Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| anuncio | /aˈnunθjo/ /aˈnunsjo/ |
masculine |
| comercial | /komeɾˈθjal/ /komeɾˈsjal/ |
masculine |
| publicidad | /publiθiˈdad/ /publisiˈdad/ |
feminine |
When you want to refer to a specific advertisement, such as one seen on television or radio, you can use comercial or anuncio. If you are talking about the industry of advertising or the concept of advertising in general, use the feminine noun publicidad.
Which one should you use?
While comercial specifically refers to a commercial often found on TV or radio, anuncio is a more general term that can describe any kind of advertisement, including print ads or billboards. Publicidad differs from both because it refers to the broader concept of advertising or the advertising industry rather than one specific advertisement.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many Latin American countries, comercial is commonly used as a noun to mean a television or radio commercial, whereas in Spain, anuncio is more standard for this purpose. In Argentina, publicidad is sometimes used as a substitute for the formal term anuncio publicitario. In Peru, aviso is sometimes used instead of anuncio.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word comercial functions as both a noun meaning 'a commercial' and an adjective meaning 'pertaining to commerce'. Because publicidad is a feminine noun, it must be used with feminine articles and adjectives, such as la publicidad moderna.
How do you pronounce it?
/aˈnunθjo/
Did you know?
- The word comercial is a linguistic cousin to the English word 'merchandise', as both can be traced back to the Latin 'merx', meaning 'goods'.
Examples in context
- ¿Viste el nuevo comercial?Did you see the new commercial?This sentence uses comercial to ask about seeing a new commercial.Tatoeba #1624762 by marcelostockle, translation #1624887 by marcelostockle
- ¿Cuál es tu anuncio favorito?What's your favorite commercial?This sentence uses anuncio to ask about a favorite commercial.Tatoeba #1414947 by Shishir, translation #906734 by CK
- ¿Cuál es tu comercial de TV preferido?What's your favorite TV commercial?This sentence uses comercial to ask about a preferred TV commercial.Tatoeba #1332039 by hayastan, translation #906921 by CK
- El anuncio publicitario fue muy efectivo.The commercial was very effective.
- Vamos a grabar el spot publicitario.We are going to record the commercial.
- Reservamos un espacio publicitario para promocionar nuestro producto.We reserved an advertising space to promote our product.
- Me gustó ese anuncio de la nueva marca de ropa.I liked that commercial for the new clothing brand.
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are watching television at home.
- Alejandro¿Viste el anuncio de la nueva película?Did you see the advertisement for the new movie?
- LucíaNo, todavía no lo he visto.No, I haven't seen it yet.
- AlejandroEs un anuncio muy emocionante, Lucía.It is a very exciting advertisement, Lucía.
- LucíaEntonces lo buscaré ahora mismo.Then I will look for it right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “commercial” translations and entries anuncio, comercial, publicidad, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anuncio, comercial, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
