guerra
“guerra” means “war” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
war
Also: warfare
📝 In Action
La Segunda Guerra Mundial fue un conflicto devastador.
B1The Second World War was a devastating conflict.
El país ha estado en guerra durante diez años.
A2The country has been at war for ten years.
Nadie quiere una guerra.
A2Nobody wants a war.
struggle
Also: fight, conflict
📝 In Action
Es una guerra constante contra la desinformación.
B2It's a constant struggle against misinformation.
Los dos hermanos tienen una guerra de voluntades.
B1The two brothers are having a war of wills.
El gobierno inició una guerra contra la pobreza.
B1The government started a war on poverty.
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: guerra
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'guerra' in a figurative (non-military) way?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from an old Germanic word, '*werra*', which meant 'strife' or 'quarrel.' This word replaced the original Latin word for war, 'bellum', in Spanish. That's why 'war' words in Spanish and English sound similar, but words about being warlike (like 'bellicose' in English or 'bélico' in Spanish) come from Latin.
First recorded: Around the 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the 'u' in 'guerra' silent?
In Spanish, to keep the 'g' sound hard (like in 'go') before an 'e' or 'i', a 'u' is placed in between. Without it, 'gerra' would sound like 'herra' (with a soft 'h' sound). You see the same thing in 'guitarra' (guitar) and 'guiso' (stew).
What's the difference between 'guerra' and 'batalla'?
Think of 'guerra' (war) as the whole movie and 'batalla' (battle) as a single scene. A 'guerra' is a long, large-scale conflict, while a 'batalla' is a specific fight or engagement within that war.