Spain vs Latin American Spanish words: 25 terms to say the Spain way

🇪🇸 SpanishA1–A225 words

If you learned some Spanish from a Latin American course or series, these are the words to update first. Each entry gives the word used in Spain and the meaning notes the common Latin American equivalent, so you recognise both and speak the way people do in Madrid or Seville.

Where you will use it: Switching from Latin American to Spain Spanish.

Spain words that differ from Latin America — The word list

Meanings and translations are in English.

Spanish	Meaning and example
el autobús	Bus (Latin America: camión in Mexico, colectivo in Argentina).“El autobús pasa cada diez minutos.”The bus comes every ten minutes.
aparcar	To park (Latin America: estacionar, parquear).“Podéis aparcar delante de nuestra casa.”You can park in front of our house.
el aparcamiento	Car park (Latin America: estacionamiento).“El aparcamiento está debajo de la plaza.”The car park is underneath the square.
el carné de conducir	Driving licence (Latin America: licencia de conducir).“He renovado el carné de conducir hoy.”I've renewed my driving licence today.
la acera	Pavement (Latin America: banqueta in Mexico, vereda in Argentina).“Caminad por la acera hasta el semáforo.”Walk along the pavement to the traffic lights.
el maletero	Car boot (Latin America: cajuela in Mexico, baúl in Argentina).“Las maletas están dentro del maletero.”The suitcases are inside the boot.
el grifo	Tap (Latin America: llave in Mexico, canilla in Argentina).“Cierra el grifo mientras te lavas los dientes.”Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth.
la nevera	Fridge (Latin America: refrigerador, heladera in Argentina).“La leche está dentro de la nevera.”The milk is inside the fridge.
el dormitorio	Bedroom (Latin America: recámara in Mexico, cuarto).“El dormitorio tiene vistas al jardín.”The bedroom overlooks the garden.
la bañera	Bathtub (Latin America: tina).“La bañera está al fondo del baño.”The bathtub is at the far end of the bathroom.
el armario	Wardrobe (Latin America: clóset).“He guardado los abrigos en el armario.”I've put the coats away in the wardrobe.
la manta	Blanket (Latin America: cobija, frazada).“Coge una manta si tienes frío.”Get a blanket if you're cold.
el salón	Living room (Latin America: sala).“Estamos todos sentados en el salón.”We're all sitting in the living room.
la patata	Potato (Latin America: papa).“Corta la patata en trozos pequeños.”Cut the potato into small pieces.
el melocotón	Peach (Latin America: durazno).“He comido un melocotón de postre.”I've had a peach for dessert.
las judías verdes	Green beans (Latin America: ejotes in Mexico, chauchas in Argentina).“Hoy hemos preparado judías verdes con patatas.”Today we've made green beans with potatoes.
el aguacate	Avocado (Latin America: palta in Argentina and Chile).“El aguacate todavía está un poco duro.”The avocado is still a little hard.
la tarta	Cake (Latin America: pastel, torta).“La tarta de cumpleaños lleva chocolate.”The birthday cake has chocolate in it.
la gamba	Prawn (Latin America: camarón).“Esta gamba está muy buena a la plancha.”This prawn is very tasty grilled.
el cacahuete	Peanut (Latin America: maní, cacahuate in Mexico).“El cacahuete puede causar una reacción alérgica.”Peanuts can cause an allergic reaction.
el guisante	Pea (Latin America: arveja, chícharo in Mexico).“El guisante es pequeño y de color verde.”The pea is small and green.
el bolígrafo	Pen (Latin America: pluma in Mexico, birome in Argentina).“¿Me prestáis un bolígrafo para firmar?”Can you lend me a pen to sign?
las gafas	Glasses (Latin America: lentes, anteojos).“Sin las gafas no veo la pantalla.”Without my glasses I can't see the screen.
la chaqueta	Jacket (Latin America: chamarra in Mexico, campera in Argentina).“Ponte la chaqueta antes de salir.”Put your jacket on before going out.
el jersey	Jumper; sweater (Latin America: suéter).“Este jersey de lana abriga mucho.”This woollen jumper is very warm.

Tips for learning Spanish words

Learn the article with the nounWrite el billete or la cuenta, not just the noun: the article tells you the gender, and adjectives agree with it.
Say every example aloudSpanish is spelled almost exactly as it sounds. Play the audio, then read the example aloud — it trains your ear and your pronunciation at once.
Type the accentsIn WordNest a missing accent counts as a mistake. Typing está, mañana and también correctly from the start saves relearning them later.

Spanish as spoken in Spain

Spanish is spoken in more than twenty countries, and everyday words differ between them: a car is a coche in Spain and a carro in much of Latin America, a phone is a móvil rather than a celular. These lists follow Spain's usage — vosotros, coger el tren, el ordenador — and WordNest's examples, audio and AI corrections use the same standard. You will still be understood everywhere.

Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.

Spanish word lists →

Questions about this list

Is this Spanish from Spain or Latin America?

Spanish as spoken in Spain. Where Latin America usually uses a different word, the list gives the Spain one — for example coche instead of carro — but every word is understood across the Spanish-speaking world.

How do I practise Spain words that differ from Latin America?

Start with five words, listen and say each example aloud. Then recall the Spanish word from its English meaning and review it over several days.

How many words are in this list?

This list contains 25 words and phrases with English meanings and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete course.

Study these words with spaced repetition

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