Spanish Words That Start With C (30 Essentials)
🇪🇸 Spanish · 30 cards · A2 · by Lucía Herrera
This list comes straight from my tutoring notebook, where the letter C causes more trouble than any other. Part of it is sound: c is /k/ before a, o, u but /s/ (or /θ/ in Spain) before e and i — which is why buscar turns into busqué. Part of it is meaning: carpeta is not a carpet, contestar is to answer, and caliente is not what you want to say about yourself.
Start with the everyday nouns, then the verbs, then the adjectives and adverbs at the end. Say every example out loud — that is where the pronunciation habit actually forms. The notes flag gender, region and the traps.
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
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All 30 cards
| # | Spanish | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | casa Feminine. "En casa" (at home) and "a casa" (home, movement) take no article. | house, home | Mi casa está cerca del metro. My house is near the metro. | |
| 2 | coche Masculine. Standard in Spain; "carro" in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, "auto" in the Southern Cone. | car | El coche no arranca esta mañana. The car won't start this morning. | |
| 3 | comida Feminine. In Spain and Mexico it also means the main midday meal. | food, meal; lunch | La comida de tu madre está riquísima. Your mother's cooking is delicious. | |
| 4 | café Masculine. Same word for the drink and the place. | coffee; café | ¿Nos tomamos un café luego? Shall we have a coffee later? | |
| 5 | calle Feminine despite ending in -e: la calle. Note "vivir en la calle X". | street | ¿En qué calle vives? What street do you live on? | |
| 6 | ciudad Feminine (all -dad nouns are). The c before i is /s/ in Latin America, /θ/ in most of Spain. | city | Esta ciudad nunca duerme. This city never sleeps. | |
| 7 | cosa Feminine. "Otra cosa" = something else; "una cosa" often just means "one thing". | thing | Tengo mil cosas que hacer hoy. I have a thousand things to do today. | |
| 8 | campo Masculine. Also a sports pitch (campo de fútbol) or an area of study (campo de investigación). | countryside; field | Los domingos nos vamos al campo. On Sundays we go out to the countryside. | |
| 9 | cama Feminine. "Irse a la cama" = to go to bed. | bed | No hagas la cama, ya la hice yo. Don't make the bed, I already did it. | |
| 10 | cuchara Feminine. Teaspoon: la cucharita (Latin America) / la cucharilla (Spain). El cuchillo = knife. | spoon | Se me cayó la cuchara al suelo. I dropped the spoon on the floor. | |
| 11 | cumpleaños Masculine and invariable: el cumpleaños, los cumpleaños. | birthday | Mañana es mi cumpleaños y hago una fiesta. Tomorrow is my birthday and I'm having a party. | |
| 12 | cuenta Feminine. "Darse cuenta de" = to realise; "una cuenta bancaria" = a bank account. | bill, check; account | ¿Nos trae la cuenta, por favor? Could you bring us the bill, please? | |
| 13 | consejo Masculine and countable, unlike English "advice": un consejo, dos consejos. | advice, a piece of advice | Te voy a dar un consejo. I'm going to give you a piece of advice. | |
| 14 | carpeta Feminine. False friend: not "carpet" — that's la alfombra. | folder, binder | Guarda los papeles en esa carpeta. Put the papers in that folder. | |
| 15 | comer In Spain and Mexico it often means specifically the midday meal; elsewhere people say "almorzar". | to eat; to have lunch | ¿A qué hora comemos hoy? What time are we eating today? | |
| 16 | comprar The reflexive "comprarse" adds a personal flavour, like "buy myself". Regular -ar verb. | to buy | Me compré unas botas preciosas. I bought myself some gorgeous boots. | |
| 17 | conocer Irregular yo form: conozco. Use "saber" for facts and skills. Needs personal "a" with people. | to know (a person or place); to meet | ¿Conoces a alguien en Sevilla? Do you know anyone in Seville? | |
| 18 | creer "Creo que sí / creo que no" is the everyday "I think so / I don't think so". Negative "no creo que" takes the subjunctive. | to think, to believe | Creo que va a llover. I think it's going to rain. | |
