Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish
How to say "to play" in Spanish
"To play" in Spanish is jugar, pronounced hoo-GAHR (stress on the syllable in capitals). In short: to play a game or a sport.
| Spanish | jugar |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | hoo-GAHR |
| Meaning | to play |
| Part of speech | verb |
| Frequency | #95 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.
How to pronounce jugar
Jugar is pronounced hoo-GAHR, in IPA /xuˈɡaɾ/. Jugar has two syllables, hoo-GAHR, with the stress on the second. There is no written accent because the word follows the basic rule: words ending in a consonant other than -n or -s are stressed on the last syllable.
- J is a rough h sound, stronger than the English h.
Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Example sentences
Los niños juegan
the children play
Ella juega con sus amigos.
She plays with her friends.
"To play" in Spain and Latin America
Useful phrases
- jugar al fútbol
to play football - tocar la guitarra
to play the guitar
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 jugar
jugar [hoo-GAHR] sounds like the English “juggler”. Picture this:
The juggler plays with everything: apples, phones, and one very patient cat.
A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.
Practice jugar
Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.