patillas
/patiʝas/from spelling rules
The Spanish word for sideburns is patillas.
The term refers to the facial hair that grows from the top of the head down the side of the face toward the chin.
Meaning: facial hair reaching from the top of the head down the side of the face to the side of the chin (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a feminine noun. While the singular form is patilla, the plural form patillas is much more common when referring to the facial hair feature as a whole.
How do you pronounce it?
/patiʝas/
Did you know?
- The word patillas comes from patilla, which is a diminutive of pata, meaning 'leg'. In essence, Spanish speakers refer to their sideburns as 'little legs' growing on their cheeks.
- In Spanish, the parts of eyeglasses that hook over the ears are called patillas, effectively calling the arms of the glasses 'sideburns'.
- While 'sideburns' in English is a nod to General Ambrose Burnside, patillas describes the hair as 'little legs' based on the word pata.
Examples in context
- Me gusta cómo le quedan las patillas al actor de la película.I like how the actor in the movie looks with his sideburns.
- ¿Te has planteado dejarte crecer las patillas?Have you considered growing your sideburns?
- Tiene las patillas muy largas.He has very long sideburns.
- Me gusta cómo te quedan las patillas.I like how your sideburns look on you.
- El peluquero me recortó las patillas.The barber trimmed my sideburns.
Example conversation
At a barbershop.
- MaríaAlejandro, ¿quieres que te corte las patillas?Alejandro, do you want me to cut your sideburns?
- AlejandroSí, por favor, déjalas un poco más cortas.Yes, please, leave them a little shorter.
- MaríaMuy bien, ¿prefieres una forma recta o redondeada?Very well, do you prefer a straight or rounded shape?
- AlejandroPrefiero que sean rectas.I prefer them to be straight.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry patillas, 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.
