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alto

al-tohˈalto

tall, high

Also: upper, senior / high-ranking
A towering, extremely tall skyscraper reaching high into the clouds, standing next to a small, short house.

📝 In Action

Mi hermano es muy alto.

A1

My brother is very tall.

La montaña es muy alta.

A1

The mountain is very high.

Puso el libro en el estante más alto.

A2

She put the book on the highest shelf.

El precio de la gasolina está muy alto.

B1

The price of gasoline is very high.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • elevado (elevated, high)
  • grande (big, large (can sometimes overlap))

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • de alto nivel – high-level
  • en la parte alta – in the upper part
  • t tacones altos – high heels

loud

mA2
A person singing loudly into a microphone, with exaggerated, visible sound waves radiating outward from their mouth.

📝 In Action

La música está muy alta.

A2

The music is very loud.

Por favor, habla más alto, no te oigo.

A2

Please, speak louder, I can't hear you.

Le gusta leer en voz alta.

B1

He likes to read out loud.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • en voz alta – out loud
  • hablar alto – to speak loudly

stop, halt

Also: height
NounmB1
Mexico and Central America
A car pulled over safely next to a large tree on a road, with two people outside stretching and taking a break from their journey.

📝 In Action

Hicimos un alto en el camino para comer.

B1

We made a stop on the way to eat.

La policía le dio el alto al coche.

B2

The police ordered the car to halt.

En la carretera, hay una señal de alto.

B1

On the road, there is a stop sign.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • parada (a stop (like a bus stop))
  • detención (a stop, a detention)

Common Collocations

  • hacer un alto – to make a stop, to take a break
  • dar el alto – to order to stop, to halt
  • señal de alto – stop sign

Halt!, Stop!

InterjectionB1formal
A uniformed figure standing with one arm raised straight up, palm facing forward, in a powerful, non-verbal command to stop.

📝 In Action

¡Alto! ¿Quién va?

B2

Halt! Who goes there?

¡Alto ahí! No te muevas.

B1

Stop right there! Don't move.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • ¡Alto ahí! – Stop right there!

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "alto" in Spanish:

halt→height→high→loud→stop→tall→upper→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: alto

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'alto' to mean 'loud'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
altura(height) — Noun
altavoz(loudspeaker) — Noun
alteza(highness (as in royalty)) — Noun
altibajo(ups and downs) — Noun
enaltecer(to praise, to exalt) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin word 'altus', which interestingly meant both 'high' and 'deep'. Spanish kept the 'high' meaning, which branched out to mean tall, loud, and eventually a command to 'halt' from a high authority.

First recorded: 10th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: altitudeItalian: altoFrench: hautPortuguese: alto

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'alto' and 'grande'?

Great question! 'Alto' specifically refers to vertical height (how tall something is from bottom to top). 'Grande' refers to overall size (big). A person can be 'alto' (tall) but not 'grande' (if they are thin). A box can be 'grande' (big) but not 'alto' (if it's wide but short).

Why do people say 'hablar alto' instead of 'hablar altomente'?

It's a quirk of Spanish. While you might expect a word ending in '-mente' (like '-ly' in English), for certain common actions like speaking, it's more natural to use the adjective form. 'Hablar alto' (speak loud) and 'hablar bajo' (speak quiet) are the standard ways to say it.