muela
/ˈmwela/
The English phrase "back tooth" is translated into Spanish as muela.
The term refers to a molar tooth located at the back of the mouth. While diente is the general word for any tooth, muela specifically refers to the molars used for grinding.
Which one should you use?
While muela specifically denotes a molar, the more general term diente can be used to refer to any tooth. If you wish to be more specific about the position, you can use phrases like muela de atrás or diente del fondo to mean a tooth from the back.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of muela is muelas.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmwela/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, muela is also used in the phrase sacar la muela, which can figuratively mean to extract a difficult piece of information from someone.
- In Spanish, the wisdom tooth is often called la muela del juicio, which translates literally to 'the tooth of judgment'.
- The word muela shares the same root as the English word 'mill', as both stem from the Latin 'mola' meaning 'millstone'.
Examples in context
- Mi dentista recomendó extraer una muela posterior.My dentist recommended extracting a back tooth.
- Me duele la muela.My back tooth hurts.
- Me duele la muela de arriba.My upper back tooth hurts.
- Tengo que extraer una muela.I have to extract a molar.
- La muela del juicio es muy grande.The wisdom molar is very large.
Example conversation
Alejandro tells Sofía why he is going to the doctor.
- AlejandroTengo que ir al dentista hoy.I have to go to the dentist today.
- Sofía¿Qué te pasa, Alejandro?What is wrong, Alejandro?
- AlejandroMe empezó a doler una muela.A back tooth started to hurt.
- SofíaEspero que no sea grave.I hope it is not serious.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry muela, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries muela, CC BY-SA 4.0.
