Compound words in Spanish

By Marta Díaz on Thursday, January 9, 2025

Have you ever heard of compound words in Spanish? They are probably very similar in your native language, but do you know any in Spanish? If your New Year's resolution is to become more fluent in Spanish, this post is for you.

Learn the most used compound words in Spanish and their meaning, as well as examples of sentences where they are used. Enforex helps you improve your knowledge of the language and, if you want to go a step further, take an intensive Spanish course in Spain with us.

What are compound words in Spanish?

Compound words in Spanish are words that are formed by joining two or more simple words, combining their structures to create a new term with a different meaning. These words can be formed by elements of different grammatical categories such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions or prefixes.

A compound word in Spanish can be inseparable, when it appears as an indivisible unit, for example, sacapuntas (pencil sharpener); or separable, when the elements retain some independence, such as hispano-romano.

However, you should keep in mind that the meaning of the compound word in Spanish is not always the direct sum of its parts. For example, the word “sordomudo” (deaf-mute) describes a person who neither hears nor speaks.

Types of compound words in Spanish

We can distinguish several types of compound words in Spanish:

• Union without spaces: the words appear together. E.g. rompecabezas (puzzle) or girasol (sunflower).
• Union with hyphen: a graphic separation is maintained. Eg. teórico-práctico (theoretical-practical).
• Lexicalized expressions: some word combinations function as a unit, although they are not merged. For example: ojo de buey (porthole).
• Flexion: they can have plural or feminine forms, depending on their nature. Example: sacapuntas (pencil sharpener) is invariable; plural and singular are the same word. While pelirrojo (redhead) is masculine, but there is the feminine, pelirroja, and the plural, pelirrojos or pelirrojas.

List of compound words in Spanish

We can differentiate compound words in Spanish according to the category of the words that form it.

Verb + Noun

Bellow you will find the compound word, its definition and English translation:

• Sacapuntas (sacar + puntas). Object for sharpening pencils: pencil sharpener.
• Paraguas (parar + agua). Object that protects from the rain: umbrella.
• Rompecabezas (romper + cabezas). A game that consists of putting together figures with pieces: puzzle.
• Limpiafondos (limpiar + fondos). Apparatus to clean bottoms of swimming pools: pool cleaner.
• Abrelatas (abre + latas). Utensil to open cans: can opener.
• Parasol (parar + sol). Object that protects from the sun: parasol.
• Portarretratos (portar + retratos). Frame to place photographs: picture frame.
• Guardabarros (guardar + barros). Part of the vehicles that protects from splashes: fender.
• Salvapantallas (salva + pantallas). Program to protect the screen of devices: screen saver.
• Rompehielos (romper + hielos). Boat designed to navigate in ice: icebreaker.
• Quitamanchas (quitar + manchas). Product to remove stains: stain remover.
• Tocadiscos (tocar + discos). Apparatus for playing vinyl records: record player.
• Cortacésped (cortar + césped). Machine for mowing the lawn: lawn mower.
• Marcapasos (marcar + pasos). Device for regulating heart rate: pacemaker.
• Marcapáginas (marcar + páginas). Bookmark for the pages of a book.

Noun + Noun

• Hombre lobo (hombre + lobo). Mythological being half man and half wolf: werewolf.
• Coche bomba (coche + bomba). A vehicle loaded with explosives: car bomb.
• Mesa camilla (mesa + camilla). Table with structure to place a brazier: brazier table.
• Pelota playera (pelota + playa). Big ball to play on the beach: beach ball.
• Gato montés (gato + montés). Species of wild feline: wild cat.
• Copa menstrual (copa + menstrual). Feminine intimate hygiene object: menstrual cup.
• Silla hamaca (silla + hamaca). Suspended chair that swings: hammock chair.
• Carrocería blindada (carrocería + blindada). Body of a vehicle protected against impacts: armored body.

Adjective +Noun / Noun + Adjective

• Altavoz (alta + voz). Device for amplifying sound: speaker.
• Malhumor (mal + humor). Negative mood: bad mood.
• Aguafiestas (agua + fiestas). Person who spoils the fun: party pooper / spoilsport.
• Pelirrojo (pelo + rojo). Person with red hair: redhead.
• Buenaventura (buena + ventura). Favorable luck or fortune: good fortune.
• Mediocampo (medio + campo). The central area of a playing field: midfield.
• Altamar (alta + mar). Offshore, far from the coast: open sea.
• Caradura (cara + dura). Cheeky or shameless person: cheeky.
• Piesplanos (pies + planos). A condition where a person's foot has no arch.
• Medioambiente (medio + ambiente). Set of natural conditions surrounding living beings: environment.

