Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish

How to say "bus" in Spanish

"Bus" in Spanish is autobús, pronounced ow-toh-BOOS (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a masculine noun (el autobús, plural los autobuses).

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 autobús

Autobús is pronounced ow-toh-BOOS, in IPA /autoˈbus/. Autobús has three syllables, ow-toh-BOOS, with the stress on the third. The written accent on ú marks that syllable. On a keyboard without Spanish letters it is often typed "autobus"; the correct spelling is autobús.

Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Is autobús masculine or feminine?

Autobús is masculine, so it takes el (the) and un (a): el autobús. The plural is los autobuses. The ending does not tell you the gender here, so learn the word together with its article: el autobús.

Example sentences

Espero el autobús
I'm waiting for the bus

El autobús está lleno.
The bus is full.

El autobús es grande
The bus is big

"Bus" in Spain and Latin America

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 autobús

autobús [ow-toh-BOOS] sounds like the English “autobus”. Picture this:

The autobus is just the bus with a longer name and the same squeaky doors.

A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.

Practice autobús

Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.

Word web: autobús

Words that live next to autobús in the Palabra word web, each with its own English sound-alike and scene. Learning them together makes each one easier to recall.