Which one should you use?
While blanco is the standard term for the color, related forms like albo and albar can be used specifically to mean bright and colourless. When describing someone as white or of Caucasian descent, you may also see the terms blanco, albo or blanquiñoso.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The terms Güero and Güera are informal Mexican Spanish terms used to refer to people with light skin and hair.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word changes to agree with the gender and number of the noun it describes. Use blanco for masculine singular nouns, blanca for feminine singular nouns, blancos for masculine plural nouns and blancas for feminine plural nouns. When using the word as a noun to refer to the color itself, the masculine form blanco is used.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈblanko/
Did you know?
- The word blanco can also refer to a 'target' or a 'white' in shooting sports, such as archery or shooting ranges.
- The English word 'blank' is actually a close relative of the Spanish blanco, both tracing back to a common ancestor meaning 'shining' or 'bright'.
- The term está en blanco is used to describe someone who has a sudden memory lapse or a 'blank' mind during an exam.
Examples in context
- El pan es blanco.The bread is white.This sentence shows how to use blanco to describe the color of bread.Tatoeba #13685842 by Seael, translation #12788497 by rul
- El gato es blanco.The cat is white.This sentence demonstrates using blanco to describe a cat.Tatoeba #3958307 by senryakun, translation #3958312 by senryakun
- Mi gato es blanco.My cat is white.This sentence provides another example of using blanco with a cat.Tatoeba #4647859 by saverius, translation #4628627 by Lazovic
- Él es un hombre blanco.He is a white man.
- Ella pertenece a la raza blanca/caucásica.She belongs to the white/Caucasian race.
- Él es de raza blanca y tiene el cabello castaño claro.He is of white race and has light brown hair.
- Ella es güera de ojos azules.She is a white girl with blue eyes.
- 294 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Daniel are choosing a new color for the living room wall.
- María¿Te gusta este tono?Do you like this shade?
- DanielNo, prefiero el blanco.No, I prefer white.
- MaríaEl blanco es muy elegante.White is very elegant.
- DanielSí, María, es perfecto.Yes, María, it is perfect.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “white” translations and entries blanco, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries blanco, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
