Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sacapuntas | /ˌsakaˈpuntas/ | masculine |
| afilador | /afilaˈdoɾ/ | masculine |
| maquineta | /makineta/ (from spelling rules) | Spain, feminine |
| tajador | /taxaˈdoɾ/ | masculine |
| sacaminas | /sakaminas/ (from spelling rules) | Spain, masculine |
| tajalápiz | /taxaˈlapiθ/ /taxaˈlapis/ |
masculine |
| maquinilla | /makiˈniʝa/ | feminine |
| afilalápices | /aˌfilaˈlapiθes/ /aˌfilaˈlapises/ |
masculine |
| tarjador | /taɾxadoɾ/ (from spelling rules) | Latin America, masculine |
The term is used for a device designed to sharpen pencils. While sacapuntas is the most common term, the word afilador is a more general term that can refer to any tool used for sharpening, such as a knife sharpener.
What does it mean word for word?
sacapuntas is a compound of the verb sacar (to take out/remove) and puntas (tips/points).
Which one should you use?
sacapuntas is the standard term, whereas afilador is a broader category of sharpening tools. Other specific terms include tajador, tajalápiz and afilalápices, which also refer to the device.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, sacapuntas is the go-to term. In several Latin American countries, you will hear tajador or tarjador. In Spain, you may encounter the feminine term maquineta or the masculine term sacaminas, though the latter is often associated with tools that sharpen the lead itself.
How does it change in a sentence?
sacapuntas is an invariable noun, which means its form stays the same whether you are talking about one or many.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌsakaˈpuntas/
Did you know?
- The term maquinilla is sometimes used for a pencil sharpener, but in most contexts it refers to a shaving razor.
- The suffix -dor in tajador and afilador descends from the Latin -tor, a marker used to denote the person or tool that performs a specific action.
- In some regions, the verb tajar is used for sharpening, which in other contexts means to slice or cut something in half.
Examples in context
- Tom abrió el sacapuntas y tiró las virutas en la papelera.Tom opened the pencil sharpener and emptied the shavings out into the trash.This sentence is useful for describing the act of emptying the shavings from the sacapuntas.Tatoeba #10237964 by manufrutos, translation #10233188 by ddnktr
- ¿Cómo se afilaban los lápices antes de la invención del sacapuntas?How did people sharpen their pencils before the invention of the pencil sharpener?This sentence is useful for discussing the history of the invention of the sacapuntas.Tatoeba #10237960 by manufrutos, translation #10233189 by ddnktr
- Uno de los beneficios de usar portaminas es que no necesitas utilizar sacapuntas.One of the benefits of using mechanical pencils is that you don't need to use a pencil sharpener.This sentence is useful for highlighting that mechanical pencils do not require a sacapuntas.Tatoeba #10237959 by manufrutos, translation #10233192 by ddnktr
- ¿Dónde está el sacapuntas?Where is the pencil sharpener?
- Necesito afilar mi lápiz. ¿Tienes un sacapuntas?I need to sharpen my pencil. Do you have a pencil sharpener?
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are in a classroom.
- Elena¿Tienes un sacapuntas que me prestes?Do you have a pencil sharpener I can borrow?
- AlejandroSí, busca en mi mochila.Yes, look in my backpack.
- ElenaGracias, Alejandro, lo necesitaba mucho.Thanks, Alejandro, I really needed it.
- AlejandroDe nada, Elena.You're welcome, Elena.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pencil sharpener” translations and entries sacapuntas, afilador, tajador, tajalápiz, maquinilla, afilalápices, tarjador, 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 afilador, sacapuntas, tajador, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
