tonto
/ˈtonto/
In Spanish, dumb is translated as tonto. Wiktionary also lists adundado and sandio.
Meaning: stupid (adj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| tonto | /ˈtonto/ |
| adundado | /adundado/ (from spelling rules) |
| sandio | /sandjo/ (from spelling rules) |
The term is used to describe someone as stupid or silly. You can also use the phrase hacer el tonto to mean acting silly, foolishly or pretending not to know something. The related verb atontar means to make stupid. If you want to describe a silly mistake or nonsense, you can use the noun form tontería.
Which one should you use?
While tonto can mean stupid, it is often softer than estúpido, which is much more aggressive and insulting. Other terms include adundado, sandio and the colloquial tarado/a, which means stupid or idiot.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective tonto changes its ending to agree with the noun it describes: use tonta for feminine, tontos for masculine plural and tontas for feminine plural.
Did you know?
- In some contexts, tonto is used as a term of endearment between couples or close friends, similar to calling someone 'silly'.
- One theory is that tonto comes from the Latin word tondeo, meaning 'to shear'. This would literally make a 'dumb' person a 'shorn' or 'clipped' person.
- The word tonto is a cognate across several Romance languages, appearing as 'tonto' in Italian and Portuguese and as tont or tânt in Romanian.
Examples in context
- Él no es tonto.He is not dumb.This sentence uses tonto to state that someone is not dumb.Tatoeba #5190160 by albrusgher, translation #1981738 by AryKiss
- No hagas el tonto.Don't play dumb!This sentence uses tonto to advise against playing dumb.Tatoeba #2351544 by Shishir, translation #138912 by fcbond
- Tom no es tan tonto.Tom isn't that dumb.This sentence uses tonto to specify that Tom is not that dumb.Tatoeba #5190189 by albrusgher, translation #2647487 by CK
- Juan es muy tonto.Juan is very dumb.
- María es tonta.María is dumb.
- No seas estúpido.Don't be dumb.
- Ella es estúpida.She is dumb.
- No puedo creer que seas tan ignorante.I can't believe you are so dumb/ignorant.
- Es ignorante en temas de historia.He is ignorant about history.
- Eres tonto.You are dumb.
- Deja de actuar como un bobo.Stop acting like a fool.
- No seas boba.Don't be silly.
- Eres un tarado.You are an idiot.
- No hables tonterías, tarado/a.Don't talk nonsense, stupid.
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are arguing about a mistake in a game.
- Sofía¡Eres un tonto, Mateo!You are a dumb guy, Mateo!
- MateoNo soy un tonto.I am not dumb.
- SofíaEsa jugada fue muy tonta.That move was very stupid.
- MateoFue un error de tonto.It was a dumb mistake.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dumb” translations and entries tonto, sandio, 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 tonto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
