Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish

How to say "church" in Spanish

"Church" in Spanish is iglesia, pronounced ee-GLEH-syah (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a feminine noun (la iglesia, plural las iglesias).

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 iglesia

Iglesia is pronounced ee-GLEH-syah, in IPA /iˈɡlesja/. Iglesia has three syllables, ee-GLEH-syah, with the stress on the second. 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 iglesia masculine or feminine?

Iglesia is feminine, so it takes la (the) and una (a): la iglesia. The plural is las iglesias. That fits the usual pattern: most nouns ending in -a are feminine.

Example sentences

Una iglesia antigua
an old church

La iglesia está cerca
The church is nearby

Vamos a la iglesia
We're going to church

"Church" in Spain and Latin America

The same Greek root as English ecclesiastical: iglesia comes from Greek ekklēsía, an assembly.

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 iglesia

iglesia [ee-GLEH-syah] sounds like the English “igloo, see ya”. Picture this:

A church like an igloo: white, round, cool inside even in August.

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

Practice iglesia

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