veintiuno
/beinˈtjuno/
The number twenty-one in Spanish is veintiuno.
veintiuno is used to represent the number 21. To emphasize that you are referring specifically to the number itself, you can use the phrase el número veintiuno.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of veint (twenty) and uno (one).
Which one should you use?
While veintiuno is the default form, you must use different variations depending on the gender of the noun it describes or its position in a sentence.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used with a feminine singular noun, veintiuno changes to veintiuna, such as in the phrase veintiuna chicas (twenty-one girls). If the word is placed immediately before a masculine singular noun, it drops the final -o and adds an accent to become veintiún.
How do you pronounce it?
/beinˈtjuno/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the number veintiuno is often associated with the game of Blackjack, which is commonly called veintiuno instead of its English name.
- The 'i' in veintiuno is actually a fossilized version of the Spanish word 'y', which means 'and'.
- The root of veintiuno is the same as the English word 'vigintillion', a number followed by 63 zeros in the US scale.
Examples in context
- El vuelo número veintiuno está programado para salir a las 10 a.m.Flight number twenty-one is scheduled to depart at 10 a.m.
- Necesito veintiuna copias de este documento.I need twenty-one copies of this document.
- El número de la casa es veintiuno.The house number is twenty-one.
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are counting items in a box.
- MateoSofía, ¿cuántos lápices hay aquí?Sofía, how many pencils are here?
- SofíaCreo que hay veintiuno.I think there are twenty-one.
- MateoDéjame contar otra vez.Let me count again.
- SofíaSí, son veintiuno.Yes, it is twenty-one.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry veintiuno, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries veintiuno, CC BY-SA 4.0.
