Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| grueso | /ˈɡɾweso/ |
| espeso | /esˈpeso/ |
| colipavo | /kolipabo/ (from spelling rules) |
In Spanish, the word you choose for thick depends entirely on what you are describing. Use grueso for the physical dimension or width of solid objects. Use espeso to describe the density or viscosity of substances like liquids or gases.
Which one should you use?
The terms differ based on the property being described. Use grueso for the physical thickness or width of solid objects like books, walls or slices of bread. Use espeso for liquids, gases or substances that have a high viscosity or density, such as soup, fog or mud.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, fornido/a is used to describe someone who is thick in a muscular sense.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form grueso must change to gruesa to agree with feminine nouns such as capa (layer) or línea (line). Similarly, the masculine espeso must change to espesa to agree with feminine nouns like sopa (soup) or niebla (fog).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɡɾweso/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use grueso to describe thick liquids like sauce, but espeso is the correct term for viscosity.
Did you know?
- While grueso describes thickness, the related Spanish word grosero means 'rude', stemming from the idea of being 'coarse' or 'unrefined'.
- In some Spanish dialects, espeso can be used to describe someone who is slow to understand or 'thick-headed', mirroring the English slang usage.
- While grueso describes physical width, the Spanish word gordo is used to describe a person who is thick or overweight. Calling a person grueso would sound like you are describing them as a solid geometric object.
Examples in context
- El libro es grueso.The book is thick.This sentence shows how to use grueso to describe the thickness of a book.Tatoeba #10558229 by Seael, translation #10060003 by ddnktr
- Los muros son gruesos.The walls are thick.This sentence demonstrates the use of grueso for the thickness of walls.Tatoeba #13869741 by Seael, translation #9201725 by CK
- El bosque es muy espeso.The forest is very thick.This sentence illustrates the use of espeso to describe the density of a forest.Tatoeba #1386557 by marcelostockle, translation #682174 by Source_VOA
- El jugador de rugby tiene un cuerpo robusto.The rugby player has a thick build.
- No le pidas ayuda a Pedro, es un poco inteligente.Don't ask Pedro for help, he's a bit thick.
- Mi hermano es muy lento para entender conceptos nuevos.My brother is very thick when it comes to understanding new concepts.
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are looking at a piece of glass for a project.
- Daniel¿Es este vidrio suficiente?Is this glass enough?
- ElenaNo, necesitamos uno más grueso.No, we need a thicker one.
- DanielTienes razón, Elena.You are right, Elena.
- ElenaEste es demasiado delgado.This one is too thin.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thick” translations and entries grueso, espeso, 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.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
