helado
/eˈlado/masculine
Ice cream in Spanish is helado. Wiktionary also lists nieve and sorbete.
Meaning: dessert (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| helado | /eˈlado/ | masculine |
| nieve | /ˈnjebe/ | Mexico |
| sorbete | /soɾˈbete/ | El Salvador, masculine |
What does it mean word for word?
The word helado is the past participle of the verb helar (to freeze), so it literally means frozen.
Which one should you use?
While helado is the standard term for ice cream, nieve is used specifically in Mexico to refer to fruit-based water ice or sorbet-style treats.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the word nieve is used for water ice or sorbet-style treats. In El Salvador, the masculine noun sorbete is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of helado is helados.
How do you pronounce it?
/eˈlado/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be aware that in most Spanish-speaking countries, nieve means snow. Only use it to mean ice cream if you are in a region like Mexico where that specific meaning applies.
When do people say it?
In Havana, the word Coppelia has become synonymous with ice cream itself.
Did you know?
- The term sorbete has an extensive international history, traveling through Persian, Turkish, Italian and French before entering Spanish.
Examples in context
- Me gusta la nieve.I like ice cream.This sentence is useful for expressing a personal preference using nieve.Tatoeba #741809 by Shishir, translation #4439455 by fanty
- Le gusta la nieve.She likes ice cream.This sentence is useful for expressing a preference for someone else using nieve.Tatoeba #4482228 by cueyayotl, translation #650986 by CK
- Me gusta el helado.I love ice cream.This sentence is useful for expressing a preference using helado.Tatoeba #1249536 by Shishir, translation #740936 by CK
- Disfruto de un delicioso helado de vainilla.I am enjoying a delicious vanilla ice cream.
- Vamos a disfrutar de un rico heladito en la tarde.Let's enjoy a tasty little ice cream in the afternoon.
- Quiero comer un rico mantecado de fresa.I want to eat a delicious strawberry ice cream.
- 178 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are walking through a park on a hot day.
- LucíaHace mucho calor, Javier.It is very hot, Javier.
- Javier¿Vamos a comer un helado?Shall we go eat an ice cream?
- Lucía¡Sí, me parece una buena idea!Yes, that sounds like a good idea!
- JavierYo quiero uno de fresa.I want a strawberry one.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ice cream” translations and entries helado, nieve, sorbete, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries helado, nieve, sorbete, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
