19 Spanish Words That Start With W: Learn Spanish W-Words
The Spanish alphabet has some interesting quirks, and one of the most interesting is the letter W. It’s a rare letter in Spanish.
Did you know that the Spanish letter W is one of the least common letters in the language? It’s often referred to as “doble ve” (double v) or “uve doble” in Spanish. There aren’t many native Spanish words that start with W, but it’s used in some loanwords and names, so we will list all of the Spanish words that start with w.
There’s a funny song in Spanish about W but maybe, it will help you learn it. Here’s the song by Canta con Jess:
In this blog post, we’ll explore some interesting Spanish words that start with W!
1. Fun facts about the Spanish letter ‘W’
The letter W is not traditionally part of the Spanish alphabet. It was only officially added in 1969 by the Royal Spanish Academy.
What about its pronunciation?
In Spanish, ‘W’ is usually pronounced like the English ‘w’ in words of English origin, or like ‘b’ or ‘v’ in words of German origin. Its pronunciation can be different depending on the word’s origin and regional dialects.
Many of the Spanish words that start with W are loanwords from other languages, and they mainly come from English and German. (By the way, we also teach German on Effortless Conversations, and you can check out German pronunciation of words, too.)
The Spanish letter W is rarely used in common expressions. However, you might come across it in brand names or technological terms – and you will see this in this blog post.
2. Spanish nouns starting with W
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Whisky | Whiskey |
| Wéstern | Western |
| Wifi | Wi-Fi |
| Waterpolo | Water polo |
| Wok | Wok |
| Walkie-talkie | Walkie-talkie |
| Web | Web |
| Watt | Watt |
| Windsurf | Windsurfing |
| Wasabi | Wasabi |
These Spanish nouns are basically all loanwords from English, it’s easy to learn them!
María: Hola Carlos, ¿has probado el nuevo whisky que compramos? (María: Hi Carlos, have you tried the new whiskey we bought?)
Carlos: Aún no. Estaba ocupado configurando el wifi para ver un wéstern en la web. (Carlos: Not yet. I was busy setting up the Wi-Fi to watch a Western on the web.)
María: ¡Qué moderno! Yo prefiero practicar windsurf o waterpolo. (María: How modern! I prefer practicing windsurfing or water polo.)
3. Spanish verbs starting with W
There are very few, if any, true Spanish verbs that start with W. Most verbs beginning with W in Spanish are adapted from English.
Here are some examples that you can see:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Wasapear | To WhatsApp |
| Waterpolizar | To play water polo |
| Windsurfear | To windsurf |
| Wechatear | To use WeChat |
| Wikiar | To use Wikipedia |
These are new verb creations from the latest technological advancements. How can you use them in conversations? Like this:
Lucía: Pedro, ¿me puedes wasapear la dirección del restaurante? (Lucía: Pedro, can you WhatsApp me the address of the restaurant?)
Pedro: Claro, te la envío en un momento. ¿Sabías que empecé a windsurfear el mes pasado? (Pedro: Sure, I’ll send it to you in a moment. Did you know I started windsurfing last month?)
Lucía: ¡Qué interesante! Yo prefiero waterpolizar. Deberíamos wikiar para aprender más sobre estos deportes. (Lucía: How interesting! I prefer to play water polo. We should use Wikipedia to learn more about these sports.)
4. Spanish adjectives starting with W
Similar to verbs, there are very few Spanish adjectives that start with W.
Most are loanwords or related to brand names:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Wagneriano | Wagnerian |
| Washingtoniano | Washingtonian |
| Wahabí | Wahhabi |
| Wilsoniano | Wilsonian |
Here’s a short dialogue using some of these Spanish adjectives:
Ana: ¿Has escuchado la nueva interpretación wagneriana de la ópera? (Ana: Have you heard the new Wagnerian interpretation of the opera?)
Roberto: No, pero me interesa la política wilsoniana. ¿Sabes si hay algún documental en el wéstern channel? (Roberto: No, but I’m interested in Wilsonian politics. Do you know if there’s any documentary on the Western channel?)
Ana: No estoy segura. Podríamos wikiar para averiguarlo. (Ana: I’m not sure. We could use Wikipedia to find out.)
Learn Spanish words that start with W with Conversation Based Chunking method
A fantastic way to learn these Spanish words that start with W is Conversation Based Chunking.
For example, if you use wasapear in a Spanish sentence, it’s much easier to learn “¿Me puedes wasapear?” rather than remembering the English translation of the word. With this method, you’ll quickly learn how to communicate with full Spanish sentences.
It’s much more effective and interesting to learn Spanish – or any language – by immersing yourself through listening, reading, or by watching the best Spanish TV shows on Netflix.
If you sign up now, you’ll get an Essential Spanish Chunking List, you’ll get access to our Full Practice Worksheet Library, and you’ll also see the best resources to learn Spanish.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Conversation Based Chunking method:
