Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| pan de maíz/elote | masculine | |
| borona | /boˈɾona/ | feminine |
| nishpinol | /nispinol/ (from spelling rules) | El Salvador, masculine |
The term refers to bread made from cornmeal.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase pan de maíz is a literal construction where pan means bread and de maíz means of corn.
Which one should you use?
The choice between using maíz or elote in the phrase pan de maíz/elote often depends on regional preference, with elote being more common in Mexico and parts of Central America.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico and some Central American countries, Torta de Elote is used to refer to cornbread. In parts of the Caribbean, such as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, Bizcocho de Maíz is used to describe it. The term borona is a regional term used in certain Spanish-speaking areas to refer to cornbread or corn-based bread products. In El Salvador, the masculine form nishpinol is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because pan is a masculine noun, you must use the masculine article el when referring to a specific cornbread, as in el pan de maíz.
Did you know?
- The regional term borona is believed to come from a Celtic root and is related to the Welsh word bara for 'bread'.
- In Mexico, cornbread is often called torta de elote, but torta in other contexts usually refers to a specific type of sandwich.
- In the Caribbean, the term bizcocho de maíz is used, using a word that typically describes a spongy sponge cake rather than a hearty bread.
Examples in context
- Me encanta el pan de maíz.I love cornbread.
- ¿Dónde puedo comprar pan de maíz?Where can I buy cornbread?
- ¿Tienen pan de maíz en el menú?Do you have cornbread on the menu?
- Me gustaría una porción de pan de maíz, por favor.I would like a portion of cornbread, please.
- Quisiera probar el bizcocho de maíz.I would like to try the cornbread cake.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cornbread” translations and entries borona, 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 borona, de, pan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
