vigésimo
/biˈxesimo/
The English word twentieth is translated into Spanish as vigésimo. Wiktionary also lists veinteno and veintésimo.
Meaning: ordinal form of twenty (adj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| vigésimo | /biˈxesimo/ |
| veinteno | /beinteno/ (from spelling rules) |
| veintésimo | /beintesimo/ (from spelling rules) |
| vicésimo | /biθesimo/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /bisesimo/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
The terms in this list represent the ordinal form of twenty. They can also function as nouns to refer to the ordinal object itself.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between using a word for a position and using it for a fraction. While vigésimo is used for ordinal positions (the 20th item), veinteavo is used for fractional parts (one twentieth of a whole).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina and Uruguay, the term veinteavo may be used occasionally for twentieth.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The ordinal number vigésimo must agree in gender with the noun it modifies, changing to vigésima for feminine nouns. The ordinal number can be made plural by adding -s to form vigésimos or vigésimas.
How do you pronounce it?
/biˈxesimo/
Did you know?
- In everyday spoken Spanish, people rarely use vigésimo at all. They usually just say veinte ('twenty') and let the context make it clear that they mean 'twentieth'.
- The word vigésimo is a 'learned borrowing', meaning it was reintroduced into Spanish from Latin texts rather than evolving naturally from the spoken word for twenty.
- While vigésimo is the standard, some speakers create the hybrid form veintésimo by blending the cardinal veinte with the ordinal suffix.
Examples in context
- Tom celebró su vigésimo cumpleaños la semana pasada.Tom celebrated his twentieth birthday last week.This sentence shows the use of vigésimo to describe a birthday.Tatoeba #1990770 by marcelostockle, translation #1026710 by CK
- El vigésimo aniversario de la empresa será celebrado en grande.The twentieth anniversary of the company will be celebrated in a grand way.
- Vivo en el vigésimo piso del edificio.I live on the twentieth floor of the building.
- Esta es tu vigésima oportunidad para demostrar tus habilidades.This is your twentieth opportunity to showcase your skills.
- Mañana celebramos el vigésimo cumpleaños de mi hermana.Tomorrow, we celebrate my sister's twentieth birthday.
- Vivo en el vigésimo piso.I live on the twentieth floor.
- Es el vigésimo capítulo del libro.It is the twentieth chapter of the book.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are looking at a list of prizes.
- ElenaMira, llegaste en el vigésimo lugar.Look, you came in twentieth place.
- JavierNo puede ser, estoy muy lejos.No way, I am very far back.
- ElenaAl menos ganaste un pequeño premio.At least you won a small prize.
- JavierTienes razón, Javier está feliz.You are right, Javier is happy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “twentieth” translations and entries vigésimo, veinteno, 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 vigésimo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
