sintonía
/sintoˈnia/feminine
The English word jingle can be translated into Spanish as sintonía. If unsure, use sintonía. Wiktionary also lists cancioncilla.
Meaning: short tune or verse (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sintonía | /sintoˈnia/ | feminine |
| cancioncilla | /kanθjonˈθiʝa/ | feminine |
The term refers to a short tune or verse.
Which one should you use?
sintonía is a formal or technical term used specifically for the professional theme music or jingle of a radio or TV program. In contrast, cancioncilla is a diminutive form that implies a short, simple or sometimes trivial little song.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, it is common to use the term jingle. In Mexico, the term jingle publicitario is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of sintonía is sintonías, and the plural of cancioncilla is cancioncillas.
How do you pronounce it?
/sintoˈnia/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, sintonía is also used to describe a deep emotional or intellectual connection between two people, similar to the English 'being on the same wavelength'.
- If you use the word cancioncilla to describe a song, you might accidentally sound condescending, as the diminutive suffix often implies the music is 'worthless' or 'childish'.
- Because sintonía comes from the Greek for 'together' and 'tone', it is the same linguistic root used to describe being 'in sync'.
Examples in context
- La canción publicitaria de esa marca de refrescos es muy pegadiza.The jingle of that soft drink brand is very catchy.
- Recuerdo la tonada del anuncio de aquella marca de chocolates.I remember the jingle of that chocolate brand's advertisement.
- Siempre se me pega la melodía pegadiza de los anuncios de televisión.I always remember the catchy melody of TV commercials.
- Ese "jingle" es muy pegajoso.That jingle is very sticky (catchy).
- La sintonía de la radio es muy pegadiza.The radio jingle is very catchy.
- Esa sintonía de la televisión es muy antigua.That television jingle is very old.
- Me gusta mucho la sintonía de este anuncio.I really like the jingle of this commercial.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are sitting in a cafe listening to the radio.
- Javier¿Conoces la sintonía de ese programa?Do you know the jingle of that program?
- LucíaNo, pero suena muy alegre.No, but it sounds very cheerful.
- JavierEs la sintonía que usan siempre.It is the jingle they always use.
- LucíaPues me encanta la melodía.Well, I love the melody.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “jingle” translations and entries sintonía, cancioncilla, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cancioncilla, sintonía, CC BY-SA 4.0.
