sal
/ˈsal/feminine
Salt in Spanish is sal. Wiktionary also lists salcita and salecita.
Meaning: sodium chloride (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sal | /ˈsal/ | feminine |
| salcita | /salθita/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /salsita/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
diminutive, feminine |
| salecita | /saleθita/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /salesita/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
Spain, diminutive, feminine |
The noun sal refers to sodium chloride. In technical contexts, you may use cloruro de sodio. For table salt, the term is sal de mesa. To describe something that has a lot of salt, use the adjective salado. If you are cooking and want to say "salt to taste", use the expression sal al gusto or if you need to "adjust the saltiness", you can use afinar el punto de sal. Related terms include salino for saline and salinero for things related to salt deposits, excavation, processing or use.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the term sal común is used to mean "common salt".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun sal is feminine and is used with the feminine article la (e.g., la sal).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈsal/
Did you know?
- While sal is a noun, the identical word sal is also the imperative form of the verb salir. This means the word for 'salt' is also how you tell someone to 'get out'.
- In some Spanish-speaking culinary traditions, sal is not just a seasoning but a metaphor for 'charm' or 'grace' in a person's character.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, if you spill sal, it is considered bad luck. To counteract this, some traditions suggest throwing a pinch of the spilled salt over your left shoulder.
Examples in context
- Ya no queda sal.There's no more salt.This sentence shows how to say there is no more salt using sal.Tatoeba #483427 by Shishir, translation #467337 by CK
- La sal, por favor.The salt, please.This sentence shows how to request the salt using sal.Tatoeba #8380981 by ManuelML, translation #8383995 by cromwellt
- ¿Queda algo de sal?Is there any salt left?This sentence shows how to ask if any salt is left using sal.Tatoeba #1248019 by marcelostockle, translation #25758 by CK
- Por favor, pásame la salPlease pass me the salt.
- Pásame la sal, por favorPass me the salt, please.
- la sal es fundamental en esta recetaSalt is essential in this recipe
- sin sal, la comida no tiene saborWithout salt, the food has no flavor
- 166 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are having dinner at home.
- AlejandroSofía, ¿puedes pasarme la sal?Sofía, can you pass me the salt?
- SofíaSí, aquí tienes la sal.Yes, here is the salt.
- AlejandroGracias, la comida necesita un poco de sal.Thanks, the food needs a bit of salt.
- SofíaEs verdad, le falta sal.It is true, it lacks salt.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “salt” translations and entries sal, 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.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
