castillo
/kasˈtiʝo/
In Spanish, castillo means "castle."
castillo refers to a large fortified building used as a residence for royalty or nobility.
Which one should you use?
You may use Fortaleza when you wish to specifically emphasize the building's role as a fortress in a more formal context.
How does it change in a sentence?
castillo is a masculine noun and is used with the definite article el to mean "the castle" (el castillo). To form the plural "castles", add -s to the end of the word to get castillos.
How do you pronounce it?
/kasˈtiʝo/
Did you know?
- The word castillo is the root of the name for the Spanish region Castilla, meaning 'land of castles'. This region's history of fortification gave the entire country its name, Castilla becoming 'Castile' in English.
- While castillo is a residence, a alcázar is a specific type of Spanish palace-fortress. The word alcázar comes from Arabic, reflecting the period when Moorish architects built many of Spain's most famous castillos.
- The word castillo is a diminutive of the Latin castrum, meaning 'fort'. This means the word literally translates as a 'little fort', though it now describes some of the largest buildings in the world.
Examples in context
- "Castillo", "volante" y "tren" son polisémicos."Castillo", "volante" and "tren" are polysemics.This sentence is useful for noting that castillo is a polysemic word.Tatoeba #8624770 by arh, translation #9189372 by DJ_Saidez
- ¡Mira ese castillito tan bonito que acaban de construir!Look at that cute little castle they just built!
- El castillo tiene mucha historia.The castle has a lot of history.
- Visitamos un castillo muy antiguo.We visited a very old castle.
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are walking through a historic town.
- ElenaMira aquel castillo en la colina.Look at that castle on the hill.
- AlejandroEs impresionante, Elena.It is impressive, Elena.
- Elena¿Quieres entrar a verlo?Do you want to go inside to see it?
- AlejandroSí, me encantaría.Yes, I would love to.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry castillo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries castillo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
