pimentón
/pimenˈton/masculine
The English phrase "paprika" can be translated into Spanish as pimentón. Wiktionary also lists páprika and paprika.
Meaning: ground spice (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| pimentón | /pimenˈton/ | masculine |
| páprika | /ˈpapɾika/ | feminine |
| paprika | /paˈpɾika/ | feminine |
The term refers to the ground spice made from peppers. However, in some Latin American countries, pimentón may refer to red bell peppers rather than the ground spice.
Which one should you use?
pimentón is the standard and most common term used to describe the ground spice. While paprika or páprika are understood, they are less common. Specifically, páprika is a direct loanword from Hungarian.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the term páprika is often used. In Argentina, you might use the term ají molido to refer to paprika.
How does it change in a sentence?
pimentón is a masculine noun and requires masculine articles such as el or un. The loanword forms paprika and páprika are treated as feminine nouns and use feminine articles like la or una.
How do you pronounce it?
/pimenˈton/
Did you know?
- The word pimentón shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'pepper' and the Sanskrit word pippali, tracing back to the ancient 'long pepper' of India.
- While pimentón is the general term, Spain has a protected designation of origin called Pimentón de la Vera that must be smoked over oak fires.
- The Spanish word pimentón uses the suffix -ón, which often indicates something larger than normal, suggesting the spice comes from a 'big pepper'.
Examples in context
- Antes de la colonización europea de América, los italianos nunca habían comido tomates y los húngaros nunca habían comido pimentón.Before European colonization of the Americas, Italians had never eaten tomatoes and Hungarians had never eaten paprika.This sentence is useful for illustrating the historical context of when certain foods like pimentón were introduced to different cultures.Tatoeba #10067325 by manufrutos, translation #10067019 by shekitten
- Añade un poco de pimentón a la carne.Add a little bit of paprika to the meat.
- El pimentón le da un color rojo muy bonito.The paprika gives it a very beautiful red color.
Example conversation
María and Daniel are cooking dinner in the kitchen.
- MaríaDaniel, ¿tienes el bote de pimentón?Daniel, do you have the jar of paprika?
- DanielSí, lo tengo aquí en la despensa.Yes, I have it here in the pantry.
- MaríaPásamelo para sazonar el guiso.Pass it to me to season the stew.
- DanielAquí tienes, María.Here you go, María.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “paprika” translations and entries pimentón, páprika, paprika, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries paprika, pimentón, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