Adjective + Adjective

• Amargodulce (amargo + dulce). Food with bitter and sweet flavors at the same time: bitter-sweet.
• Sordomudo (sordo + mudo). A person who can neither hear nor speak: deaf-mute.
• Blanquinegro (blanco + negro). Of black and white colors: black and write.
• Claroscuro (claro + oscuro). Play of light and shadow: chiaroscuro.
• Altibajo (alto + bajo). Of irregular height: setback or bump in the road.

Verb + Verb

• Vaivén (ir + venir). Movement from one side to the other: back and forth.
• Correveidile (corre + ve + dile). Person who carries and brings gossip.
• Subibaja (subir + bajar). Children's game that goes up and down on an axis.
• Sinsentido (sin + sentido). Expression or action without logic or coherence.

Adverb + Verb

• Malvivir (mal + vivir). To live with difficulties or in bad conditions: scrape by.
• Bienestar (bien + estar). State of satisfaction and comfort: well-being.
• Malentender (mal + entender). To understand something incorrectly.
• Malpensar (mal + pensar). To assume something negative about someone without evidence: think poorly of [sb].
• Maldecir (mal + decir). To speak negatively or wish someone ill: curse.

Prefix + Noun or Adjective

• Antibiótico (anti + biótico). Substance that fights bacteria or microorganisms: antibiotic.
• Exnovio (ex + novio). Person with whom one had a sentimental relationship in the past: ex-boyfriend.
• Antivirus (anti + virus). Program that protects computers against viruses: antivirus.
• Prejuicio (pre + juicio). Opinion formed without prior knowledge: prejudice.
• Infraestructura (infra + estructura). Set of basic structures in a region: infrastructure.
• Intercambio (inter + cambio). Action of giving and receiving something: exchange.
• Descontento (des + contento). Lack of satisfaction or joy: discontent.
• Previsible (pre + visible). That which can be predicted: predictable.
• Sobrehumano (sobre + humano). That which exceeds human capabilities: superhuman.

To learn more about prefixes and suffixes in Spanish, visit our blog.

Noun + Preposition + Noun

• Pies de gato (pies + de + gato). Specialized climbing footwear designed to give better grip: climbing shoes.
• Pan de molde (pan + de + molde). A type of soft, rectangular, thin-crusted bread, common for sandwiches: sandwich bread or sliced bread.
• Ojo de buey (ojo + de + buey). Circular window, common in ships or buildings: porthole.

In addition, there are some more complex compound words, some of which have arisen from popular usage. For example: hazmerreír (hacer + me + reír), said of a person whose ridiculous figure and extravagant appearance amuse others. In general, this compound word has a negative connotation.

Examples with compound words in Spanish

Here are some sentences with the above compound words so you can see how they are used:

• El limpiafondos automático dejó la piscina impecable (The automatic pool cleaner left the pool spotless)
• ¿Puedes pasarme el abrelatas para abrir el atún? (Can you pass me the can opener to open the tuna?)
• El portarretratos en la mesa tiene una foto familiar de hace 5 años (The picture frame on the table has a photo from 5 years ago)
• El guardabarros de la bicicleta está roto (The fender on the bike is broken)
• El rompehielos cruzó el Ártico sin problemas (The icebreaker crossed the Arctic with no problems)
• Usa un quitamanchas antes de lavar la camisa que manchaste de tomate (Use a stain remover before washing the shirt you stained with tomato)
• El tocadiscos todavía funciona perfectamente (The record player still works perfectly)
• Compramos un cortacésped nuevo para el jardín (We bought a new lawn mower for the garden)
• Vimos un gato montés en el bosque mientras caminábamos (We saw a bobcat in the woods while hiking)
• Mi abuelo usa un marcapasos desde hace años (My grandfather has been using a pacemaker for years)
• El altavoz está conectado al teléfono para la música (The speaker is connected to the phone for music)
• Debemos proteger el medioambiente para las generaciones futuras (We must protect the environment for future generations)
• No seas un aguafiestas y ven con nosotros a la cena del viernes (Don't be a spoilsport and join us for dinner on Friday)
• ¡Qué caradura eres al pedir más dinero después de lo que hiciste! (How cheeky of you to ask for more money after what you did!)
• No confíes en él, es un correveidile (Don't trust him, he's a gossip)
• Su discurso fue un sinsentido total (His speech was total nonsense)
• Desde el ojo de buey del barco se veía el horizonte (From the ship's porthole you could see the horizon)
• Necesito comprar unos pies de gato antes de nuestra próxima escalada (I need to buy some climbing shoes before our next climb)

These are just a few commonly used Spanish compound words that you might hear in any conversation. But if you are still hungry for more, don't hesitate to come learn Spanish in Spain with Enforex in any of the 11 cities where we have Spanish schools.