Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cesta | /ˈθesta/ /ˈsesta/ |
Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Spain, Venezuela, feminine |
| cesto | /ˈθesto/ /ˈsesto/ |
Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, masculine |
| canasta | /kaˈnasta/ | Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela, feminine |
| canasto | /kaˈnasto/ | Andalusia, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, masculine |
In Spanish, the term for a container used to hold and transport clothing is expressed using different nouns depending on the region. To specify that you are referring specifically to a laundry basket, it is common to add the phrase de ropa sucia (of dirty clothes) after the chosen noun.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on the grammatical gender and the specific region. The feminine forms are cesta and canasta, while the masculine forms are cesto and canasto.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The word cesta is used in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Spain and Venezuela. The word cesto is used in Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru. The term canasta is common in Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama and Venezuela. Finally, canasto is used in Andalusia, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural of these nouns, you add -s to the end of the word. For the feminine nouns, cesta becomes cestas and canasta becomes canastas. For the masculine nouns, cesto becomes cestos and canasto becomes canastos.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈθesta/
Did you know?
- While cesta means basket, the phrase poner los huevos en una sola cesta is a common idiom meaning to risk everything on a single venture.
- The Spanish word cesta actually descends from an Ancient Greek word, κίστη, which originally referred to a basket or a box.
- While 'cesta' and 'cesto' are essentially the same word, they are considered 'doublets', meaning they are two different forms of the same original word.
Examples in context
- Mañana voy a lavar la ropa que hay en mi cesto de ropa sucia.I'm going to wash the clothes in my laundry basket tomorrow.This sentence shows how to use cesto to talk about a laundry basket for dirty clothes.Tatoeba #10892840 by Luornu, translation #10695652 by beatrixvasc
- ¿Podrías traerme el cesto de la ropa sucia, por favor?Could you bring me the laundry basket, please?
- Voy a poner la ropa en la cesta de la ropa.I'll put the clothes in the laundry basket.
- No olvides vaciar el cesto de la ropa sucia.Don't forget to empty the laundry basket.
- Necesito una cesta para la ropa limpia.I need a basket for the clean clothes.
- La cesta de la ropa está en el baño.The laundry basket is in the bathroom.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are cleaning their apartment.
- Elena¿Dónde está la cesta de la ropa?Where is the laundry basket?
- JavierEstá debajo de la cama, Elena.It is under the bed, Elena.
- ElenaGracias, ya la encontré.Thanks, I found it already.
- JavierDe nada, yo la llevo a la lavandería.You're welcome, I'll take it to the laundry room.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “laundry basket” translations and entries cesta, cesto, canasta, canasto, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries canasta, canasto, cesta, cesto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
