Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| tenazuelas | /tenaθwelas/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /tenaswelas/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
feminine, plural |
| pinza [depilatoria] | feminine | |
| pincita [de depilar] | feminine |
Tweezers are small, pincer-like instruments, usually made of metal, used for handling small objects. In a beauty or grooming context, you can use the specific term pinza depilatoria to refer to hair removal tweezers.
What does it mean word for word?
The word tenazuelas is a diminutive of tenazas, which means pliers, literally translating to "little pliers".
Which one should you use?
While tenazuelas is a specific diminutive used for small tweezers, pinza is a more general term for any pincer or gripping tool. In many Spanish-speaking regions, the plural form pinzas is also used colloquially to refer to a single pair of tweezers.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, such as Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Peru, pinzas is the standard term for tweezers.
How does it change in a sentence?
tenazuelas is a feminine plural noun and requires feminine plural articles like las.
How do you pronounce it?
/tenaθwelas/
Did you know?
- The term pinza is so versatile that it is also the standard word for the 'pincers' or 'claws' of a crab or lobster.
- The word pinza is a linguistic relative of the English word 'pince-nez', which refers to a style of spectacles held by a clip.
- The root of tenazas comes from the verb tener, which means 'to hold' or 'to have'.
Example sentences for Spanish are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Mateo is helping María fix a piece of jewelry.
- MateoMaría, ¿tienes unas tenazuelas a mano?María, do you have some tweezers handy?
- MaríaSí, están en el cajón del baño.Yes, they are in the bathroom drawer.
- MateoGracias, usaré las tenazuelas para el cierre.Thanks, I'll use the tweezers for the clasp.
- MaríaDe nada, Mateo, ten mucho cuidado.You're welcome, Mateo, be very careful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tweezers” translations, 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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pinza, CC BY-SA 4.0.
