célula
/SEH-loo-lah/
cell
In biology, a 'célula' is the basic unit of life, like this microscopic cell.
📝 In Action
La célula es la unidad más pequeña de los seres vivos.
B1The cell is the smallest unit of living beings.
Estamos estudiando la estructura de la célula vegetal.
B1We are studying the structure of the plant cell.
💡 Grammar Points
Always Feminine
Even though it refers to basic units of everything, the word itself is always feminine ('la célula'), regardless of what kind of cell it is.
The Accent Mark
This word always has an accent on the 'é' because the stress is on the third-to-last syllable. In Spanish, words stressed this far back always need a written accent mark.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Missing the Accent
Mistake: "celula"
Correction: célula
⭐ Usage Tips
Scientific Context
You will mostly hear this in school or doctor's offices. For a 'cell phone', use 'celular' (Latin America) or 'móvil' (Spain).
A 'célula' can also refer to a small, specialized group working within a larger organization.
📝 In Action
La policía desarticuló una célula terrorista en la capital.
B2The police broke up a terrorist cell in the capital.
El partido político se organiza en pequeñas células locales.
B2The political party is organized into small local cells.
💡 Grammar Points
Collective Meaning
In this context, the word is singular but describes a group of people working together in secret or as a subunit.
⭐ Usage Tips
Social Usage
This is a figurative use of the biological term, implying that the small group is a building block of a larger 'body' or organization.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: célula
Question 1 of 2
Which of these is the correct way to say 'stem cell'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'célula' the same as 'celular'?
No. 'Célula' is the noun (the cell itself). 'Celular' is an adjective meaning 'related to cells' or, in Latin America, a noun meaning 'cell phone'.
Why does it have an accent on the first 'e'?
Because the emphasis is on the third-to-last syllable (CÉ-lu-la). All Spanish words with this stress pattern must have a written accent mark.