escondite
/eskonˈdite/
In Spanish, "hiding" is translated as escondite.
Escondite has two primary uses. It can refer to a physical hiding place, as in a spot where someone or something is concealed. It is also the standard name for the game "hide-and-seek". To say you are playing the game, use the phrase jugar al escondite. Other related expressions include esconder detrás de for "to hide behind" and the idiom estar en la sombra to mean "to lie low" or "to remain hidden". Additionally, the figurative expression meterse en un agujero can be used to describe someone hiding or disappearing, though it literally means "to crawl into a hole".
What does it mean word for word?
The noun escondite is derived from the verb esconder, which means "to hide", combined with the suffix -ite to form a noun meaning "hiding place".
How do you pronounce it?
/eskonˈdite/
Did you know?
- In the game escondite, the person searching is often called the busca, though in some dialects they are referred to as the lobo or 'wolf'.
- While escondite is the standard term for the game, if you are playing in a group, you might hear children shout ¡listos o no, allá voy! which is the functional equivalent of 'ready or not, here I come!'
- The word escondite shares an ancestor with the Old Occitan word escondit, which reflects a common linguistic root across many Romance languages used to describe things that are out of sight.
Examples in context
- Tom salió de su escondite.Tom came out of his hiding place.This sentence uses escondite to describe a person's hiding place.Tatoeba #1874004 by teskmon, translation #1872500 by CK
- Pensé que habíamos encontrado el escondite perfecto, pero la policía nos encontró.I thought we had found the perfect hiding place, but the police found us.This sentence uses escondite to refer to a hiding place.Tatoeba #1950204 by hayastan, translation #1938916 by CK
- Nunca encontramos su escondite.We never found his hiding place.
- Él está escondiendo un tesoro en el jardín.He is hiding a treasure in the garden.
- Ella está ocultándose detrás de la cortina.She is hiding behind the curtain.
- Los niños se están escondiendo para jugar a las escondidas.The kids are hiding to play hide-and-seek.
- Me escondí bajo la cama para sorprenderlos.I hid under the bed to surprise them.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two children are deciding what to play in the park.
- Sofía¿Quieres jugar al escondite?Do you want to play hide and seek?
- Daniel¡Sí! Me encanta el escondite.Yes! I love hide and seek.
- SofíaEntonces tú cuentas primero, Daniel.Then you count first, Daniel.
- DanielVale, voy a cerrar los ojos.Okay, I'm going to close my eyes.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry escondite, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries escondite, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
