Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| felicidades | /feliθiˈdades/ /felisiˈdades/ |
| enhorabuena | /enoɾaˈbwena/ |
Both felicidades and enhorabuena are used to express approbation. It is very common in Spanish to use the word as a standalone exclamation to congratulate someone. For an even more casual way to say "good job" or "well done" to someone you know well, you can use ¡Buen trabajo! If you want to be particularly affectionate, you can say ¡Felicidades, campeón/campeona! to mean "congratulations, champion."
Which one should you use?
While both mean congratulations, enhorabuena is typically used to mark a specific, significant achievement or milestone. In contrast, felicidades is more common for general celebrations, such as birthdays or anniversaries.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The variation ¡Felicitaciones! is commonly used in Latin American countries such as Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay.
How do you pronounce it?
/feliθiˈdades/
Did you know?
- The word enhorabuena literally translates to 'in good hour', a phrase derived from the idea of an event happening at a propitious or lucky time.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying felicidades is the standard way to wish someone a 'happy birthday', even though you are not literally congratulating them on a victory.
- The French phrase à la bonne heure is a linguistic cousin to enhorabuena, as both use the concept of a 'good hour' to express approval or satisfaction.
Examples in context
- ¡Felicidades por la victoria!Congratulations on your victory!This sentence is useful for congratulating someone on a specific victory using felicidades.Tatoeba #1038649 by massama, translation #1039485 by GPHemsley
- Felicidades también a ustedes.Congratulations to you too.This sentence is useful for returning a congratulation to others using felicidades.Tatoeba #6857998 by arh, translation #8160935 by magnificentgoddess
- Felicidades por tu graduación.Congratulations on your graduation.This sentence is useful for congratulating someone on their graduation using felicidades.Tatoeba #8312747 by arh, translation #8311747 by CK
- ¡Enhorabuena por ganar el concurso de talentos!Congratulations on winning the talent show!
- ¡Felicidades, abuelita! Te quiero mucho.Congratulations, grandma! I love you so much.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Daniel are talking after Daniel's wedding anniversary.
- María¡Muchas felicidades por tu aniversario, Daniel!Many congratulations on your anniversary, Daniel!
- DanielMuchas gracias, María.Thank you very much, María.
- MaríaEspero que pasen un día excelente.I hope you both have an excellent day.
- DanielLo haremos, gracias por el detalle.We will, thanks for the kind gesture.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “congratulations” translations and entries felicidades, enhorabuena, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries enhorabuena, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
