fuerte
/ˈfweɾte/
In Spanish, the word for loud is fuerte. Wiktionary also lists alto and fuerte sónicamente.
Meaning: of a sound (adj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| fuerte | /ˈfweɾte/ | |
| alto | /ˈalto/ | |
| fuerte sónicamente | /fweɾte sonikamente/ (from spelling rules) | |
| alto acústicamente | /alto akustikamente/ (from spelling rules) | |
| duro | /ˈduɾo/ | Colombia |
The term fuerte is used to describe the volume of a sound. To say something is very loud, you can use muy fuerte. If you want to describe something that is only a little noisy, you can say un poco ruidoso/a.
Which one should you use?
fuerte can mean both 'loud' (in terms of volume) and 'strong' (in terms of physical force or intensity). For more technical or specific contexts, you may see fuerte sónicamente or alto acústicamente.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Colombia, the word duro is sometimes used colloquially to describe a sound that is very loud or hitting hard.
How does it change in a sentence?
In many contexts, the adjective fuerte is used as an adverb meaning 'loudly' without changing its form.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈfweɾte/
Did you know?
- The modern word alto has an archaic ancestor, the form oto, which survives today mostly in place names and specific regional terms.
- The word alto is a 'learned borrowing' from Latin, meaning it was reintroduced into Spanish by scholars rather than evolving naturally from its spoken ancestors.
- While we use 'high' for pitch in English, the Spanish word alto is used for both high pitch and loud volume.
Examples in context
- Habla alto y claro.Speak loud and clear.This sentence demonstrates how to use alto to mean speaking loudly.Tatoeba #858363 by Rafp, translation #12051825 by shekitten
- No hables tan fuerte.Don't talk so loud.This sentence shows how to use fuerte to tell someone not to speak so loudly.Tatoeba #952643 by hayastan, translation #41312 by CK
- Tienes una voz fuerte.You have a loud voice.This sentence shows how to use fuerte to describe a loud voice.Tatoeba #11894459 by JSKabylie15, translation #12903576 by araneo
- El concierto fue muy ruidoso.The concert was very loud.
- El trueno fue estruendoso.The thunder was loud.
- La explosión produjo un estruendo enorme.The explosion produced a huge roar.
- La música estaba muy fuerte.The music was very loud.
- Mi abuela habla fuerte.My grandmother speaks loudly.
- Juan es un niño gritón.Juan is a loud kid.
- Los vecinos hacen fiestas muy escandalosas.The neighbors throw very loud parties.
- 50 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are in a living room with the music playing.
- MateoLa música está muy fuerte, ¿no crees?The music is very loud, don't you think?
- LucíaSí, Mateo. Por favor, baja el volumen.Yes, Mateo. Please, turn down the volume.
- MateoPerdón, Lucía. No me di cuenta.Sorry, Lucía. I didn't realize.
- LucíaGracias. Ahora está mucho mejor.Thanks. Now it is much better.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “loud” translations and entries fuerte, alto, duro, 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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alto, duro, fuerte, sónicamente, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
