Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| opción | /obˈθjon/ /obˈsjon/ |
feminine |
| selección | /seleɡˈθjon/ /seleɡˈsjon/ |
feminine |
| decisión | /deθiˈsjon/ /desiˈsjon/ |
feminine |
| escogimiento | /eskoxiˈmjento/ | masculine |
| escogencia | /eskoˈxenθja/ /eskoˈxensja/ |
feminine |
| escogitación | /eskoxitaθjon/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /eskoxitasjon/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
Ecuador, feminine |
| elección | /eleɡˈθjon/ /eleɡˈsjon/ |
feminine |
In Spanish, different words are used to describe different aspects of a 'choice'. Use opción to refer to an available possibility. If you want to say 'to have the choice to [do something]', you should use the construction tener la opción de followed by an infinitive. If you are talking about the act of selecting from a group, or the process of filtering many things down to a few, use selección. Use decisión when you want to emphasize the mental process of making up one's mind or the finality of a choice.
Which one should you use?
The word opción refers to the available possibilities themselves. In contrast, elección refers specifically to the act of picking one thing or the result of an election. While opción focuses on what is available, decisión focuses on the actual decision made. Finally, selección is used when the choice involves a process of picking or filtering from a specific group, such as choosing products or a sports team.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Ecuador, the feminine noun escogitación is used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of opción is opciones, following the standard rule for words ending in -ón. The forms selección, decisión, opción, escogencia and elección are all feminine nouns, while escogimiento is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/obˈθjon/
Did you know?
- The word selección refers not only to a choice but also to a national sports team, such as the 'national team' in football.
- The word decisión shares a common ancestor with the English word 'decide', both tracing back to the Latin 'decidere', which means 'to cut off'. This reflects the idea of 'cutting off' other possibilities when making a choice.
- In some contexts, saying no tengo opción can sound more fatalistic than the English 'I have no choice', implying a total lack of alternatives in life.
Examples in context
- Tom no tiene opción.Tom doesn't have any choice.This sentence shows how to express a lack of choice using opción.Tatoeba #1229712 by hayastan, translation #1026157 by CK
- La elección es tuya.The choice is yours.This sentence uses elección to state that the choice belongs to the listener.Tatoeba #1901459 by marcelostockle, translation #1898221 by CK
- No tuve otra opción.I had no other choice.This sentence demonstrates using opción to indicate that no other possibility existed.Tatoeba #2188267 by marcelostockle, translation #274617 by CK
- Por favor, elija una opción del menú.Please choose an option from the menu.
- Necesitamos discutir nuestras selecciones antes de tomar una decisión final.We need to discuss our choices before making a final decision.
- Tienes tres alternativas: A, B o C.You have three alternatives: A, B, or C.
- ¿Cuál es tu opción favorita?What is your favorite choice/option?
- Es tu decisión si quieres ir o quedarte.It's your choice if you want to go or stay.
- Tomé la decisión de estudiar medicina.I made the choice/decision to study medicine.
- Tengo muchas opciones para elegir.I have many choices to choose from.
- 152 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are deciding which movie to watch.
- SofíaTenemos una opción muy buena hoy.We have a very good option today.
- Alejandro¿Cuál es esa opción, Sofía?Which option is that, Sofía?
- SofíaPodemos ver la película de terror.We can watch the horror movie.
- AlejandroMe parece una excelente opción.That seems like an excellent choice to me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “choice” translations and entries opción, selección, decisión, escogimiento, escogencia, elección, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries decisión, escogimiento, opción, selección, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
