Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish
How to say "key" in Spanish
"Key" in Spanish is llave, pronounced YAH-beh (stress on the syllable in capitals). In short: a key that opens a lock. It is a feminine noun (la llave, plural las llaves). Also: clave, a key in the sense of a code or password, or the key point of something.
| Spanish | llave |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | YAH-beh |
| Meaning | key |
| Gender | feminine: la llave |
| Plural | las llaves |
| Frequency | #33 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 llave
Llave is pronounced YAH-beh, in IPA /ˈʝabe/. Llave has two syllables, YAH-beh, 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.
- Ll sounds like the y in "yes" in most accents.
- V is pronounced like b.
Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Is llave masculine or feminine?
Llave is feminine, so it takes la (the) and una (a): la llave. The plural is las llaves. The ending does not tell you the gender here, so learn the word together with its article: la llave.
Example sentences
¿Dónde está la llave?
where is the key?
dame la llave
give me the key
Aquí tiene la llave de la habitación.
Here's the key to the room.
How to remember llave
llave [YAH-beh] sounds like the English “ya-vey”. Picture this:
«Ya-vey!» sighs grandma, fishing the key from her tenth pocket at last.
A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.
Practice llave
Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.