Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish

How to say "help" in Spanish

"Help" in Spanish is ayuda, pronounced ah-YOO-dah (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a feminine noun (la ayuda, plural las ayudas).

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 ayuda

Ayuda is pronounced ah-YOO-dah, in IPA /aˈʝuda/. Ayuda has three syllables, ah-YOO-dah, 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 ayuda masculine or feminine?

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

Example sentences

Gracias por tu ayuda.
Thanks for your help.

Necesito ayuda
I need help

"Help" 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 ayuda

ayuda [ah-YOO-dah] sounds like the English “a-YOU-duh”. Picture this:

You shout 'a YOU, duh!' pointing at the only person who can help fix the broken cart.

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

Practice ayuda

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