Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish
How to say "darling" in Spanish
"Darling" in Spanish is cariño, pronounced kah-REE-nyoh (stress on the syllable in capitals). Its dictionary meaning: darling/affection. It is a masculine noun (el cariño, plural los cariños).
| Spanish | cariño |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | kah-REE-nyoh |
| Meaning | darling/affection |
| Gender | masculine: el cariño |
| Plural | los cariños |
| Frequency | #92 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 cariño
Cariño is pronounced kah-REE-nyoh, in IPA /kaˈɾiɲo/. Cariño has three syllables, kah-REE-nyoh, 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. On a keyboard without Spanish letters it is often typed "carino"; the correct spelling is cariño.
- Ñ sounds like the ny in "canyon".
Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Is cariño masculine or feminine?
Cariño is masculine, so it takes el (the) and un (a): el cariño. The plural is los cariños. That fits the usual pattern: most nouns ending in -o are masculine.
Example sentences
Eres mi cariño
You are my darling
Hola, cariño, ¿cómo estás?
Hi, darling, how are you?
"Darling" in Spain and Latin America
Other words you will hear
- cariño — darling, sweetheart, very common in Spain
- querido / querida — dear, darling; also at the start of a letter
- mi amor — my love
- mi vida — my life, very affectionate
- corazón — sweetheart
- mi cielo — my heaven, used like "darling"
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 cariño
cariño [kah-REE-nyoh] sounds like the English “car-any-oh”. Picture this:
Any car will do for the darling couple, they hug happily no matter which one they drive.
A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.
Practice cariño
Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.