tetera
/teˈteɾa/
The Spanish word for tea kettle is tetera.
A tetera is a container with a handle and a spout used for brewing tea or boiling water.
Which one should you use?
While tetera refers specifically to a vessel for tea, the word hervidor is often used to describe a general water kettle used for boiling water.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of tetera is teteras.
How do you pronounce it?
/teˈteɾa/
Did you know?
- The Argentine writer Juan José Sebrelli proposed a curious theory that tetera might actually be a phonetic corruption of the English terms 'toilet room' or 't-room'.
- The word tetera belongs to a family of kitchen tools that use the suffix -era to indicate a container for a specific substance, such as a cafetera for coffee.
- The word tetera is a linguistic relative of the Italian teiera and the French théière.
Examples in context
- En la tienda, encontré una elegante tetera de porcelana.In the store, I found an elegant porcelain tea kettle.
- La tetera está sobre la estufa.The tea kettle is on the stove.
- ¿Dónde pusiste la tetera de cerámica?Where did you put the ceramic tea kettle?
- Necesitamos una tetera nueva para la cocina.We need a new tea kettle for the kitchen.
Example conversation
A couple is preparing breakfast in their kitchen.
- JavierLucía, ¿puedes traer la tetera?Lucía, can you bring the tea kettle?
- LucíaSí, la tengo aquí mismo.Yes, I have it right here.
- JavierGracias, ponla sobre la mesa.Thanks, put it on the table.
- LucíaClaro, Javier, ya la puse.Of course, Javier, I already put it there.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tetera, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tetera, CC BY-SA 4.0.
