Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| hermoso | /eɾˈmoso/ |
| bello | /ˈbeʝo/ |
| bel | /ˈbel/ |
All three forms, hermoso, bello and bel, are used to mean attractive. In many Spanish-speaking regions, hermoso is a very common way to describe something that is not just visually attractive, but also pleasant or lovely, such as a hermoso día (beautiful day).
Which one should you use?
While hermoso and bello both mean beautiful, hermoso is more commonly used in everyday speech to describe scenery, weather or people, whereas bello can feel more poetic or literary.
How does it change in a sentence?
These adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. For hermoso, use hermoso for masculine singular nouns, hermosa for feminine nouns and hermosos for masculine plural nouns. For bello, the adjective changes to bella when describing a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/eɾˈmoso/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, calling a person hermoso can be used as a term of endearment for children, regardless of their actual physical appearance.
- The word bel in a technical context is a borrowing from English and is named after the inventor Alexander Graham Bell.
Examples in context
- La vida es bella.Life is beautiful.This sentence uses bel.Tatoeba #2936 by Shishir, translation #1829 by CK
- El agua es bella.The water is beautiful.Tatoeba #5439765 by mferrer0000, translation #5395101 by Hybrid
- Es un día hermoso.It's a beautiful day.This sentence uses hermoso.Tatoeba #1359807 by marcelostockle, translation #318150 by CK
- Buenos días, señora. Su vestido es hermoso.Good morning, ma'am. Your dress is beautiful.
- La obra de arte que presentaste es preciosa.The artwork you presented is beautiful/precious.
- ¡Mira ese atardecer! Es tan bonito.Look at that sunset! It's so beautiful.
- Tu sonrisa es tan linda.Your smile is so beautiful.
- Me encanta tu estilo, siempre estás chula.I love your style, you always look beautiful.
- Estimado señor, su presentación fue muy hermosa y transmitió la verdadera esencia de nuestra cultura.Dear Sir, your presentation was beautiful and conveyed the true essence of our culture.
- ¡Mi nueva casa es tan bonita! Estoy feliz de compartir este espacio con amigos y familiares.My new house is so beautiful! I'm delighted to share this space with friends and family.
- 362 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are visiting an art gallery.
- LucíaMira ese cuadro, es hermoso.Look at that painting, it is beautiful.
- DanielTienes razón, los colores son increíbles.You are right, the colors are incredible.
- LucíaEs el paisaje más hermoso que he visto.It is the most beautiful landscape I have seen.
- DanielConcuerdo contigo, Lucía.I agree with you, Lucía.
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.
