guerrilla
/ɡeˈriʝa/
The Spanish word for 'irregular soldier' is guerrilla.
The term guerrilla refers to an irregular soldier. Specific expressions include guerrilla urbana to describe urban guerrilla warfare or activities occurring within an urban environment, and lucha de guerrillas to mean a guerrilla struggle.
Meaning: irregular soldier (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word guerrilla is the diminutive form of guerra (war), literally translating to 'little war'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡeˈriʝa/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly pronounce the 'll' as an 'l' sound (like 'guerilla'). However, in Spanish, it must be pronounced as a palatal sound (like 'y').
Did you know?
- The root word guerra shares a distant ancestor with the English word 'war' through a Germanic path via Early Medieval Latin.
- The word guerrilla is a loanword from Spanish that entered English during the Peninsular War in the early 19th century.
- In Spanish, the suffix -illa doesn't just mean 'small', it can also imply a sense of affection or even irony depending on the context.
Examples in context
- En la historia, la guerrilla ha jugado un papel importante en muchas revoluciones.In history, guerrilla warfare has played a significant role in many revolutions.
- Mi tío formó parte de una guerrilla urbana en los años 70.My uncle was part of an urban guerrilla movement in the 70s.
- La guerrilla atacó el campamento de noche.The guerrilla attacked the camp at night.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are discussing a history book.
- DanielMira este libro sobre el guerrilla rebelde.Look at this book about the rebel guerrilla.
- Sofía¿Dónde luchaba ese guerrilla?Where did that guerrilla fight?
- DanielÉl luchaba principalmente en las montañas.He fought primarily in the mountains.
- SofíaParece que fue una guerra muy difícil.It seems it was a very difficult war.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry guerrilla, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries guerrilla, CC BY-SA 4.0.
