Colors in Spanish: List, Pronunciation, Grammar & Examples
List of Colors in Spanish
Let’s start with the basics. Here’s a comprehensive list of common colors in Spanish:
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Blanco | White | blahn-koh |
| Negro | Black | neh-groh |
| Rojo | Red | roh-hoh |
| Amarillo | Yellow | ah-mah-ree-yoh |
| Azul | Blue | ah-sool |
| Verde | Green | behr-deh |
| Naranja | Orange | nah-rahn-hah |
| Marrón | Brown | mah-rrohn |
| Morado | Purple | moh-rah-doh |
| Lila | Lilac | lee-lah |
| Rosa / Rosado-Rosada | Pink | roh-sah |
| Fucsia | Fuchsia | fook-syah |
| Gris | Gray | grees |
| Mostaza | Mustard | mohs-tah-sah |
| Terracota | Terracotta | teh-rrah-koh-tah |
| Turquesa | Turquoise | toor-keh-sah |
| Dorado | Golden | doh-rah-doh |
| Plateado | Silver | plah-teh-ah-doh |
| Color carne / Salmón | Skin color / Salmon | koh-lohr kahr-neh |
| Beige | Beige | beh-ish |
| Ámbar | Amber | ahm-bahr |
| Lima | Lime | lee-mah |
| Verde menta | Mint green | behr-deh mehn-tah |
| Verde manzana | Apple green | behr-deh mahn-sah-nah |
Other Related Color Terms
Beyond the basic colors, here are some other useful terms to describe shades or actions related to colors:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Claro | Light |
| Oscuro | Dark |
| Pintar | To paint |
| Lápices de colores | Colored pencils |
| Combinación | Combination |
| Pintura | Painting (art) or Paint (substance) |
| Colores Primarios | Primary Colors |
| Colores Secundarios | Secondary Colors |
| Colores Terciarios | Tertiary Colors |
| Azulado/a | Bluish |
| Grisáceo/a | Grayish |
Spanish Color Grammar Rules
Understanding how colors behave in Spanish sentences is key to sounding natural. Colors act much like adjectives, meaning they often need to agree with the nouns they describe.
1. The Noun “Color”
The word “color” itself in Spanish is a masculine noun. When you talk about colors as nouns (e.g., “the color green”), you’ll use masculine articles (el, los for “the”; un, unos for “a/some”).
2. Color Agreement: Gender and Number
When colors describe a noun, they must agree in gender and number with that noun.
Agreement in Gender:
Colors ending in -o (like rojo, blanco, amarillo) change their ending to -a when describing a feminine noun.
Colors not ending in -o (like verde, azul, gris, beige, marrón, naranja, rosa) do not change for gender. They stay the same for both masculine and feminine nouns.
Agreement in Number: To make a color plural, you generally add an -s to the end. If the color ends in a consonant, you typically add -es. Check this guide on Spanish plural forms.
3. Word Order with Colors
In Spanish, colors typically come after the noun they describe, or after the verb ser or estar.
After Ser or Estar:
After Nouns:
