
| sabroso tasty | soleado sunny | sorpresivo unexpected |
| salado salty | sereno calm | sospechoso suspicious |
| suave soft | silencioso silent | sagrado sacred |
| seco dry | sutil subtle | superficial superficial, shallow |
| sucio dirty | suficiente enough | secreto secret |
| sediento thirsty | sorprendente surprising | sonriente smiling |
| simple simple | similar similar | soltero single, unmarried |
| sencillo easy | segundo second | sombrío dismal |
| saludable healthy | salvaje wild | sano healthy |
| seguro safe, sure | satisfecho satisfied | soso bland |
Comer frutas y verduras todos los días es saludable.
Eating fruits and vegetables every day is healthy.¿Eres soltero o casado?
Are you single or married?El tigre es un animal salvaje que habita en la sabana.
The tiger is a wild animal inhabiting the savanna.Ayer estuvo caluroso y soleado.
Yesterday was hot and sunny.
Adjectives starting with S to describe a person
| sincero honest | suertudo lucky | solitario solitary |
| sensible sensitive | simpático nice | soberbio arrogant |
| sensato sensible | sabio wise | susceptible sensitive |
| solidario supportive | sagaz shrewd, astute | severo strict |
| sociable sociable | serio serious, stiff | sádico sadistic |
Soy sociable; me gustan las fiestas y conocer gente nueva.
I am sociable; I like parties and meeting new people.Mi abuelo era un hombre sabio que daba buenos consejos.
My grandfather was a wise man who gave good advice.
- See also: Spanish adjectives
Spanish verbs that start with S
| saber to know | suceder to happen | separar to separate |
| ser to be | salvar to save | significar to mean |
| sentir to feel | sentarse to sit down | solucionar to solve |
| sonreír to smile | secar to dry | soplar to blow |
| salir to leave, go out | saborear to taste | sorprender to surprise |
| seguir to follow | saludar to greet | servir to serve |
| soñar to dream | sanar to heal | sospechar to suspect |
| subir to go up | satisfacer to satisfy | subrayar to underline |
| saltar jump | sembrar to sow | sufrir to suffer |
| sostener to hold | señalar to point at, point out | suspender to suspend |
Un fuerte viento del sur ha soplado toda la mañana.
A strong south wind has been blowing all morning.Subrayen las palabras que contengan errores.
Underline the words that contain errors.¿Qué es ese ruido? ¿Qué sucede?
What's that noise? What's going on?El perro se sanó de una manera milagrosa.
The dog healed in a miraculous way.
- See also: Spanish verbs
Spanish adverbs that start with S
| siempre always | súbitamente suddenly | sensualmente sensually |
| seguro surely | sublimemente sublimely | significativamente significantly |
| siquiera at least | selectivamente selectively | subjetivamente subjectively |
| silenciosamente silently | sospechosamente suspiciously | severamente severely |
| sinceramente sincerely, honestly | sucintamente succinctly | satíricamente satirically |
| seguramente probably | simétricamente symmetrically | simbólicamente symbolically |
| suavemente softly | solemnemente solemnly | sólidamente solidly |
| simultáneamente simultaneously | sensiblemente significantly | someramente superficially |
| sistemáticamente systematically | superficialmente superficially | soberanamente supremely |
| sabiamente wisely | sucesivamente successively | subrepticiamente surreptitiously |
Tras sus declaraciones, el presidente fue severamente criticado.
After his statements, the president was severely criticized.Has mejorado tu español significativamente.
You have improved your Spanish significantly.Los niños estudiaron silenciosamente toda la tarde.
The children studied silently all afternoon.Sinceramente, creo que ella es la mejor.
I honestly think she is the best.
- See also: Spanish adverbs
More everyday Spanish words that start with S
Some more everyday Spanish words that start with S include:
sí
yes
si
if
sin
without
sino
but, except
sobre
on, over, above, about
su
his, her
suyo
his, hers
según
according to
se
himself, herself, itself
¡Shhh!
Sh!
No me iré sin ti.
I won’t leave without you.
Si llueve, se suspenderá el concierto.
If it rains, the concert will be canceled.
Según lo que he leído, el rumor es cierto.
According to what I’ve read, the rumor is true.
Mi profesor es bueno, pero el suyo es mejor.
My teacher is good, but yours is better.
You may also like:
Practice: Spanish words with S
References
- Wordreference.com, “se,” accessed November 20, 2024, https://www.wordreference.com/
- Oxford Spanish Dictionary, 3rd edition on CD-ROM, Oxford University Press.
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary, accessed November 20, 2024, under “sensibly,” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/
- Real Academia Española, Diccionario de la lengua española, under “soberanamente,” accessed November 20, 2024, https://dle.rae.es/
- Enciclopedia del Lenguaje, “Palabras con S,” by Carla Giani. Last updated October 25, 2024, https://lenguaje.com/
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