Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish

How to say "year" in Spanish

"Year" in Spanish is año, pronounced AH-nyoh (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a masculine noun (el año, plural los años).

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 año

Año is pronounced AH-nyoh, in IPA /ˈaɲo/. Año has two syllables, AH-nyoh, 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. On a keyboard without Spanish letters it is often typed "ano"; the correct spelling is año.

• Ñ sounds like the ny in "canyon".

Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Is año masculine or feminine?

Año is masculine, so it takes el (the) and un (a): el año. The plural is los años. That fits the usual pattern: most nouns ending in -o are masculine.

Example sentences

Feliz año nuevo
happy new year

un año más
one more year

Este año voy a viajar
This year I will travel

"Year" in Spain and Latin America

Keep the tilde: año (year) and ano are different words, and the second one is anatomical.

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 año

año [AH-nyoh] sounds like the English “ah, new!”. Picture this:

«Ah, new!» — the year arrives in confetti and immediately asks about your resolutions.

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

Practice año

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