millón
/miˈʝon/masculine
The Spanish word for million is millón. If unsure, use millón. Wiktionary also lists cuento.
Meaning: cardinal number (num)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| millón | /miˈʝon/ | masculine |
| cuento | /ˈkwento/ | masculine, obsolete |
millón is a masculine cardinal number used to denote the number 1,000,000.
Is it said differently in some regions?
un palo is used informally to refer to one million in certain Latin American countries, particularly Argentina and Uruguay.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of millón is millones. When expressing 'millions of', use the phrase millones de.
How do you pronounce it?
/miˈʝon/
Did you know?
- The word cuento used to mean one million, but today it is the standard word for 'a story' or 'a tale'.
- The word millón entered the Spanish language via the Italian word 'milione' rather than evolving directly from Latin 'mille'.
- While millón is a number, it is grammatically a masculine noun. This means that any adjective describing it must also be masculine, unlike English where numbers act as adjectives.
Examples in context
- Ni en un millón de años.Not in a million years.This sentence shows how to use millón in an idiomatic expression about time.Tatoeba #10054792 by Shishir, translation #5363177 by Hybrid
- Lo he dicho un millón de veces.I've said this a million times.This sentence demonstrates the use of millón to hyperbolize frequency.Tatoeba #7900440 by Seael, translation #7737081 by CK
- Esta es la pregunta del millón.This is the million-dollar question.This sentence illustrates a common idiom using millón to describe a very important question.Tatoeba #9986478 by Shishir, translation #9986481 by DJ_Saidez
- El proyecto costó dos millones de dólares.The project cost two million dollars.
- El país tiene una población de sesenta mil millones de habitantes.The country has a population of sixty billion inhabitants.
- Ganó un millón de dólares en la lotería.He won a million dollars in the lottery.
- 53 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are discussing a luxury car.
- LucíaEse coche cuesta más de un millón de euros.That car costs more than a million euros.
- AlejandroEs demasiado caro para nosotros.It is too expensive for us.
- LucíaSí, pero mira qué diseño tan increíble tiene.Yes, but look what an incredible design it has.
- AlejandroAunque tenga un millón de detalles, no lo compraría.Even if it has a million details, I wouldn't buy it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “million” translations and entries millón, cuento, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuento, millón, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
