amigdalitis
/amiɡdaˈlitis/feminine
Strep throat in Spanish is amigdalitis. Wiktionary also lists angina and anginas.
Meaning: throat infection (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| amigdalitis | /amiɡdaˈlitis/ | feminine |
| angina | /anˈxina/ | feminine |
| anginas | /anˈxinas/ | feminine, plural |
The term is used to describe a throat infection.
Which one should you use?
amigdalitis is the precise medical term for the condition, whereas the plural anginas is a very common colloquial way to refer to the same thing in many Spanish-speaking regions.
How does it change in a sentence?
When stating that you have the infection, do not use an article. You should say tengo amigdalitis rather than tengo la amigdalitis.
How do you pronounce it?
/amiɡdaˈlitis/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers may mistakenly think anginas refers to the anatomical tonsils themselves, but in common usage, it refers to the infection (strep throat/tonsillitis).
Did you know?
- The word amígdala comes from the Ancient Greek word for 'almond'. This is because the tonsils are shaped like the nuts of an almond tree.
- In English, 'angina' refers specifically to chest pain from heart disease, but in Spanish, anginas is a common way to describe a sore throat.
- The suffix -itis in amigdalitis is a direct loan from Greek, used universally in Spanish medical terminology to indicate inflammation. This makes it a 'cognate' that follows the same logic as the English suffix '-itis' in 'gastritis'.
Examples in context
- Creo que tengo anginas.I think I have tonsillitis.
- El médico confirmó que es amigdalitis.The doctor confirmed it is strep throat.
- La amigdalitis puede ser muy dolorosa.Strep throat can be very painful.
Example conversation
María is explaining why she cannot go to the party.
- MaríaNo puedo ir porque tengo amigdalitis.I cannot go because I have strep throat.
- Mateo¿Te duele mucho la garganta, María?Does your throat hurt a lot, María?
- MaríaSí, me duele demasiado.Yes, it hurts too much.
- MateoEspero que te recuperes pronto.I hope you recover soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “strep throat” translations and entries amigdalitis, angina, anginas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries amigdalitis, angina, CC BY-SA 4.0.
