Which one should you use?
While santo is the standard adjective for "holy," it is also the noun for "saint." If you wish to describe something as divine or godly, you may also use the formal term divino.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the word sacro is used to convey the idea of something being holy or sacred. In some Latin American countries, such as Mexico and Colombia, the word bendito is used to describe something as holy or blessed.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, santo must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Use santa for feminine singular nouns, santos for masculine plural nouns and santas for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈsanto/
When do people say it?
For example, ¡Santo Dios! (Holy God!) is a way to express shock and ¡Santo cielo! (Holy heavens!) is used to express astonishment.
Did you know?
- In some regions, the phrase hacerse el santo is used to describe someone who is pretending to be innocent or virtuous to hide a mistake.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, people use santoral, a calendar of saints, to determine the traditional name for a child based on the date of their birth.
- While santo is common, calling someone a 'santo' in a casual conversation might imply they are 'too good to be true' or even slightly naive.
Examples in context
- Los bandidos robaron el Santo Grial.The bandits stole the Holy Grail.This sentence shows santo being used to describe the Holy Grail.Tatoeba #1262686 by Shishir, translation #799646 by FeuDRenais2
- Gloria al Padre, al Hijo y al Espíritu Santo.Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.This sentence uses santo to refer to the Holy Spirit.Tatoeba #10048024 by manufrutos, translation #10048010 by ddnktr
- ¡Santo Cielo!Holy heavens!This sentence demonstrates how to use santo in an exclamation of surprise.Tatoeba #11559179 by ecorralest101, translation #4687863 by Josefwintzent
- El lugar es sagrado para los devotos.The place is holy for the devotees.
- La reliquia es considerada como un objeto santo.The relic is considered a holy object.
- ¡Santo cielo! ¿Qué te pasó?Holy heavens! What happened to you?
- La catedral es un lugar sacro para los fieles.The cathedral is a holy place for the faithful.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are visiting a cathedral.
- DanielEste es un lugar muy santo.This is a very holy place.
- ElenaSí, siento mucha paz aquí.Yes, I feel a lot of peace here.
- Daniel¿Conoces el libro santo de esta religión?Do you know the holy book of this religion?
- ElenaNo, pero me gustaría leerlo.No, but I would like to read it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “holy” translations and entries santo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
