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infierno

/in-FYEHR-noh/

hell

A fiery, deep cavern filled with red and orange lava, featuring tall, jagged black rocks and menacing, shadowy gates, representing the mythological underworld.

Infierno (hell) often refers to the religious or mythological underworld, a place of fire and eternal punishment.

infierno(Noun)

mB1

hell

?

the underworld in many religions

Also:

underworld

?

mythological place of the dead

,

inferno

?

poetic or literary term for hell

📝 In Action

Según muchas religiones, los pecadores van al infierno.

B1

According to many religions, sinners go to hell.

Dante escribió sobre los nueve círculos del Infierno en su Divina Comedia.

B2

Dante wrote about the nine circles of Hell in his Divine Comedy.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • averno (Avernus, hell)
  • inframundo (underworld)

Antonyms

  • cielo (heaven)
  • paraíso (paradise)

Common Collocations

  • penas del infierno – pains of hell
  • puertas del infierno – gates of hell

Idioms & Expressions

  • mandar a alguien al infierno – to tell someone to go to hell

💡 Grammar Points

Always Masculine

'Infierno' is a masculine word, so you always use 'el infierno' (the hell) or 'un infierno' (a hell), never 'la' or 'una'.

⭐ Usage Tips

When to Capitalize

When you're talking about the specific religious or mythological place, it's common to capitalize it ('Infierno'), just like 'Heaven' or 'Hell' in English. For general or figurative use, it's lowercase.

A chaotic scene of extreme traffic congestion on a city street during a heatwave, with many cars stuck bumper-to-bumper, symbolizing a terrible situation.

Figuratively, infierno (hell) describes a terrible, chaotic, or unbearable situation, such as extreme traffic.

infierno(Noun)

mB2

hell

?

a terrible situation or place

Also:

nightmare

?

an awful experience

,

inferno

?

a place of intense heat or chaos

📝 In Action

El tráfico a esta hora es un infierno.

B1

The traffic at this time is hell.

Vivir con tanto ruido fue un infierno para mí.

B2

Living with so much noise was hell for me.

El incendio convirtió el edificio en un infierno.

C1

The fire turned the building into an inferno.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • calvario (ordeal)
  • pesadilla (nightmare)
  • tormento (torment)

Antonyms

  • paraíso (paradise)
  • gloria (glory, bliss)

Common Collocations

  • un infierno de calor – hellish heat
  • pasar un infierno – to go through hell

Idioms & Expressions

  • hacer la vida un infierno a alguien – to make someone's life a living hell

⭐ Usage Tips

Describing a Situation

When you use 'infierno' to describe a terrible situation, you almost always put 'un' in front of it. For example, 'Mi examen fue un infierno' (My exam was hell).

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: infierno

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'infierno' to talk about a bad situation, not a religious place?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

infernal(infernal, hellish) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'infierno' a swear word in Spanish?

Not exactly a swear word, but it is a very strong word. When used in its religious sense, it's serious. When used figuratively, like 'este calor es un infierno' (this heat is hell), it's informal and used to express strong frustration or suffering. It's more intense than just saying something is 'bad'.