Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish
How to say "beach" in Spanish
"Beach" in Spanish is playa, pronounced PLAH-yah (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a feminine noun (la playa, plural las playas).
| Spanish | playa |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | PLAH-yah |
| Meaning | beach |
| Gender | feminine: la playa |
| Plural | las playas |
| Frequency | #38 in the Palabra list of common Spanish words |
Pronunciation is spelled out in English, one syllable at a time, with the stressed syllable in capitals. The speaker button uses your browser's built-in Spanish voice. Gender and plural: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
How to pronounce playa
Playa is pronounced PLAH-yah, in IPA /ˈplaʝa/. Playa has two syllables, PLAH-yah, with the stress on the first. There is no written accent because the word follows the basic rule: words ending in a vowel, -n or -s are stressed on the second-to-last syllable.
Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Is playa masculine or feminine?
Playa is feminine, so it takes la (the) and una (a): la playa. The plural is las playas. That fits the usual pattern: most nouns ending in -a are feminine.
Example sentences
Vamos a la playa
let's go to the beach
la playa es hermosa
the beach is beautiful
La playa está llena de gente.
The beach is full of people.
"Beach" in Spain and Latin America
Useful phrases
- ir a la playa
to go to the beach - en la playa
at the beach
Regional words and roots: Diccionario de la lengua española (RAE). Spanish varies by region, so treat these as the most common patterns, not strict rules.
How to remember playa
playa [PLAH-yah] sounds like the English “play a”. Picture this:
You play a guitar on the beach and the waves clap against the shore in rhythm.
A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.
Practice playa
Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.