Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| entallar | /entaˈʝaɾ/ | |
| customizar | /kustomiˈθaɾ/ /kustomiˈsaɾ/ |
|
| confeccionar a la medida | /konfeɡθjonaɾ a la medida/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /konfeɡsjonaɾ a la medida/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
|
| costumizar | /kostumiˈθaɾ/ /kostumiˈsaɾ/ |
alternative form |
To customize means to alter something according to specific preferences. You might use personalizar to mean 'to personalize' when referring to software, settings or products. In professional contexts involving physical goods or clothing, it is common to use the phrase confeccionar a la medida, which means 'to make to measure'.
Which one should you use?
The various forms differ by context and tone. Customizar and its alternative spelling costumizar are anglicisms often found in tech, gaming or modern marketing. In contrast, confeccionar a la medida is the standard way to express customizing physical goods professionally. For a more formal tone in general contexts, you can use adaptar.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Customizar and costumizar are considered informal anglicisms. If you want to sound more professional or formal, use confeccionar a la medida for physical items or adaptar for general adjustments. Personalizar is a very common and natural choice for most everyday situations involving products or software.
How do you pronounce it?
/entaˈʝaɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers may mistakenly assume that customizar is the standard or only way to say 'customize'. However, in many Spanish-speaking regions, this is viewed as unnecessary slang. It is often more natural to use personalizar or confeccionar a la medida instead.
Did you know?
- The word entallar shares a root with the French word 'tailleur' meaning 'tailor'. It describes the act of shaping clothing to fit the specific contours of a person's body.
- The verb personalizar is used for everything from changing a phone wallpaper to tailoring a legal contract, covering ground that English splits between 'personalize' and 'customize'.
- Because customizar and costumizar are newer adaptations from English, they are not yet universally accepted by all official Spanish language academies.
Examples in context
- Ofrecemos servicios para personalizar sus productos según sus necesidades.We offer services to customize your products according to your needs.
- El software nos permite ajustar el diseño de la página web según las preferencias del cliente.The software allows us to customize the website design according to the client's preferences.
- Nuestra empresa puede adaptar el producto a las necesidades de cada cliente.Our company can customize the product to each customer's needs.
- Puedes personalizar tu teléfono cambiando el fondo de pantalla.You can customize your phone by changing the wallpaper.
- Voy a customizar mis zapatillas añadiendo algunos detalles creativos.I'm going to customize my sneakers by adding some creative details.
- Podemos ajustar el programa de edición para que se adapte a tus preferencias.We can customize the editing program to fit your preferences.
- Estoy personalizando mi auto para que se vea más único.I'm customizing my car to make it look more unique.
- Vamos a personalizar el diseño del sitio web para que se ajuste a nuestra marca.We are going to customize the website design to fit our brand.
- Me gusta customizar mis camisetas añadiendo parches y estampados.I enjoy customizing my t-shirts by adding patches and prints.
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are at a clothing store.
- JavierEste pantalón me queda muy grande.These pants are too big for me.
- ElenaPuedes entallar la cintura con el sastre.You can customize the waist with the tailor.
- Javier¿Cuánto cuesta entallar la prenda?How much does it cost to customize the garment?
- ElenaEs muy barato y queda perfecto.It is very cheap and it fits perfectly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “customize” translations and entries entallar, customizar, costumizar, 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 a, confeccionar, customizar, entallar, la, medida, CC BY-SA 4.0.
