colon
/ˈkolon/
The Spanish word for the punctuation mark colon is colon.
Meaning: punctuation mark (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkolon/
Did you know?
- Be careful when discussing 'colon' in a Spanish pharmacy or doctor's office, as you are more likely to be talking about the large intestine than a punctuation mark.
- When writing a formal letter in Spanish, you must use a colon after the greeting, whereas English typically uses a comma.
- The Greek origin of colon is linked to the idea of a 'limb', which explains why the word is shared by both a part of a sentence and a part of the body.
Examples in context
- Enfermedades como la diverticulitis afectan principalmente al intestino grueso, específicamente al colon.Diseases like diverticulitis mainly affect the large intestine, specifically the colon.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are editing a document together.
- MateoMaría, ¿falta un colon aquí?María, is a colon missing here?
- MaríaSí, Mateo, ponlo después del saludo.Yes, Mateo, put it after the greeting.
- MateoYa lo puse, se ve mejor así.I already put it, it looks better this way.
- MaríaAhora el texto es más claro.Now the text is clearer.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry colon, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries colon, CC BY-SA 4.0.
