Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| caliente | /kaˈljente/ |
| calientísimo | /kaljentisimo/ (from spelling rules) |
caliente is an adjective used to describe things that have a high temperature, such as food, water or objects. If you want to describe weather that is muggy, use the word bochornoso instead.
Which one should you use?
Use caliente specifically for the temperature of objects like coffee or water. When you are referring to a person's physical sensation of heat, use calor or the phrase tener calor.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective caliente is invariable in gender, so it remains the same whether you are describing a masculine or feminine noun. However, you must change the form to calientes to agree with plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/kaˈljente/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use estar caliente to say they feel hot. This can be problematic because estar caliente can have a sexual connotation. Instead, use tener calor to express that a person feels hot.
Did you know?
- While caliente describes temperature, the Spanish word for 'hot' in the sense of spicy food is picante. Using caliente to describe a chili pepper would only mean it was recently heated in a pan.
- To describe something as 'lukewarm', Spanish uses tibio, but using this word to describe a person's personality suggests they are indecisive or lack passion.
- Spanish distinguishes between feeling hot and the weather being hot. While a person says tengo calor, they describe a hot day as hace calor, literally saying it 'makes heat'.
Examples in context
- Sé que está caliente.I know it's hot.This sentence shows how to use caliente to confirm an object's temperature.Tatoeba #2412470 by marcelostockle, translation #2376058 by CK
- No hay agua caliente.There is no hot water.This sentence demonstrates using caliente to describe hot water.Tatoeba #3682114 by Seael, translation #3256301 by CC
- El café está caliente.The coffee is hot.This sentence shows using caliente to describe the temperature of coffee.Tatoeba #9017922 by Shishir, translation #2977228 by CM
- El clima en Puerto Rico es caluroso durante el verano.The weather in Puerto Rico is hot during the summer.
- Hace un calor sofocanteIt's scorchingly hot
- Este lugar está hirviendoThis place is boiling
- 176 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are sitting in a cafe.
- Daniel¿Está caliente tu té, Sofía?Is your tea hot, Sofía?
- SofíaSí, está muy caliente.Yes, it is very hot.
- DanielTen cuidado con el té caliente.Be careful with the hot tea.
- SofíaGracias, Daniel, lo tendré en cuenta.Thanks, Daniel, I will keep that in mind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hot” translations and entries caliente, 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.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