| 19 | cambiar "Cambiar de" + noun: cambiar de trabajo, cambiar de tema. | to change; to exchange, swap | ¿Puedo cambiar esta camisa por otra? Can I exchange this shirt for another one? | |
| 20 | contar Stem-changing o>ue: cuento, cuentas. "Contar con" = to count on. | to tell; to count | Cuéntame qué pasó anoche. Tell me what happened last night. | |
| 21 | contestar False friend: it does not mean "to contest". Synonym: responder. | to answer, to reply | Nadie contestó el teléfono. Nobody answered the phone. | |
| 22 | cerrar Stem-changing e>ie: cierro, cierras, cierra. | to close, to shut | Cierra la ventana, hace frío. Close the window, it's cold. | |
| 23 | cocinar Related: la cocina (kitchen, cuisine), el cocinero / la cocinera (cook). | to cook | Hoy cocino yo, tú descansa. I'm cooking today, you rest. | |
| 24 | caer Usually reflexive (caerse) for people and things tipping over. "Me cae bien" = I like him/her (as a person). | to fall | Cuidado, que se cae el vaso. Careful, the glass is about to fall. | |
| 25 | cansado Agrees: cansado / cansada. Use with estar; "ser cansado" means tiring or tiresome. | tired | Estoy cansada, me voy a dormir. I'm tired, I'm off to bed. | |
| 26 | caro Agrees: caro / cara. Opposite: barato. One r — "carro" is a different word. | expensive | Ese restaurante es demasiado caro. That restaurant is too expensive. | |
| 27 | corto For a person's height use "bajo", never "corto". | short (in length or duration) | Me corté el pelo muy corto. I cut my hair very short. | |
| 28 | caliente Same form for both genders. Careful: "estoy caliente" about a person means aroused (vulgar) — say "tengo calor". | hot (to the touch) | Ten cuidado, el plato está caliente. Be careful, the plate is hot. | |
| 29 | cerca Adverb. Before a noun add de: cerca de la estación. | near, nearby | El súper está aquí cerca. The supermarket is nearby. | |
| 30 | casi Adverb. For near-misses Spanish often uses the present where English uses the past: casi me caigo = I almost fell. | almost, nearly | Casi se me olvida tu regalo. I almost forgot your present. |
Native Spanish speaker from Valencia, now in Mexico City. I tutor Spanish online and keep a notebook of the words my students trip over. Every deck here comes from that notebook.
Questions about this deck
- When is the Spanish c pronounced like s and when like k?
- Before a, o, u and before another consonant, c sounds like English k: casa, coche, cuchara, clase. Before e and i it softens: /s/ in Latin America and southern Spain (ciudad, cerca), the th of "think" (θ) in most of Spain. That is also why verbs in -car switch to qu in writing to keep the k sound: buscar → busqué, tocar → toqué.
- Which words starting with C are false friends in Spanish?
- Several. Carpeta is a folder or binder, not a carpet (alfombra). Contestar means to answer, not to contest (impugnar). Colegio is a primary or secondary school, not a college. Constipado means having a head cold, not constipated. And caliente describes hot things: "estoy caliente" about yourself means aroused, so say "tengo calor".
- Is it coche or carro?
- Both mean car and both are correct. Coche is the standard word in Spain and is understood everywhere; carro is normal in Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela and the Caribbean; auto (from automóvil) is the usual word in Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. Pick the one used where you are — nobody will misunderstand the others.
- How do I know if a C word is masculine or feminine?
- Nouns in -a here are feminine (casa, cama, comida, cuenta, carpeta, cuchara) and nouns in -o masculine (campo, consejo). Nouns in -dad are always feminine: la ciudad. The -e endings have to be memorised with the article: la calle but el coche, el café. Cumpleaños is masculine and identical in the plural: el cumpleaños, los cumpleaños.
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