Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| hermoso | /eɾˈmoso/ |
| bello | /ˈbeʝo/ |
| bel | /ˈbel/ |
The adjective hermoso is a versatile term used to describe people, objects, weather and abstract concepts like life. Other ways to express beauty include linda/o to describe someone as pretty or attractive, and guapísimo/a to describe someone as extremely beautiful. For something that is enchanting, captivating or charming, you can use encantador/a.
Which one should you use?
While hermoso is a general-purpose term, you may also encounter bello or its shortened form bel.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Costa Rica, hermoso/a is a common way to say beautiful.
How does it change in a sentence?
These adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. For hermoso, the feminine form is hermosa and the masculine plural form is hermosos. For bello, the feminine form is bella. The plural form of the beauty-related adjective is bellos/as.
How do you pronounce it?
/eɾˈmoso/
Did you know?
- The word hermoso shares its DNA with the English word 'form', as both stem from the Latin 'fōrmōsus', which originally referred to something having a beautiful shape.
- The word bello can feel more poetic or literary than hermoso, which is often used for more everyday instances of beauty.
- Because bello comes from the Latin 'bellus', it is a linguistic cousin to the English word 'belle', which refers to a beautiful woman.
Examples in context
- La vida es bella.Life is beautiful.This sentence shows how to use the form bel to describe life.Tatoeba #2936 by Shishir, translation #1829 by CK
- El agua es bella.The water is beautiful.This sentence shows how to use the form bel to describe water.Tatoeba #5439765 by mferrer0000, translation #5395101 by Hybrid
- Es un día hermoso.It's a beautiful day.This sentence shows how to use the form hermoso to describe a day.Tatoeba #1359807 by marcelostockle, translation #318150 by CK
- La playa es hermosaThe beach is beautiful
- Los jardines son bellosThe gardens are beautiful
- Eres una chica lindaYou are a beautiful girl
- 362 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are looking at a painting in a gallery.
- MateoMira este cuadro, es muy hermoso.Look at this painting, it is very beautiful.
- LucíaTienes razón, me encanta el color.You are right, I love the color.
- MateoEl paisaje parece real, es hermoso.The landscape looks real, it is beautiful.
- LucíaSí, es la mejor obra aquí.Yes, it is the best piece here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beautiful” translations and entries hermoso, bello, bel, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bel, bello, hermoso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
